Telling the stories of Texas with photographs (and words too...)
Okay… so it's "Blazilmar," not "Blazimar!"
So it turns out you can find a lot more information about the Blazilmar when you search Google with that spelling (instead of the incorrect “Blazimar” I had in yesterday’s post)! Many thanks to Gary Shelton for correcting that, as Read More …
Howard Bland, Andrew Zilker, and the Blazilmar
Back before Thanksgiving (which somehow already seems an eternity ago) we discussed how Howard Bland was responsible for the construction of the original Howard theater (which was located across the street from the current Howard). But that’s not the only Read More …
There's a wreath on the door…
Despite the “open” sign, the Taylor Cafe wasn’t open yesterday morning. (Due to the recent death of pitmaster Vencil Mares, who first opened back in 1948: https://www.taylorprovidencefuneralhome.com/ob…/vencil-mares) We stopped by so I could take some photos yesterday on the way to Read More …
One last time at Sugar-n-Spice
(Nope, this photo ain’t from Texas, but bear with me a bit…) Yesterday I checked “drive through Atlanta on I-85 during rush hour” off my bucket list. Granted, it was down toward the bottom of the list, right around “get Read More …
Vencil Mares+ (1923-2019)
For seventy-one years Vencil Mares arrived early in the morning at the Taylor Cafe (the red building on the left) where he greeted his customers and watched the trains roll by. Today, his spot was empty. This morning, he passed Read More …
The (New) Howard Theater in Taylor, Texas
Next up on our list of men on the First Christian Church building committee is “H BLAND.” Now you might be thinking “Wait… shouldn’t we have another picture of the First Christian Church building then?” Don’t worry, there will be Read More …
Colonel Charles P. Vance’s ties to Lexington, Texas
While sometimes I wish I’d lived in times past, I can’t deny that I’m fortunate to live in an age where I can dig up an astounding amount of history from the comfort of my own laptop. It would, for Read More …
The First Christian Church Building Committee
You may have already guessed this, but I really love digging into history! On Friday, I wrote about how another member of Rev. Richard M. Gano’s family served on the building committee that guided the construction of the 1891 First Read More …
Did Rev. Richard M. Gano have connections to Taylor?
Last Sunday, David Heap and I spent some time chatting while I was photographing the First Christian Church building in Taylor. A number of things from that conversation piqued my interest. First, his father had once played at a joint Read More …
UP 4014 in Hearne, Texas
So we clocked 313.6 miles today… the longest road trip we’ve made in a while! But when a nearly-eighty-year-old locomotive that also happens to be the largest operating steam locomotive in the world is going to be only an hour Read More …