Texas

Name: Historic Dallas Hotels
Brand: Sam Childers
SKU: 9780738578798
Price: 17.49 USD
Availability: InStock

Salute the swagger of a Texas history timeline that features leading ladies, legendary lawmen, and the braintrust that put humanity into orbit. Celebrate the subtle pleasures of a day bracketed by an Austin breakfast taco and a sunset cruise through Galveston history. Our Texas history books don’t shy away from the state’s shameful excesses either—unconscionable tragedies like the 1910 Slocum Massacre demand an accounting. From a promenade down the San Antonio Riverwalk to a furtive exit from the Texas Chicken Ranch, step out with Texas history. [View all Texas books]

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Historic Dallas Hotels

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Metroplex Monsters

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Wood County

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Legends & Lore of the Texas Capitol

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San Antonio in the 1920s and 1930s

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Houston Police Department

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Surfing Corpus Christi and Port Aransas

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Port Aransas

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Historic Downtown Plano

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Murphy

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Fair Park

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The Houstorian Dictionary: An Insider's Index to Houston

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Houston's Sporting Life

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The Bayous of Houston

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Around San Antonio

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Canary Islanders of San Antonio

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Arlington

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Legendary Locals of Arlington

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Galveston:

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Benbrook

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Franciscan Friars

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Spring Branch

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Argyle

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Kermit

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Texas City

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Texas Boomtowns

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Houston Heights

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Waxahachie:

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Big Spring and Howard County

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Salado

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Seminole

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Lost Dallas

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Keller

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Waco

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Mission

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Historic Dallas Hotels

9780738578798

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

In Dallas's infancy, accommodations for the traveler arriving by stage or horseback consisted of boardinghouses or unfurnished rooms, but within 10 years of the city's founding, Dallas could boast about what is considered to be its first hotel: Thomas Crutchfield's log cabin and livery stable. As the village evolved from town to city, these early facilities were replaced with elegantly appointed hotels that rivaled those in New York or Chicago and established Dallas as a modern city. As the 20th century progressed, many older hotels were replaced with up-to-date facilities, and the rise of the automobile following World War II saw the establishment of dozens of motels and motor courts. There were accommodations for every type of traveler, and Dallas had established itself as a hotel town.

Metroplex Monsters

9781467145435

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

In the metropolitan mosaic that joins Dallas and Fort Worth together into a brightly lit metroplex, some mysterious figures still manage to keep to the shadows and slip through the cracks. Even after the Lake Worth Monster inspired a rash of phone calls to the Fort Worth Police Department, the "Goatman of Greer Island" faded back into the haze of myth. Is Lake Granbury's Ol' One Eye an impossibly large catfish or a sidetracked sea serpent? Could pterosaurs really coexist with the region's congested skies? From the Lady of White Rock Lake to the Creature of Copper Canyon and the Chupacabras of Cedar Hill, Jason McLean methodically follows inexplicable events to their source and bizarre beasts to their lairs.

Wood County

9780738529363

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Though small and primarily agricultural for much of its history, Wood County in East Texas has been "home sweet home" to many well-known personalities, including former Quitman High School homecoming queen and Coal Miner's Daughter star Sissy Spacek, former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown, Lillian Richard (the woman who inspired Quaker Oats to create Aunt Jemima), and several country music performers and songwriters. The peaceful Caddo tribe inhabited the area before white settlers established the county in 1850. Railroads built in the 1870s made coal mining the dominant industry, and the towns of Mineola, Winnsboro, Quitman, and Hawkins were founded and continued to grow. The county's many lakes, historic sites, festivals, and musical events draw thousands of visitors every year.

Legends & Lore of the Texas Capitol

9781467137584

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From its beginning as one of the most ambitious construction projects west of the Mississippi, the imposing red granite Lone Star statehouse loomed large in Texas lore. The iconic landmark rests on a foundation of election rigging, an unsolved murder, land swaps and pre-dedication blackmail. It bore witness to the first meeting between LBJ and Lady Bird, as well as a bizarre resolution honoring the Boston Strangler. Mike Cox digs up a quarry's worth of the capitol's untold history, cataloguing everything from its ghost stories to its public art and collectible tourist kitsch.

San Antonio in the 1920s and 1930s

9780738501529

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While recounting the story of a childhood in San Antonio, Mary Linvingston also tells the story that exemplifies the opportunities and struggles faced by countless people growing up during this time of opportunity and change in America. The author's memories and reflections are illustrated by over 100 photographs, providing readers with an authentic view of life in San Antonio in the early twentieth century. From detailed accounts of canning fruits and vegetable during the Depression, watching movies at the Majestic Theater, and life on a "domestic zoo," to colorful antecdotes about makeing tamales, shopping for shoes using an X-ray machine, and visiting the San Antonio parks and missions, this entertaining and educational book will give older readers and younger readers a glimps of a way of life that is long gone, but not forgotten.

Houston Police Department

9780738595351

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The Houston Police Force was established by the naming of a city marshal in January 1841. Houston Police Department historian Denny Hair wrote, "As befitted a frontier community, the meeting of justice in Houston was swift and uncompromising. Trials were conducted in an informal manner with little attention paid to formal rules of evidence and legal procedure." Eventually, conditions changed and law enforcement became more sophisticated. The "Bayou City" population went from 44,633 in 1900 to almost 1 million by 1960. "Houston" was the first word spoken from the moon, thus it became "Space City" and, ultimately, the nation's fourth-largest city. Its police department weathered decades of mayoral appointment for every officer before state civil service reform in the 1940s. It also met the civil rights years better than most cities and saw dramatic change with the 1982 appointment of Lee Brown as the first African American police chief of a large American city.

Surfing Corpus Christi and Port Aransas

9780738584560

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Surf culture in the Texas Coastal Bend began in the early 1960s when a few young men set up surfboard rental stands on the beach. By 1970, thousands of people had caught the surfing bug. In the decades that followed, dozens of surf shops and surfboard makers established themselves in Corpus Christi, Port Aransas, and nearby communities. Coastal Bend surfers won national championships for their wave-riding prowess, beating out counterparts from the East Coast, California, and Hawaii. By the 21st century, Coastal Bend wave riders had become a force to be reckoned with, playing strong roles in local political movements that influenced public policy.

Port Aransas

9780738579603

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Port Aransas, known colloquially as Port A, is on Mustang Island, one of the Texas barrier islands. This community grew from the seed of El Mar Rancho, the homestead an Englishman established for his family in 1855--the name Port Aransas was adopted in 1910. The evolution of Port A includes the guiding of sport fishermen to the hard-fighting tarpon fish, bouncing back from five major hurricanes, and the development of tourism that has made the town a nationally sought out destination. Despite all of the changes that have visited Port Aransas, the pace there still conforms to "island time." Indeed, a number of images in this book were selected for how they portray that unique quality of life.

Historic Downtown Plano

9780738579023

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Historic Downtown Plano focuses on the city's main mercantile area of Mechanic (Fifteenth Street) and Main (K Avenue) and the surrounding heritage districts of Haggard Park, Old Towne, and the Douglass Community. Incorporated in 1873, downtown Plano has endured at least five major fires, the Great Depression, closure of the interurban railway, and retail and corporate development to the west of the area. In recent years, downtown Plano has benefited from ongoing redevelopment and revitalization as an urban transit village with the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) light rail train service to the area--taking us back to those days of old.

Murphy

9780738585383

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

With a 470-percent population spike during the last decade, Murphy, Texas, is the fastest-growing city in Collin County. Citizens are still drawn to the area just as the pioneers were. Murphy, first known as Maxwell and then Decatur, was once part of the Peters Colony empresario grant issued by the Republic of Texas in 1841. Carved out of the Blackland Prairie Region, the soil was rich and black, rainfall was abundant, the temperature was moderate, and the land was carpeted with tall grasses. Native trees, wild fruit, honey, game, fish, and wild turkey were plentiful. Trees were cut for homes, and prairie soils were plowed for crops. The arrival of the railroad in 1888 made it more convenient for farmers to transport crops and for local shopkeepers to operate their businesses, which left a lasting legacy in the community.

The Houstorian Dictionary: An Insider's Index to Houston

9781467118002

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

Houston is an innovative city informed by a diverse and eclectic past that is ever-present in its customs, expressions and dreams, even though most Houstonians don't realize it. Represented by landmarks, dishes and events, the culture of America's fourth-largest city is celebrated in the literature, movies, songs and memorable quotations credited to its vibrant citizenry. The Houstorian Dictionary is a guide for natives and newcomers alike. Each entry leads into the next to create a tapestry of the Bayou City's past and present. Discover that story and visit the places where it all happened. Meet the innovators, heroes, hucksters and misfit tinkerers who share the unique Houston DNA. The Houstorian, James Glassman, reveals valuable insights that make this a handy reference as well as an entertaining read.

Houston's Sporting Life

9780738579740

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Houston has been a sports-crazy town since its founding in 1836 when the biggest pastime was watching the horse races held south of what was then the capitol of Texas. By 1900, spectators and athletes alike enjoyed the team sports played at every school in the city and suburbs. Companies competed with one another in baseball, basketball, and track. Boxing gyms dotted the wards, and downtown boasted billiard halls, bowling alleys, and indoor shooting galleries. There was also hunting and fishing, auto racing, swimming, and hockey at the Polar Wave, a mid-century indoor ice rink. This book presents a history of how Houstonians competed, where their recreation took them, and how they enjoyed a potential 12 months of "outdoor" weather. The 20th century was a fun and vibrant time for both fans and participants in the sporting and outdoor life of Houston, and many of today's fans of sports and local history look back on Houston's sporting past with a sense of nostalgia.

The Bayous of Houston

9780738596129

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

When the Allen brothers were looking to establish a new city in 1836, they selected a site at the confluence of Buffalo Bayou and White Oak Bayou, which was the head of navigational waters. They named the city after Gen. Sam Houston, and ever since then, Houston and its bayous have been indelibly linked. With Buffalo Bayou as the lifeblood of the city, Houston thrived as an inland port. Early development occurred along the bayou, and it was widened, deepened, and straightened to accommodate growing commerce in Texas. Buffalo Bayou linked the city of Houston to Galveston Bay, where ships were waiting to share Texas products with the rest of the world. Today, with Houston as the largest city in the state of Texas and the fourth largest in the United States, the Port of Houston is one of the busiest ports in the world.

Around San Antonio

9780738503110

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Around San Antonio provides readers with an incisive history, not only of the city itself--its missions, festive traditions, schools, military bases--but also of the surrounding Hill Country and ranches. Covering a time span from the early 1900s to the 1960s, this book provides a concise background of local folklore and traditions to visitors and other interested persons who wish to gain a deeper insight and appreciation of San Antonio and the surrounding area.

Canary Islanders of San Antonio

9781467138215

$23.99 $16.79 Save 30%

Acting on a decree from the king of Spain, the first Canary Islanders arrived in San Antonio in 1731, just thirteen years after the city's founding. In the intervening centuries, the descendants of those sixteen families became inextricably intertwined with the story of their chosen home. From the formation of the first city council to the siege of the Alamo, they contributed to the formative moments of San Antonio's legacy. Several of these descendants collected oral family traditions and combed archival records to preserve this important thread running through the rich tapestry of San Antonio's heritage.

Arlington

9780738579818

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Historians dispute the founding of Arlington. Some say Arlington started in 1848 when Col. Middleton Tate Johnson started the settlement called Johnson's Station, a forerunner of Arlington. Others say it was 1876, when the railroad arrived, or 1877, when the post office was established. Still others claim 1884 as the founding, because that was when city leaders incorporated Arlington, naming the town after the home of Gen. Robert E. Lee. Whatever date one chooses for the founding, there is no question that Arlington has grown from its frontier origins into the entertainment center of North Texas. Highlights of Arlington's development include Depression-era gambling at Top O' Hill and Arlington Downs, Progressive values in the Berachah Home for Erring Girls, higher education through the University of Texas at Arlington, and economic expansion with General Motors. More recently, energetic citizens like former mayor Tommy Vandergriff helped bring two professional sports teams to Arlington. Today the Texas Rangers and Dallas Cowboys share top billing with the city's other signature attractions--Six Flags Over Texas and Hurricane Harbor.

Legendary Locals of Arlington

9781467100588

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The people of Arlington have always had a can-do spirit. There's Carrie Rogers, the society matron who became marshal; Tillie Burgin, who changed the face of social services in Arlington; and Tom Vandergriff, the boy mayor who stayed on the job for 26 years. When educational opportunities were deemed inadequate, Edward E. Rankin and other leading citizens founded and supported a school that grew into the University of Texas at Arlington. Before there was the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, Jim Hayes opened the eyes of Arlington leaders to the difficulties of navigating the University of Texas at Arlington and the city in a wheelchair. Never willing to be overshadowed by Dallas or Fort Worth, their larger neighbors to the east and west, Arlington residents embraced industry and progress, and their enterprising spirit attracted the notice of the nation. Today, the city boasts major businesses and attractions--General Motors, Six Flags, the Texas Rangers, and the Dallas Cowboys--and continues to grow thanks to the aspirations of its people.

Galveston:

9780738558806

$26.99 $18.89 Save 30%

On September 8, 1900, a devastating hurricane destroyed most of the island city of Galveston, along with the lives of more than 6,000 men, women, and children. Today that hurricane remains the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history. Despite this tragedy, many Galvestonians were determined to rebuild their city. An ambitious plan was developed to construct a wall against the sea, link the island to the mainland with a reliable concrete bridge, and raise the level of the city. While the grade was raised beneath them, houses were perched on stilts and residents made their way through town on elevated boardwalks. Galveston became a "city on stilts." While Galvestonians worked to rebuild the infrastructure of their city, they also continued conducting business and participating in recreational activities. Zeva B. Edworthy's photographs document the rebuilding of the port city and life around Galveston in the early 1900s.

Benbrook

9780738585154

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In 1843, Edward and Nancy Wilburn arrived at their new allotment of land near Mary's Creek as Family 107 of Peter's Colony, which was established by the Republic of Texas to attract settlers to the area. Families were offered acreage, a cabin, musket balls, and seed to begin a new life in Texas. In the 1850s, the Benbrook area, then known as Marinda, was little more than a few ranches, a post office, and a one-room building that served as both the church and schoolhouse. In 1876, local resident James Benbrook petitioned the Texas and Pacific Railway to build a train station along Mary's Creek, and the town was later named after him. Despite a few train robberies and the dust of travelers along a branch of the old Chisholm Trail, Benbrook remained a quiet town on the outskirts of Fort Worth. As the city grew, it became known as a great place to raise a family, start a business, and enjoy recreational activities with family and friends.

Franciscan Friars

9781467104197

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Franciscan friars entered the religious landscape of the United States in 1539 and remained part of colonial history in Georgia, Florida, New Mexico, Texas, California, and Louisiana until they were no longer colonies. A Franciscan mission revival began in the 1840s when groups of Franciscan friars arrived with Irish, German, Polish, Italian, and eastern European immigrants. In the 20th century, the friars began to accompany Latin American and Vietnamese immigrants. The number of Franciscan friars peaked in the United States in the 1960s. In the midst of that boom, they engaged in such issues as civil rights and the changes that came to the Catholic Church after the Second Vatican Council. Despite aging and declining numbers in the last 50 years, the Franciscan friars remain active. Franciscans were--and still are--woven deep into the fabric of US history, and in their archives, they have the pictures to prove it. Images of work with Native Americans, in soup kitchens, with social service agencies, and in parishes, schools, and universities provide a compelling look at this little-known part of US history.

Spring Branch

9780738585116

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When someone thinks of the Spring Branch area of Houston, Texas, chances are that a multicultural, highly populated residential area on the west side of the city comes to mind. Yet photographs of Spring Branch's early history are very different from the urban images of today. In the 1840s, about the time Texas became the 28th state, German settlers came to a rural area centered around a tributary of Buffalo Bayou that runs through Houston but which was well outside the city limits at the time. These immigrants, who were farmers, business owners, and shopkeepers, came to America to embrace and fulfill their dreams--living a life of freedom, owning property, and raising their families. They were prepared to earn their success without slave labor available during that era, and they worked together to build a well-known residential area of present-day Houston.

Argyle

9780738584966

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With its large trees and rolling hills, the small town of Argyle is nestled between the Grand Prairie and the Blackland Prairie. In the 1850s, settlers found Argyle's natural resources perfect for growing crops and raising cattle. In 1881, when the Texas and Pacific Railroad built tracks through Denton County, Argyle became a town. Those who led the way to bring modern conveniences and provide protection for the people of Argyle are pointed out in this book, which tracks Argyle's history from a farming community to a modern town. Through the years, Argyle's citizens have worked together to benefit the community through local charitable organizations that include the Argyle Food Pantry, the Argyle Seniors' Activities Center, the Communities Civic League, Inc., and the Argyle Education Foundation.

Kermit

9780738584546

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Well known for its oil and gas production, Kermit was originally founded by ranchers needing a supply hub in an isolated area of West Texas. An 1876 campaign by Col. Ranald S. Mackenzie helped rid the area of Comanche Indians. Prompted by the state's policy for free use of its land, ranchers quickly moved in. This population growth resulted in the establishment of Winkler County in 1887. Competition between nearby towns for the title of county seat lasted until 1910, when Kermit's offer of free lots won it the designation. Though the town later experienced a drought, which severely crippled the population, the discovery of oil on ranchland owned by Thomas G. and Ada Hendrick in 1926 helped the town boom. Today, Kermit's economy is sustained by ranching and oil and gas production.

Texas City

9780738579702

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

At 100 years old, Texas City is a relatively young city. It was founded not for its beauty or its climate but for its strategic location on the Gulf of Mexico. It developed into a major port city, and industries sprang up and flourished. From bare acreage, the founders forged a community that would become a hometown to thousands of people. Texas City has seen its highs and lows. The US Air Force experienced its humble beginnings here, for instance. The same port, however, that gave life to the desolate land brought destruction in 1947 in the form of the Texas City explosion. A ship carrying ammonium nitrate blew up, killing almost 600 residents, injuring thousands, and bringing damage to nearly every building in town. Texas City recovered from the explosion and in the following decades, continued to be a place of pride for its citizens. The pages of this book are filled with images dating from the 1950s and 1960s to bring back the feeling of a bygone era in Texas City.

Texas Boomtowns

9781467118231

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

On January 10, 1901, Beaumont awoke to the historic roar of the Spindletop gusher. A flood of frantic fortune seekers heard its call and quickly descended on the town. Over the next three decades, Texas's first oil rush transformed the sparsely populated rural state practically beyond recognition. Brothels, bordellos and slums overran sleepy towns, and thick, black oil spilled over once-green pastures. While dreams came true for a precious few, most settled for high-risk, dangerous jobs in the oilfields and passed what spare time they had in the vice districts fueled by crude. From the violent shanties of Desdemona and Mexia to Borger and beyond, wildcat speculators, grifters and barons took the land for all it was worth. Author Bartee Haile explores the story of these wild and wooly boomtowns.

Houston Heights

9781467124294

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Founded in 1891, Houston Heights, one of the earliest and largest planned communities in the state of Texas, weathered the national decline of urban neighborhoods and has entered an era of growth, new construction, and a denser use of its space. Located approximately three miles from downtown Houston (the fourth-largest city in the nation), Houston Heights is now prime real estate. As townhomes, condos, and large apartment complexes continue to be built, the area's "small-town feel" has become diluted. Houston Heights is struggling to maintain its walkability, residents are trying to remain connected to their neighbors, and preservationists are striving to save its history. Almost everyone who lives here appreciates the quirkiness of the neighborhood, the visual impact of art that is part of their daily lives, the ethnic diversity, and the respect that residents show toward young and the old. Three City of Houston historic districts preserve portions of the neighborhood's traditional fabric.

Waxahachie:

9780738523897

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

The people of Waxahachie, Texas, have always been at the heart of a thriving community that was once the largest cotton-producing county in the nation. As county seat, Waxahachie burgeoned into a bustling center for business and education and carved out a unique niche in the growing landscape. But its citizens overcame significant obstacles as well, facing such challenges as a massive slave revolt during the Civil War and the economic bust of the 1930s. Reflecting both the glory and hardship of these struggles, Waxahachie today stands as a testament to Southern determination and how a town came to be defined by a crop on which America still relies-cotton.

Always with an eye on their future, the people of Waxahachie, in 1912, supported the development of an interurban electric railway system linking them to Dallas and Waco. Each July between 1900 and 1930, Texans from all over the state came to Waxahachie by covered wagon, on horseback, and later by automobile to participate in the national Chautauqua phenomenon and hear such great orators as William Jennings Bryan and Will Rogers. Waxahachie's Chautauqua Auditorium, still in use today, is one of the few national survivors of this educational movement. This tradition of community and culture survives to the present day in such events as the Scarborough Fair, the National Polka Festival, and the Gingerbread Trail of Homes. In this new historical account, Waxahachie, Texas: Where Cotton Reigned King, the town springs to life in a blend of more than 100 vintage photographs and stories that chronicle the perseverance and love of a people for their town.

Big Spring and Howard County

9780738520599

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

While Native Americans had been visiting the oasis at the cross roads of the Comanche War Trail for hundreds of years, Captain Randolph Marcy was the first White man to "discover" the springs on October 3, 1849. Settlers moved their families to the area, and the region quickly developed into a ranching and farming community. Captured here in over 200 vintage images are the trials and triumphs of settlers and residents to build a life in Big Spring and the towns of Howard County.

As the first settlers began setting up stakes in the region, a tent city was built at the springs while awaiting the arrival of a railway. Once the train was in service, Big Spring began to develop more permanent dwellings; schools, churches, and a newspaper were established, followed quickly by the building of hotels and banks and the formation of a local government. Featured here are over 150 years of the region's residents, homes, and social events, covering the many towns and communities of the County such as Forsan, Coahoma, Lomax, Elbow, Garden City, Knott, Vealmoor, Ackerly, and Vincent.

Salado

9781467131155

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Salado, a small village in Central Texas, enjoys a classic history. One of the first colleges in the state of Texas was founded at Salado. One of the village's first homes was a 22-room Classic Revival plantation house, which still sits today in the midst of a ranch covering several thousand acres. Other stately homes soon followed, many of them bearing historical markers today. Herds of cattle followed the Chisholm Trail across the spring-fed waters of Salado Creek. Dusty cowhands rested and ate their fill at the old Shady Villa Hotel. The stage stops at the hotel always brought excitement and, occasionally, renowned visitors such as Stephen F. Austin, Gen. Sam Houston, and Gen. Robert E. Lee.

Seminole

9780738585390

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Seminole got its name from former slaves who escaped Southern plantations in the early 1800s and fled to the swamps of Florida. They lived alongside Seminole Indians and later came to be known as Black Seminoles. Renowned for excellent tracking abilities, they eventually served as guides for the Shafter expedition to West Texas in the mid-1870s, which opened the region. In a shallow draw on the prairie, the Black Seminoles discovered water wells dug by the Comanche. The "Seminole Wells" demonstrated the area's livability. Settlers arrived a few decades later, and by 1905, Gaines County and its county seat were established. This small town became Seminole. Ranching was the area's first industry, but it was eclipsed in the 1920s with the discovery of oil. Today, Seminole is a thriving multicultural farming and oil-producing center with excellent schools, a booming economy, and the friendliest people around.

Lost Dallas

9780738585086

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Although founded in 1841, Dallas did not experience significant growth until 1873 when the Texas and Pacific (T&P) Railroad crossed the Houston and Texas Central Railroad (H&TC) near downtown. Securing these railroads led to a prolific building boom that has never fully ended, even during the Great Depression and subsequent world wars. Dallas's ability to sustain growth and development as a banking and commercial center led to the demolition of much of the early built environment, a trend that continues even today. Lost Dallas explores and documents those buildings, neighborhoods, and places that have been lost and even forgotten since the city's modest antebellum beginning.

Keller

9780738579467

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

In the late 1800s, pioneers settled in the northeast Texas region of Cross Timbers known as Double Springs. In 1875, Isaac Roberts, a farmer who owned more than 600 acres, left a parcel of his land to A. G. Roberts, who then sold the right-of-way to the Texas and Pacific Railway for $25. A new town was formed, and in 1882, it was named Keller in honor of the railroad foreman who was instrumental in making the area a regular stop along the railroad. With the railroad bringing new visitors and residents, a post office was created in 1888, and new businesses started forming. The Works Progress Administration provided jobs for many Keller residents during the Great Depression, and the results of those projects shaped the way the city looks today. As of 2010, Old Town Keller was undergoing a new phase of revitalization while maintaining its connection to the hardy pioneers that once called Keller home.

Waco

9781467115520

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

The story of Waco's modern era starts with a disaster and ends with rebirth. In 1953, a record-setting tornado swept through the city's downtown, killing 114 people and destroying a century's worth of original buildings. From the devastation came an ambitious urban renewal project, an explosion in suburban developments, and several cycles of waning and revitalization in the downtown area. Baylor University's steady growth in academic excellence and national exposure kept the city on the map. The images in this book detail the milestones and memories of a proud city founded in the 1840s, and they highlight achievements both personal and civic.

Mission

9780738571485

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Mission is named for the chapel built at La Lomita ("little hill") on a former Spanish land grant. During the 1850s, the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate began serving the ranches between Brownsville and Roma. La Lomita was a resting place midway through their 100-mile circuit. In 1908, developers John J. Conway and James W. Hoit bought land from the Oblate Fathers and established the town of Mission, just north of La Lomita. They advertised throughout the Midwest, and soon farmers arrived by rail, wagon, and automobile. Through the efforts of Nebraskan John H. Shary, the citrus industry flourished, and Mission became renowned for its grapefruit. Three-time presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan, Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry, baseball great Leo Najo, and Congressional Medal of Honor recipient José M. Lopez have all lived in Mission. Their tradition of leadership continues within the fields of medicine, education, military service, and ecotourism.