The World’s Smallest Skyscraper Built in 1919, the Newby-McMahon Building in downtown Wichita Falls (701 La Salle, Wichita Falls, TX) is more commonly referred to as “the world’s smallest skyscraper.” Here’s the story behind this quirky structure and how it got its nickname: J.D. McMahon was an engineer and oilman from Philadelphia who breezed into Wichita Falls with blueprints to build a high-rise building in the downtown area. McMahon must have been a good talker, because it didn’t take him long to raise $200,000 (a fortune for that time) from local investors. The Difference Between Feet & Inches At a glance, it appeared…
Tag: road trip
Researching Paranormal Texas The following is an adapted excerpt from my travel guide to haunted places, a book called Paranormal Texas. To see a 5-minute info-video I made to accompany this story (with even more photos) watch the video below: And here’s a more recent video I made about Deep Creek Cemetery, in which I explain the meaning of several tombstone symbols: I don’t know why so many cemeteries are reportedly haunted, but here’s what we found on our first journey to Deep Creek Cemetery near Boyd, Texas: Pretty Country Drive to a Historic Texas Cemetery Deep Creek Cemetery is a short…
I’ve got Florida on my mind Why am I posting a photo essay about Florida all of a sudden? My pal Morgan Dragonwillow recently vacationed there, so now I’m daydreaming about a road trip down the Intercoastal Highway… I snapped these shots while dining near Key West. I can’t recall the name of the place, but it was a beachfront restaurant on a pier jutting into the clear, blue water. The joint was jumping, and the servers did a great job keeping up with the frenzy. They didn’t just have humans to wait on, either. Shortly before sunset a school of…
The World’s Smallest Skyscraper Built in 1919, the Newby-McMahon Building in downtown Wichita Falls (701 La Salle, Wichita Falls, TX) is more commonly referred to as “the world’s smallest skyscraper.” J.D. McMahon was an engineer and oilman from Philadelphia who proposed adding a high-rise section to the original building to that it could house more office space. McMahon quickly raised $200,000 (a fortune for that time) to construct an office building according to plans he drew up. At a glance, it appeared that the finished building would stand 48 stories high, and McMahon never said otherwise. Unfortunately for the investors,…
People Watching in New Orleans Re-visiting my travel photos to choose ones for this post made me realize how rarely I focus on strangers when taking pictures. I do this partly out of respect for other people’s privacy, and partly because they aren’t that interesting or unique to the place I’m documenting. New Orleans, however, is different! I’m comfortable taking photos of people in NOLA in the same way I’m comfortable taking photos of guests at a lively party. It feels natural and not invasive. Perhaps this is because I never feel like a stranger in New Orleans, but more…
Larry McMurtry’s Booked Up In 1988, Pulitzer Prize winning author Larry McMurtry returned to his hometown of Archer City, Texas with the dream of transforming it into a book-themed town. He even took out ads in literary magazines proclaiming, “Miraculous birth! Visit the newly born book town of Archer City, Texas, and help the endless migration of good books continue.” For those who can’t quite place the name, Larry McMurtry has written dozens of novels, several of which have been turned into movies, including the Oscar-winning “Terms of Endearment” and “Brokeback Mountain.” Even if his name is not familiar, you…