WISE ABOUT TEXAS

The Texas Historical Commission is creating the opportunity to step back in time and visit the capital of Austin’s colony, San Felipe de Austin. Reproductions of some of the town buildings will now sit mere yards from their original locations. Find out about this exciting new project from the project historian Michael Rugeley Moore in...

General Sherman toured northern Texas to see just how bad the Indian raiding was. He had his doubts. What he didn’t know was just how close he came to a first-hand encounter! The party crossing the Salt Creek Prairie right after Sherman wouldn’t be so lucky. As the Kiowa swept down toward Henry Warren’s wagon...

The western frontier of Texas moved backwards during the Civil War. Indian raids pushed the settlers toward safer ground. After the war, the raiding had become so bad that something had to be done. The federal government thought leading with diplomacy would solve the problem but the Texans wanted military action. An 1871 attack on...

Freshwater pearls have always been valuable finds, but one man found one in 1909 that was said to be worth a ton of money! All of a sudden, East Texas experienced a pearl boom. One person reported watching a thousand people combing lake bottoms hoping to strike it rich. Hear about the East Texas pearl...

In the early 1920’s, the City of Houston was building what would come to be known as Hermann Park. Its centerpiece was to be a statue of Sam Houston. Enrico Cerracchio won the contract and his creation was lauded nationwide. But one person really didn’t like it…Sam Houston’s son. He hated it so much, a...

Galveston native Sam Collins III had a vision to bring Texas history and the Juneteenth story to its home in a grand way. Enlisting the help of a team of artists, technology experts, and the Galveston community, the Juneteenth Legacy Project came to life at the very site where General Granger issued General Order No....

On June 19, 1865, union general Gordon Granger landed in Galveston and issued some general orders. His General Order No. 3 informed the people of Texas that all the slaves in Texas were now free. Since then, “Juneteenth” has been celebrated in Texas as the anniversary of emancipation. Juneteenth became an official Texas state holiday...

The victorious Texians only carried one flag into the Battle of San Jacinto. It was a gift from the citizens of Newport, Kentucky to Sidney Sherman. After the revolution, the flag was sent back to Kentucky. But after several decades, the flag found its permanent home. Learn the fate of the San Jacinto battle flag...

The San Jacinto monument stands 567 feet over a battleground upon which a ragtag army changed the trajectory of world history. A few hundred Texians surprised the President of Mexico and his army in an afternoon attack on April 21, 1836. Eighteen minutes later, the Texians had won their revolution against the tyrannical Santa Anna,...

On March 27, 1836, several hundred Texian soldiers were brutally murdered on the orders of Santa Anna. One of them, John C. Logan, left us two letters. The first was written at a time of optimism and victory. The second reflected the hard conditions suffered by many in the Texian army. These two letters provide...

James L. Haley is one of Texas’ finest writers. He has written a preeminent biography of Sam Houston, an award winning narrative history of Texas called Passionate Nation as well as several works of fiction, also very highly regarded. But we Texans take our history very seriously, so writing historical fiction about Texas can be...

From February 23, 1836 through its fall on March 6, the Mexican army lay siege to the Alamo. William Barrret Travis wrote several letters during the siege but one stands above all others.  On February 24, 1836, Travis dispatched a letter “To the People of Texas and All Americans in the World.”  This letter would...

In 1925, there were only a few women lawyers in Texas. But women still couldn’t serve as jurors and nobody dreamed there would ever be a female judge. Then a real estate lawsuit came to the Texas Supreme Court involving a mutual life insurance company called  the Woodmen of the World.  At the time, every...

In the early 20th century, Texas had room to grow.  Like the empresarios of the early 1800’s, real estate drove efforts to settle new Texans.  But not all developers were honest.  Promises of historically productive land, railroads and pleasant temperatures lured many to the coastal prairie.  Towns were built…and towns died.  One in particular was...

San Augustine had a crime problem in the 1930’s. A semi-organized gang was preying on the black community and something had to be done. The problem was compounded by a corrupt governor who had all but destroyed the Rangers. But new Governor James V Allred cleaned up the Texas Ranger force and restored it to...

Texans love their freedom. At the door of a hat, we’ll declare independence and the fight is on! For years, folks have referred to Van Zandt County as the “free state of Van Zandt.” How did this come about? Was it taxes, or was it the civil war? In this episode we’ll look at three...

Texas one of only 17 states that has a pledge of allegiance to its flag. But some would say Texas is the only state that deserves it. Hear a quick take on the Texas pledge of allegiance in this episode of Wise About Texas.

In April, 1836, Texas went to war with the United States by capturing an American ship in the service of Mexico. After the battle of San Jacinto, an international relations nightmare loomed. President David Burnet had to find some way to hold a trial. Without a constitution, laws, courts or judges, Burnet took matters into...

During 1837, the Mexican government was still reeling from the successful Texas revolution. Bent on reconquering Texas, an army massed at Matamoros. The Secretary of the Texas Navy knew that Texas could keep Mexico at bay by attacking its ports and shipping. Sam Houston, however, thought the Texas Navy an unnecessary extravagance. Despite the President’s...

During World War II, Texas played an important role in training pilots and bomber crews.  The city of Dalhart contributed to the war effort by building an airfield.  Practice bombing missions took place over the panhandle by the famous B-17, B-24, and later the B-29.  One night in 1943, a young B-17 crew set out...

The 2020 coronavirus pandemic has been a trying time for Texans.  But we’ve been through much worse.  The harsh climate, tropical ports, lack of medicine, etc. has resulted in Texans enduring several pandemics and epidemics through the years.  From yellow fever to cholera to smallpox, it seems as though we’ve seen it all.  Texas is...

Austin is famous for its music scene.  Willie, Waylon, Jerry Jeff and so many others helped Austin become weird.  But before any of them there was Kenneth Threadgill.  A preacher’s son, Threadgill loved music.  He especially loved Jimmie Rogers and his yodel.  Threadgill opened a tavern that provided musicians a place to play, and college...

In April, 1836, two armies converged at Peggy McCormick’s ranch on the banks of the San Jacinto River.  In just 18 minutes, the Texian Army routed Santa Anna and the portion of the Mexican Army he commanded.  Texas was free!  Almost immediately, the area was revered as hallowed ground in the history of Texas.  Visitors...

Originally established in 1721 along the banks of the Guadalupe river, Presidio La Bahia was moved to its present location along the banks of the San Antonio river in 1749. Since then it has been a critical location for worship, trade, protection, battle and commerce. The presidio has been taken and re-taken as Texas has...

James Fannin fancied himself an accomplished military commander. But in March of 1836 he had trouble deciding where and when to move. He finally headed for Victoria but decided to stop and feed his animals. Fannin didn’t realize how close the Mexican army was but he soon found out. Surrounded, without supplies, desperate, Fannin surrendered...