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Tag: A to Z challenge

A to Z Texas: P is for Petrified Wood Buildings

Petrified Wood Buildings in Texas In the late 1920’s, several Texan cities, including Austin, Huntville and Stephenville, began using petrified wood as a decorative building material. However, if someone were to name a Petrified Wood Capital of Texas, the town of Glen Rose would win hands down. Glen Rose, Texas is the Petrified Wood Leader In its hey-day, Glen Rose had at least 65 buildings constructed out of locally harvested petrified wood. Of these, roughly 40-something remain. The one at the top of this post is known as Sycamore Grove. During the Prohibition Era it served as a speakeasy and…

A to Z Texas: Old Rip – Famed Horny Toad of Eastland County

Horned Lizard Buried Alive in Eastland, Texas While the average horny toad has a lifespan of five to ten years, there is an old wive’s tale that – like Rip Van Winkle – they can live for 100 years in hibernation. On July 29, 1897 a county clerk in Eastland, Texas named Ernest E. Wood decided to test this theory. On that day, a cornerstone containing a time capsule was cemented into the new Eastland County Courthouse. The time capsule included a Bible, coins, newspapers and – as a last minute addition by Mr. Wood – a live Texas horned…

A to Z Texas: N is for Chuck Norris

Chuck Norris – an Honorary Texan Although the famous martial artist and action film actor Carlos Ray (a.k.a. Chuck) Norris was born in Oklahoma, starring in the TV series, Walker, Texas Ranger has earned him honorary Texan citizenship. After all, the show ran from 1993 through 2001, and every single one of its 203 episodes were filmed in the Dallas – Fort Worth area in north Texas. Mr. Norris even paid a visit to the local grocery store in my little hometown near Fort Worth back in 2009. I had just moved here, however, and didn’t find out about this meet…

A to Z Texas: M is for the Munster Mansion

Munster Mansion Replica in Waxahachie, Texas While there is no official address for, “1313 Mockingbird Lane,” in Waxahachie, Texas, there is one fantastic looking replica of the Munster family home where, in 2001, Sandra and Charles McKee built a replica of the house depicted in the classic TV sitcom. Since it’s a fictional house, the pair watched and re-watched all 70 episodes of the show in order to create their building plans. They even have a fire-breathing creature under the main staircase. Some rooms, such as the bathroom, were never shown in the series, so they were able to wing…

A to Z Texas: 2nd Longest Burning Light Bulb in the World

The Eternal Light of Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth, Texas is home to the second longest lasting light bulb in the world. Nicknamed the “Eternal Light,” this legendary light bulb has been burning since September 21, 1908. That’s nearly 105 years! Now on view at the Fort Worth Stockyards Museum, where it is protected from the harsh Texas elements and kept on a protected electrical circuit, this little 4 watt wonder started out on the back porch of the Byers Opera House, which later became the Palace Theater. The name of the joint really didn’t matter to the bulb, of…

A to Z Texas: K is for Kolaches

What is a Kolache? Kolaches are a Czech pastry consisting of a light sweet dough filled with fruit that immigrants introduced to Texas when they settled here in the 1850’s. The word kolache comes from kolae, which is the Czech word for, “cake.” While traditional kolaches are filled with fruit and jam, the Texan style pastry includes savory, meat-filled versions, too. Where is the Kolache Capital of Texas? You wouldn’t think a pastry could inspire a controversy, but that’s exactly what happened with Kolaches here in Texas. While it hasn’t yet come to fisitcuffs, the towns of Caldwell and West…