In 1854, Victor Considérant began building a phalanstery on the Trinity River near Dallas. Most people who lived in the dusty frontier town had never even heard of a phalanstery. What was it? Considérant was born in France in 1808 and was known internationally as a utopian socialist philosopher and economist. He was an avid disciple of François Marie Charles Fourier, a social theorist who dreamed of uprooting capitalism with direct democracy within a communal union called p

“I am near my ninety-third year, though my life seems short. All of my old comrades have passed away, and I, the last survivor, am yet spared. I give God the praise.” William Physick Zuber was the last survivor of what? William was born in Georgia in1820. His Father, Abraham, moved the family often until they established their cotton farm near what is now the town of Shiro, Texas. In 1836, advancing Mexican troops forced the Zuber family to evacuate as part of the Runaway Sc

The life of a prisoner can be lonely. Even the well-managed penitentiary separates inmates from family and friends and fosters feelings of powerlessness and neglect. But during the Civil War, detention centers were especially severe and intimidating. Some historians report that over 400,000 Confederate and Union soldiers were incarcerated in 150 distinct locations. Of those, over 56,000 soldiers died in captivity. Two of the worst prisons were the Elmira Prison in New York

The church-going family of Col. Henry Washington Younger was large and prosperous. He and his wife, Bursheba, had 14 children who helped manage several large farms that they owned in Missouri. Col. Younger served in the Missouri State legislature and was an admired judge. The Younger family was related to Gen. Robert E. Lee and descended from noble ancestors who fought in the American Revolution and in the War of 1812. But during the Civil War, Col. Younger lost his life, an

In the early 19th Century, there were legal and illegal immigrants who came to Mexican Texas. Both choices were risky, but many settlers were willing to hazard their future to obtain expansive farmland and pasturage in a warm climate at a token cost. In 1820, Moses Austin initiated negotiations with Spain and Mexico to bring settlers to Texas. While in the discussions, Moses died and left the actual recruiting and organizing to his son Stephen F. Austin. In 1821, Stephen sc

Down a short, dusty road off of RM 3348, you will find the grave of Isaac Payne. A bold Cross is engraved over his name. He and several other US military Medal of Honor recipients are buried in this remote Seminole Indian Scouts Cemetery three miles south of Brackettville, in Kinney County, Texas. Payne was a trumpeter for the U.S. Army following the Civil War. He earned his Medal of Honor for gallantry in action while serving in the 24th United States Infantry under the co

On the outside walls of Josephine’s Victorian-style home there were fierce bronze dragons, carved animals, and hideous gargoyles resembling those on the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The passerby saw a beautiful and imposing three-story dwelling with four turrets on the roofline topped by hand crafted imported tiles. On the inside, many of the rooms featured Josephine’s original artwork of delightful angels. Much like Italian artist Michelangelo did for the Sistine Chapel

Over the hill to the poor-house--my chil'rn dear, good-bye! Many a night I've watched you when only God was nigh; And God 'll judge between us; but I will al'ays pray, That you shall never suffer the half I do to-day. This is part of a poem written by Will Carleton in 1872. It captures the dread that many people felt in the late 19th Century when their finances were depleted, and friends and family could not come to their aid. When all else failed, they were con

What was painted cow patty green with buzzard blood red tips, and dotted the plains of West Texas? This vivid description was given to the revolutionary 14-foot wood-wheeled Eclipse windmills that brought life-giving water to the pioneers of the ranching industry. But the story of the windmills started in the far northern reaches of Wisconsin. Madeline Island, the largest of the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior, was located off the coast of Bayfield. 17th Century Jesuit pr

Do you remember sweet Pecos cantaloupes? For more than a century, the west Texas town of Pecos by that name harvested and shipped the sweet melons nationwide. Blue Bell ice cream even had a flavor called “Cantaloupe ‘n Cream"! Like peaches were associated with Fredericksburg and spinach with Crystal City, cantaloupe was linked with Pecos. It is rumored that key political figures like Lyndon Johnson and Dwight Eisenhower regularly ordered these luscious melons. But that was th