Waco History Podcast

Swimming is a favorite summer activity in Texas, as it provides respite from sweltering temperatures. Charles Armstrong  grew up in the Bell's Hill area of Waco and describes where he and other boys would go to cool off: "And from Twenty-ninth Street over where the Baylor stadium is now, there was a fence across there, and it wasn't anything but mesquite patch up there where the stadium is. And it...

An annual tradition for many students and teachers is looking for summer employment. During the 1940s, these jobs were becoming easier to find, with a recovering American economy and the war overseas. Jane Martin , former missionary in East Africa, lists a few of the summer jobs that she held in the 1940s to pay her way through Mars Hill College in North Carolina: "I worked for the government at t...

Originally Aired 06/2019 In this episode In one afternoon, 114 people lost their lives and Downtown Waco’s skyline was forever changed. Eric Ames, Assistant Director for Marketing & Communication for the Baylor University Libraries and ITS, walks us through the day the 1953 tornado touched down. We talk about the damage the storm caused, stories of hope in the aftermath, and ways the tornado’s...

Since its dedication in 1910, Waco's Cameron Park has grown from 125 to more than 400 acres, with land gifts from the Cameron family, and has provided children with countless hours of exercise and enjoyment. Charlie Turner  of Hewitt recalls playing in the park as a young boy in the 1950s and 60s: "There were some little wading pools we would go play in, and then, of course, I would get in trouble...

Among southern states, Texas was a leader in the desegregation of public education. In 1964, Texas accounted for approximately 60 percent of integrated school districts in the South. Robert Lewis Gilbert  was the first black teacher to be hired in a white school in Waco and describes taking on that position: "Everybody was telling me before I went, Well, you know, white kids, you're going to reall...

Waco History talks with Justice Matt Johnson on the history of the McLennan County's Courthouse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

The mission of Historic Waco is to preserve the heritage of Waco and McLennan County, Texas for future generations and to present enriching diverse historical experiences for audiences of all ages. Our mission is fulfilled through educational programming, community lectures, diverse exhibitions, and through our three interpreted house museums that are open to the public: Earle-Napier-Kinnard House...

Waco.. A Fantastical History with Ashley Bean Thornton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Dr. Sloan talks to Waco Civic Theater Interim Executive Director Kelly M. about upcoming and past events Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

In August 1910 on the corner of Fifth & Austin in downtown Waco, construction began on a state-of-the-art, steel-frame office building. Founders and board members of the newly formed Amicable Life Insurance Company had originally planned a structure with eight stories, but that number soon rose to seventeen and then twenty-two. Construction on the building, known as the "ALICO Building," laste...

During the Great Depression, newspapers struggled alongside other businesses throughout the country, as many of their customers were having to pinch pennies like never before. At the time of this 1974 interview,  Harlon Fentress  was chairman of the board of directors of Newspapers Incorporated, which owned the Waco  Tribune-Herald . He recounts his days in the advertising department of the Waco ...

Even with its dry spells, wind, and blistering heat, Waco has enjoyed a bounty of flowers over the years. Mary Sendón  recalls the Cotton Palace expositions held in the early 1900s in the Bell's Hill area: "They kept the grounds so beautiful. You never saw so many chrysanthemums in all your life as you would see at the Cotton Palace. They planted those things early. Every row that led up to the ne...

This is Living Stories, featuring voices from the collections of the Baylor University Institute for Oral History. I'm Louis Mazé. In 1881, Southwestern Telegraph and Telephone Co. formed with the purpose of operating exchanges in Arkansas and Texas. The company took over exchanges in Galveston and Houston and started several others across the state. Waco's very own telephone exchange opened in th...

Dr. Sloan talks with guest Rick Tullis about Wacoan WD Custead and his claim of being the first in flight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Dr. Sloan chats with Sean Sutcliffe about the history of the Waco Fire Department. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

The sport of basketball was created in 1891 by Dr. James Naismith, a teacher at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts. Since that very first game that involved a soccer ball and two peach baskets, the sport has undergone many changes. Baylor football coach  Grant Teaff  recalls when a high school coach in Snyder, Texas, drove him to basketball tryouts at San Angelo C...

The wedding industry, movies, and TV have created fantasies about lavish proposals and ceremonies that will ensure lasting marriages. But if the love and compatibility are there from the start, simplicity will get the job done. Gloria Young  of Waco started dating F. M. Young, the brother of her best friend, the summer before she went off to college. She reflects on their courtship: "Used to, I wa...

The 1911  Texas Almanac  reported that approximately 15,000 automobiles were in service in the Lone Star State. The  Almanac  went on to say, "Although the automobile is counted a luxury and in the majority of cases, is used for pleasure, or as a means of transportation from the home to the office, the automobile is found in practical everyday life in all parts of the State." Businessman  Robert L...

Dr. Sloan continues talks with Ryan Holt, Assistant City Manager about the History of the Waco Police Department. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Traveling by train has become something of a novelty for most Americans, as the routes available from surviving lines are quite limiting. But during their heyday, passenger trains, with service offered in most cities, were the go-to mode of transportation for many Americans and offered the excitement of new faces and experiences. Mary Sendón  of Waco describes a notable train ride she took with he...

Three years in to World War I, a $5 million construction project began on the northwest side of Waco. A few months later in September of 1917, the new training headquarters Camp MacArthur welcomed 18,000 troops from Michigan and Wisconsin. Throughout the rest of the war, the thousands of soldiers stationed at Camp MacArthur became a part of Waco's culture. Mary Sendón  remembers the impact the cam...

The worst drought in Texas in recent memory belongs to the 1950s. The seemingly never-ending dry spell started in '49. By the time it came to an end in 1956, all of Texas's 254 counties, save 10, had been declared federal disaster areas. Jess Lunsford , the founding administrator of South Texas Children's Home, describes how the dire conditions threatened the new campus near Beeville: "We hauled o...

Dr. Sloan talks with Ryan Holt, Assistant City Manager about the History of the Waco Police Department Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Dr. Sloan wraps up his conversation with Historian John Kamanec about The Case and Execution of Roy Mitchell in Waco Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Before their vaccines were made available, measles and rubella swept through towns every few years, mostly infecting young children. Everyone was expected to suffer through them at some point. Waco native  Mary Sendón  recalls her and her siblings' experience with the more serious of the two illnesses: "All of us—four of us—got measles at the same time. I was even in grammar school; I didn't get i...