It was in the 1930s when the greatest concentration of oil derricks in the world was right here in East Texas. It’s the subject of this week’s Mark in Texas History by Mark Scirto.
Since photos back then were black and white, finding the correct old paint colors was no easy feat. The Texas Historical Commission sent an expert to help.
The Starrville community was founded by a minister looking to have a community with bans on liquor and gambling. Mark Scirto explains in this week’s Mark in Texas History.
It was 110 years ago when groups of armed white men shot and killed Black residents of Slocum, a small town in Anderson County. The Black residents who survived scattered, never to return.
Longview’s Temple Emanu-El has its origins out of Kilgore and the Temple Beth Sholom. The oil boom of the 1900s saw many Jewish families settling in East Texas and they met at the Kilgore temple, which was founded in 1936.
“Winston Churchill, at the end of the war, said that the war was won on a sea of East Texas oil. Miraculous that we were able to get this built. That was the single largest contributing factor to the Allies winning World War 2.”
This week, Mark Scirto’s Mark in Texas History is about an industry that thrives today, rich in business and tradition. It’s the Smith County Rose Industry and Tyler Rose Garden.
On the Stephen F. Austin State University campus is one of the first preservation efforts in Texas, and it is the topic of this week’s Mark in Texas History by Mark Scirto.
When the Smith County Jail was replaced by a new jail in 1916, the old building was transformed into the Lewis Hotel open for business for the next 70 years.
Celebrities like Sissy Spacek have been an audience for it, while others like Kacy Musgraves have been the show. It’s formerly the Select Theater in Mineola and it’s the subject of this week’s Mark in Texas History with Mark Scirto.
It’s housed everything from a grocery store to Athens City Hall. Today, it houses Henderson County history. It’s the Faulk and Gauntt Building and this week’s subject of a Mark in Texas History with Mark Scirto.
After the Civil War, the Tyler area faced economic doom by the construction of two area railroads that would bypass the city. However, the mayor figured out a solution and had a role in creating the Tyler Tap Railroad. It’s this week’s subject for Mark in Texas History by Mark Scirto.
East Texas certainly isn’t known for scenic lookouts, save for a popular spot just north of Jacksonville. This week, Love’s Lookout is the subject of A Mark in Texas History by Mark Scirto.
While you can’t enjoy the fine dining right now, the building, which was designated with a historical marker in 1971, can be seen at 707 North Washington Avenue in Marshall.
he Black Lives Matter movement persuaded Quaker Oats to rebrand the 130-year-old Aunt Jemima syrup. But the history lives on in Hawkins, where one of the women who portrayed the character resided. Lillian Richard is the subject of this week’s Mark in Texas History with Mark Scirto.
Now led by Senior Pastor Pike Wisner, the First Baptist Church of Tyler has been located in downtown Tyler since 1848 and is this week’s subject of “A Mark in Texas History with Mark Scirto.”
Located to the west of Tyler is a town once known for its rich clay. Two historical markers in Athens are the subject of this week’s Mark in History with Mark Scirto.
Camp Ford is named in honor of Colonel John Ford, who originally established a training camp in 1862. It was converted to a prison camp in the summer of 1863.
Camp Fannin was named in honor of Colonel James Walker Fannin, the Texas independence hero. According to its website, more than 200,000 young American men trained here between 1943 and 1945.
