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Texas Summer

Terry Southern who was born in Alvarado Texas wrote an evocative, poignant coming-of-age novel set in rural Texas in the 1950s Through events small and large, thirteen-year-old Harold Stevens grows up during a pivotal summer in the red-dirt backcountry of West Texas. With his friend C.K. Crow, the black field hand who works for Harold’s father, he shoots deer and quail, fishes for catfish, mends fences, grows and learns about marijuana, and tests his emerging manhood against bullies, bulls, and the irresistible charms of his horse-riding older cousin...read more

Historic Johnson County

by Eric Dabney

An illustrated history of Johnson County, Texas, paired with histories of the local companies . . . learn more

Legends and Life in Texas: Folklore from the Lone Star State, In Stories and Song

On January 3, 1884, Sam Coggin married a twenty five year old widow, Mrs. E. L. (Maggie) of Alvarado, Texas. Sam was fifty-two years old when he married. After an illness of several months, Mody Coggin died on February 3, 1902. He had never married. His great-nephew, folklorist Mody Coggin Boatright... read more

Texas Aggies Go to War: In Service of Their Country

By Mid-1917, the annual Alumni Directory listed five Aggies who were known to be "somewhere in France," while unnamed others were thought to be overseas. Information about them was scant. Among the Aggies who were unquestionably at war was Bertus Clyde Ball of Alvarado, Texas, a surgeon in the French army. John Ashton ('06) was a veterinarian attached to the First Veterinary Hospital, Army Veterinary Corps, British Expeditionary Force. Nat S. Perrine ('17) enlisted and fought with the Fourth ... read more

Firearms of the Texas Rangers: From the Frontier Era to the Modern Age

In January 1985, a pretty young girl from  Alvarado, Texas, in Johnson County named Amy McNeil was on her way to school. But this morning the Jeep driven by her brother would be stopped and the cheerleader would be taken by two unknown men, one with a pistol and the other with a sawed off shotgun... read more

Parson Henry Renfro: Free Thinking on the Texas Frontier

The years following the Texas Revolution held even more turbulent events as diverse droves of pioneers crossed the Sabine and Red Rivers to start new lives in Texas. Early Texas society contended with religious issues, family life in a rugged environment, and the Civil War. This cultural history was clearly reflected in the life of frontier preacher Henry C. Renfro.",,,Alvarado, Texas, to Annette Renfro [Renfro farm], July 6, 1882; Julius Baker, Alvarado, Texas, to “Miss Annette My Darling Girl,” August 6, 1882; Annette Renfro, [Renfro farm], to Julius Baker, Alvarado, August 9, 1882. All of above ... read more

"Moving the Ministry to Alvarado, Texas... Well after our time was up there God Called me to go to Alvarado, Texas. So, we knew what the plan was and looked for a building to lease we held services for a short time in the meeting room at the brand new Super 8 Hotel...  "In this inspirational memoir, Maggie R. Bass shares the story of how she started and grew her ministry. In particular, the book details her relationships with various people – both those whom she was able to help and those who served as inspiration and mentors to her ... read more

Oedipus Road: Searching for a Father in a Mother's Fading Memory

On March 30, 1992, Tom Dodge lost his stepfather and inherited the duty of caring for his mother, a woman he confesses he never got to know. Suddenly he was confronted with the extent to which she had slipped into the fog of Alzheimer’s. This memoir, interweaving the twin themes of adult responsibility for a parent suffering from Alzheimer’s and the search for a birth parent, is a painful account, raw with emotion, of an alienated adolescence. But it is also a nostalgic look back at life in small-town Texas. . . read more

When is a haunted house really a haunted house? When it's the Wright Place in Cleburne, Texas. Okay, okay, let me explain. When I was swapping emails with former Fort Worth Star-Telegram writer Andy Grieser to ask about his experiences at Thistle Hill in Fort Worth. I discovered that he was part of another ghost investigation in Cleburne at a two-story structure known as the Wright Place...Originally built as a hotel, The Hamilton House, all the way back in 1874... read more

Tom Dodge Talks About Texas: Radio Vignettes and Other Observations 1989-1999

Tom Dodge, from Cleburne, is at his best when he talks about Texas where he grew up. This collection of writings over the past decade includes his most poignant and provocative National Public Radio vignettes as well as longer pieces from newspapers and magazines. Here are the wry, sometimes ironic, observations on all things Texas his listeners are used to. His insights include a unique analysis of junkyards, railroads, bookstores, horned toads, sandy-land farms, and his grandmother's homemade grape jelly ... learn more

Old Country Fiddle Stories

Old Country Fiddle orbits around the lives of an eccentric cast of characters from the Texas Hill Country. A roadside flag salesman profits from a neighborhood culture war. A professional congratulator enters a kolache-eating contest to impress a former kolache queen. A closet agnostic tries to dodge going to church with her mother, and the publisher of a Czech-Tex newspaper, using a walker called “the Silver Stallion,” delivers papers to the residents at the nursing home where he lives. These stories, which are told with a Texas drawl, cover a wide range of emotional territory and touch on themes that go far beyond the county line... read more

The Populist Moment: A Short History of the Agrarian Revolt in America

The Cleburne Demands were front page news across Texas on August 8, 1886. The first newspaper reports were restricted to lengthy and precise desciption of the demands, but as the implications of the Alliance Action became clear, newspaper reactions turned hostile. "The Democratic Party is in perilous position," warned the Galveston News. The Dallas News decided the Alliance had become "dominated by the spirit of class legislation..." learn more

CF7 Locomotives: From Cleburne to Everywhere

This colorful book covers CF7 locomotives in fine detail from their rebuilding from F-units at the Santa Fe Cleburne, Texas, shops to their modern role as shortline workhorses. Modelers will be pleased with the large detailed photographs, numerous diagrams and informative text. It includes a historical listing of all 233 CF7's built and interviews with those who built 'em and those who run 'em! . . . learn more

Once known for its cotton production and Jersey cows, Cleburne has evolved from its agricultural heritage into a diverse community. This former Civil War training camp, located near Buffalo Creek, was named for Confederate general Patrick Cleburne when it became the county seat in 1867. Just west of town, cowboys moved cattle up the Chisholm Trail before the Santa Fe Railway brought jobs and money in 1881 . . . read more

Tales of Old Texas or The Adventures of Bullfrog

In his autobiography, Mark Twain stated, "In the small town of Hannibal, Missouri, when I was a boy, everybody was poor but didn't know it, and everybody was comfortable and did know it." This comment certainly applied to Cleburne, Texas, where Reed grew up from the mid-1940s through the 1950s. At least this was true on his side of town, northeast Cleburne across the Santa Fe railroad tracks. He lived on Sabine Street, and it was still just graveled even when he graduated from high school in 1959... read more

A History of Texas and Texans, Vol. 3

He had moved to Texas in 1869, and it was at Cleburne that his death occurred in 1884. His widow is still living at Cleburne. They were the parents of three children , all sons , two of whom are living: O. H. Vernon , a blacksmith of San Antonio. James Newton Vernon in his youth had limited educational advantages. He attended public schools in Cleburne until he was thirteen, and then closed his school books in order to become a wage earner... read more

Champions of Naught Six: The Story of the 1906 Cleburne Railroaders

This is the story of the Cleburne Railroaders and the 1906 Texas season. Tris Speaker was an 18 year old rookie that season on his way to Baseball's Hall of Fame. Ft. Worth and Dallas battled for the first half flag, but it was Cleburne at season's end that proved to be the best... Learn more

Cleburne Baseball: A Railroader History

Shortly after Cleburne landed the largest railroad shops west of the Mississippi, it set its sights on securing a professional baseball team. Against the odds, Cleburne became a Texas League town in 1906. After the first championship, the Railroaders loaded a train and left Cleburne. The town's professional teams would amass two championships, three pennants and several legendary major league players, including Tris Speaker... continue reading