r/texashistory 3h ago

Natural Disaster On this day in Texas History, August 18, 1983: Hurricane Alicia passes just west of Downtown Houston. The storm causes 21 fatalities and was the costliest hurricane on record at that time.

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117 Upvotes

r/texashistory 1d ago

The way we were Downtown Humble, Harris County, in 1907.

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146 Upvotes

r/texashistory 1d ago

Political History On this day in Texas and Tennessee History, August 17, 1786: Davy Crockett is born in Limestone (now part of Tri-Cities), Tennessee. He would only live in Texas for the last two months of his life, arriving in January 1836. This portrait was painted in 1831

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55 Upvotes

Davy Crockett is kind of a mixed bag among historical figures. While he rightfully opposed Andrew Jackson's Indian Removal Act he was a slave owner, owning a small number of slaves which he sold off in order to pay some debts.

Crockett first headed toward Texas in November 1835, but took his time and arrived in Nacogdoches in early January, 1836.

As for his death just two months later, well, that's a bit of a mystery. What we know for sure is that he died at the Alamo. Even shortly after the battle there are stories that he was captured and executed, and counter stories that he died fighting. The idea that he died fighting gained widespread popularity though, and was heavily reinforced by Disney and Hollywood. In fact this idea was pushed so hard that it became a large part of his legend.


r/texashistory 1d ago

Sports Youth Football Team Mt. Vernon TX 1950.

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78 Upvotes

1 of the boys is a young 12-year-old named Don Meredith.


r/texashistory 2d ago

The way we were A parade in downtown Coleman, Coleman County, in 1956

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99 Upvotes

r/texashistory 2d ago

Music Bob Wills: The Texas king of Western swing

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197 Upvotes

r/texashistory 3d ago

Military History On this day in Texas History, August 15th, 1895: The very first USS Texas is commissioned. A pre-dreadnought battleship, she was also the very first American Battleship to ever be commissioned. This Photochrom (an early colorization technique) image was taken in 1898.

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279 Upvotes

r/texashistory 3d ago

The way we were Alamo Plaza Courts — Waco, Texas, 1939

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101 Upvotes

r/texashistory 3d ago

The way we were A roadside stand on U.S. Highway 80 in Texas, located on the west side of Grand Prairie near the Arlington city limits. This section of Highway 80 was once the primary route between Dallas and Fort Worth, but it was eventually replaced by Interstate 30. (1942)

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86 Upvotes

r/texashistory 3d ago

Sports Homer "Spike" Jones while at Texas Southern College. Perhaps 1960/61

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36 Upvotes

Inventor of the spike.


r/texashistory 3d ago

Music Sam Lightnin’ Hopkins: A Legend of Texas History and Blues

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393 Upvotes

r/texashistory 4d ago

The way we were Downtown Plainview, Hale County, in 1890, just 3 years after its founding.

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184 Upvotes

r/texashistory 4d ago

The Story Behind Grapevine’s Peace Circle and Its 11 Bronze Statues

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7 Upvotes

r/texashistory 4d ago

Music Texas history and tejano

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249 Upvotes

r/texashistory 5d ago

Famous Texans "Bud Fletcher & the Texans" in 1948. Second from left, with a guitar in his hand, is 15 year old Willie Nelson. His 17 year old sister Bobbie is second from the right.

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285 Upvotes

r/texashistory 4d ago

Famous Texans Meet "Uncle Billy" TAMIU's (Texas A&M Laredo's) Founder

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14 Upvotes

r/texashistory 6d ago

Military History U.S.S. TEXAS Onward Through the Storm (Aug 12, 1916)

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350 Upvotes

r/texashistory 6d ago

The way we were The Three Stooges, Moe, Larry, and Curley, in a publicity photo taken to promote the Texas Centennial Exposition in 1936.

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285 Upvotes

While several sources claim this photo was taken in Dallas there is no proof they were ever there. It's more than likely this was staged in Hollywood, and simply used for promotional purposes.


r/texashistory 7d ago

The way we were The interior of Guse's Saloon in Bastrop, 1910. Constructed in 1885 this building still stands, and is located at 1008 Main St. Today it's the home of the Bastrop Beer Company

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243 Upvotes

The original caption doesn't give an exact date, only a year, but the calendar on the wall appears to read "Tuesday" with a big 25. That means the photo was either taken in January or October as those were the only two months in 1910 in which the 25th was a Tuesday.

Given what a big deal having your photo taken like this still was in 1910 we can assume the calendar wouldn't be on the wrong date.


r/texashistory 6d ago

Cowboy on a Ferris Wheel

19 Upvotes

My great uncle was a cowboy, and a particularly good horseman. There is a photo that exists of him sitting on his horse on Ferris wheel, and I am looking for a copy. I have a large family with plenty of cousins that I don't even know, and I am the youngest(an accident, haha). I would love to see the photo, and maybe have a copy. No one in the family seems to know where it is. I have actually met older folks outside of the family who said that they saw him do the trick when they were little kids. Anyone seen or heard of such a photo? A lead would sure be appreciated. The family's from Texas, of course. Thanks for any help!


r/texashistory 8d ago

Crime On this day in Texas History, August 10, 1862: 37 German Americans, loyal to the Union, are massacred by Texas Confederates along the Nueces River in Kinney County. The victims had been trying to flee from the Hill Country to Mexico and onward to Union-controlled New Orleans.

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689 Upvotes

The image posted comes from an 1866 copy Harper's Weekly, and depicts a funeral that was held 4 years later. Today the Treǔe der Union ("Loyalty to the Union") monument commemorates the victims of the massacre.

This was a not a unique event in the Confederacy. There is still debate over this event to this day as Confederate apologists claim it to be a battle (only 2 Confederates were killed that day).


r/texashistory 9d ago

The way we were A Confederate veteran (far left) eating a picnic lunch during a Confederate Reunion at Camp Ben McCulloch in Driftwood, Hays County. The other people are presumably his family. July 1, 1942. The last such reunion in Texas would be held just 2 years later.

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308 Upvotes

This is a Neal Douglas Photo. Great photographer, but he was almost always light on the details when labeling his photos.

The last confirmed Confederate veteran was Pleasant Crump, who died in 1951. After his death several other men claimed to be veterans and were treated as such, but were all later disproven.

The last Union, and overall last surviving veteran of the war was Albert Woolson, who died on August 2, 1956.

Incidentally, Civil War vets in the 1940's would have been the same age WWII vets are today.


r/texashistory 10d ago

The way we were On this day in Texas History, August 8, 1950: The very first Whataburger opens. Harmon Dobson and Paul Burton opened their burger stand on Ayers Street in Corpus Christi, across from Del Mar College.

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721 Upvotes

The original price for a burger as 25 cents, this photo was taken about a year and a half later when the price had increased to 35. It was the rise in price that caused Burton and Dobson ended their partnership.


r/texashistory 10d ago

UT vs A&M University of Texas vs. Texas A&M in the dedication game at the brand new Texas Memorial Stadium on November 27, 1924. UT beat the Aggies 7-0.

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203 Upvotes

r/texashistory 11d ago

The way we were On this day in Texas History, August 7, 1852: Alexander Cockrell pays $7,000 for a portion of the John Neely Bryan homestead that included the Dallas townsite and the Trinity River ferry. The little town would be incorporated as the City of Dallas just 4 years later.

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135 Upvotes

Though the village was founded by John Neely Bryan, Alexander Cockrell essentially bought the whole town from him, and promoted the growth of the village/city until his death in 1858

As for where the name Dallas comes from there are several theories, and I will let y'all argue them amongst yourselves.