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…
Tag: #atozchallenge
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…
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…
Quirky Statue in Paris, Texas After mentioning Paris, Texas recently in the post A to Z Texas: E is for Eiffel Tower I’m bringing up that little burg again because it’s home to a quirky statue known locally as the, “Jesus in cowboy boots.” This statue is actually the 20 foot tall grave marker honoring a man named Willet Babcock, who died in 1888. While impressive, it would hardly be the quirky tourist attraction that it has become were it not for the unusual footwear worn by the cross-bearing figure it depicts; instead of the bare feet or sandals one…
Texan Accents Vary I love how accents and slang vary throughout the USA, so, for me, that aspect of moving to Texas has been a real treat. Of course, since Texas is such a big place, there is no one official Texan accent. Think for a moment of how different Tommie Lee Jones, Billy Bob Thornton and H. Ross Perot sound from one another even though they are all Texan natives. (And what’s with their three-piece names? Maybe that’s a Texan thing. I will have to look into that. Ooh – Lyndon B. Johnson, there’s another!) My Favorite Texas Idioms…
Weird Tasting Water Has Healing Properties In the 1880’s, Judge James Alvis Lynch and his wife, Armenia, moved to north Texas and dug a well. At first, the couple was afraid to drink from it because the water tasted odd. After seeing that their livestock thrived, however, the pair began drinking from the well, too. That’s when things got interesting. Prior to drinking from their new well, James had a stomach issue and Armenia suffered from rheumatism. After drinking from it, the couple’s health conditions promptly cleared up. In fact, their whole family – which included nine children – seemed…