Texas Heritage TRAVEL GUIDE GET OUT AND GET INTO TEXAS HISTORY MISSION DOLORES FORT GRIFFIN VARNER-HOGG PLANTATION SAN JACINTO BATTLEGROUND Combine outdoor activities and heritage tourism at State Historic Sites. storiedsites.com VISIT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF TEXAS HERITAGE THE PACIFIC WAR TRAIL REGIONS AND SEE WHERE IT ALL HAPPENED. texastimetravel.com 1511 Colorado St. | Austin, TX 78701 | 512-463-6100 | thc.texas.gov Copyright © 2021, Texas Historical Commission. 09/21-35k This travel guide is made possible through the Texas Historical Commission’s partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation, Office of the Governor–Economic Development and Tourism, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and Texas Commission on the Arts. The Texas Historical Commission, the state agency for historic preservation, administers a variety of programs to Sign up and follow us for heritage travel updates. preserve the archeological, historical, and cultural resources of Texas. The Texas Heritage Trails Program: The Texas Historical Commission is a leader in implementing and promoting heritage tourism efforts in Texas. The Texas Heritage Trails Program is the agency’s award-winning tourism initiative. For additional copies of this guide, call 866.276.6219. Copyright 2021 Texas Historical Commission. All rights reserved. texastimetravel.com/follow Photos by Texas Historical Commission unless otherwise indicated. Visit TexasTimeTravel.com for additional heritage trail region travel information. 72793 THC TRAVELGUIDE2 3 9_10_2021 CONTENTS 2 WELCOME 8 BRAZOS TRAIL REGION 24 FOREST TRAIL REGION 44 FORTS TRAIL REGION 60 HILL COUNTRY TRAIL REGION 76 INDEPENDENCE TRAIL REGION 98 LAKES TRAIL REGION 114 MOUNTAIN TRAIL REGION 126 PECOS TRAIL REGION 140 PLAINS TRAIL REGION Reenactment of Early Texas Land Surveying at San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site, San Felipe 156 TROPICAL TRAIL REGION RANDY MALLORY 72793 THC TRAVELGUIDE2 4 9_10_2021 Pathways to History, Heroes, and Tradition THE HISTORY OF TEXAS is as big and bold as its reputation. Beginning with the Native Americans who lived here for thousands of years and the Spanish explorers who blazed the trails, later followed by the pioneers and the heroes of the Texas Revolution, the story of Texas is filled with exciting adventure. It is flavored with the customs and cultures of the indigenous and many dif- ferent people who came here. It is populated with a rich cast of characters ranging from Spanish missionaries to rugged cowboys, from cattle barons to struggling farmers, from oil-boom roughnecks building derricks to elegant sophisticates building Victorian-era mansions. Accounts of their lives are con- veyed across the state in communities large and small, each with their own special tales to tell. In centuries-old structures, in world-class and small-town museums, in beautifully restored courthouses and on historic Main Streets, local communities have set the stage to tell the entertaining story of Texas to visitors who come their way. The Texas Heritage Trails Program brings it all together. The program itself has historic beginnings. In 1968 Gov- ernor John Connally and the Texas Highway Department (now the Texas Department of Transportation) created a series of ten scenic driving trails across the state in conjunction with HemisFair, an international exposition that commemorated the 250th anniversary of the founding of San Antonio. Blue road signs went up all over the state to mark these scenic byways. In 1997, almost thirty years later, the state legislature charged the Texas His- torical Commission (THC) to create a heritage tourism program. The THC responded with a regional statewide program built around these old trails based on partnerships that celebrates the history of each region. The trails now serve as scenic pathways through ten heritage regions filled with historic communities and attractions both on and off the trails. Those classic blue signs are still marking the way, but now they are revealing the exciting adventures to be had across the cultural roadmap of the Lone Star State. Throughout Texas, the real places are telling the real stories of a vibrant and vital state. Use this guide as a starting point for your adventure. Enjoy your visit! 2 TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION 72793 THC TRAVELGUIDE2 5 9_10_2021 Cowboy on the Plains Texas Pecos Trail Sign, near Sheffield Bonham Parade TOP, ERWIN E. SMITH (1886–1947), GA’NT HORSE IN BIG COUNTRY [ON CANADIAN RIVER RANGE, TEXAS], 1908-1910, GELATIN DRY PLATE NEGATIVE, ERWIN E. SMITH COLLECTION OF THE LIBRARY CONGRESS ON DEPOSIT AT AMON CARTER MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART, FORT WORTH, TEXAS; MIDDLE, THC; BOTTOM, THE DOLPH BRISCOE CENTER FOR HISTORY, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN texastimetravel.com 3 72793 THC TRAVELGUIDE2 6 9_10_2021 Red Poppy Festival, Downtown Georgetown MAIN STREET, TEXAS The Heart of Texas Towns At the heart of every community lies a Main Street. In some communities that’s the actual name of the street, in others it may have a different name. Whatever it is called, the main street of town serves as the economic engine and the core of the community. Our Main Streets tell us who we are and who we were, and how the past has shaped us. In the last 40 years, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has promoted its Main Street Program as a way to revitalize historic downtowns across the nation. More than two thousand commu- nities are now participating including nearly 90 in Texas. When you visit a designated Main Street city, you know that local citizens have taken steps to bring back the historic heart of their communities. You’ll find charming storefronts, interesting shops and restaurants, all in restored historic structures. Brick-paved streets and vintage lighting grace many of the Main Street cities around the state. Look for the special Main Street icon before city descriptions in the regional chapters. TODD WHITE 4 TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION 72793 THC TRAVELGUIDE2 7 9_10_2021 COURTHOUSE PRESERVATION Caring for Texas Treasures For many county seat communities, the courthouse is a source of civic pride. Texas has more historic court- houses than any other state. Today more than 235 courthouses still stand that are least 50 years old and about 80 were built before the turn of the 20th century. By the end of that century, most of these structures were significantly deteriorated. In the 1990s, the Texas Historical Commission documented the condition of 50 of the state’s oldest courthouses and also determined that counties lacked the resources to preserve these distin- guished buildings. In 1998, the National Trust for Historic Preservation listed Texas county courthouses on its roster of Most Endangered Properties in the nation. The state’s response was to create the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program, the largest preservation grant program ever initiated by a state government. This nationally recognized program has turned around the trend of disrepair and begun the process of taking care of some of the state’s most treasured historic landmarks. So far, about 70 have been restored to their former splendor and are the magnificent centerpieces of their communities once again. Look for the special courthouse icon before city descriptions in the regional chapters. Johnson, Cleburne, Lakes Trail Region County Courthouse, City, Region Karnes, Karnes City, Independence Trail Region Kendall, Boerne, Hill Country Trail Region Archer, Archer City, Lakes Trail Region Lamar, Paris, Lakes Trail Region Atascosa, Jourdanton, Hill Country Trail Region Lampasas, Lampasas, Hill Country Trail Region Bee, Beeville, Independence Trail Region La Salle, Cotulla, Tropical Trail Region Bexar, San Antonio, Independence Trail Region Lavaca, Hallettsville, Independence Trail Region Bosque, Meridian, Brazos Trail Region Lee, Giddings, Brazos Trail Region Brooks, Falfurrias, Tropical Trail Region Leon, Centerville, Brazos Trail Region Cameron, Brownsville, Tropical Trail Region Lipscomb, Lipscomb, Plains Trail Region Cass, Linden, Forest Trail Region Llano, Llano, Hill Country Trail Region Colorado, Columbus, Independence Trail Region Lynn, Tahoka, Plains Trail Region Comal, New Braunfels, Hill Country Trail Region Marion, Jefferson, Forest Trail Region Cooke, Gainesville, Lakes Trail Region Maverick, Eagle Pass, Pecos Trail Region Dallas, Dallas, Lakes Trail Region McCulloch, Brady, Forts Trail Region Denton, Denton, Lakes Trail Region Menard, Menard, Forts Trail Region DeWitt, Cuero, Independence Trail Region Milam, Cameron, Brazos Trail Region Dimmit, Carrizo Springs, Tropical Trail Region Mills, Goldthwaite, Forts Trail Region Donley, Clarendon, Plains Trail Region Navarro, Corsicana, Lakes Trail Region Edwards, Rocksprings, Pecos Trail Region Newton, Newton, Forest Trail Region Ellis, Waxahachie, Lakes Trail Region Parker, Weatherford, Lakes Trail Region Erath, Stephenville, Forts Trail Region Potter, Amarillo, Plains Trail Region Falls, Marlin, Brazos Trail Region Presidio, Marfa, Mountain Trail Region Fannin, Bonham, Lakes Trail Region Rains, Emory, Lakes Trail Region Fayette, La Grange, Independence Trail Region Red River, Clarksville, Forest Trail Region Franklin, Mount Vernon, Forest Trail Region Roberts, Miami, Plains Trail Region Goliad, Goliad, Independence Trail Region San Augustine, San Augustine, Forest Trail Region Gray, Pampa, Plains Trail Region San Saba, San Saba, Forts Trail Region Grimes, Anderson, Brazos Trail Region Shackelford, Albany, Forts Trail Region Hamilton, Hamilton, Brazos Trail Region Sutton, Sonora,