In a September 8, 2026, telecast on KCEN-TV in Belton, Texas, reporters interviewed a local librarian who had found a 180-year-old Bible in a storeroom. Records indicated that it had been loaned to the library by Mary Lou Marks, who was now 92 years old. In a follow-up interview with Marks, she explained that the Bible was published in 1846 and belonged to N.M. Proctor, a distant relative who was one of the earliest settlers in Bell County. Within the pages of this well-wo

Future United States President Rutherford B. Hayes visited Texas in 1848 hoping to find better health. On his visit to Peach Point Plantation near Jones Creek, he met Emily Margaret Austin Bryan Perry. In a letter home, Hayes described Emily as “an excellent motherly sort of woman, whose happiness consists in making others happy.” Emily was born in 1795 to Maria and Moses Austin. One of her brothers was Texas empresario Stephan F. Austin. Her first marriage to James Bryan i

“The struggle for Texan Independence, and the storming of Monterey attest to his bravery as a soldier, while his many deeds of charity and boundless generosity exhibit his Christian spirit.” These words were part of a published tribute about John “Captain Jack” Coffee Hays in the El Paso Daily Times, May 2, 1883. An illustrious Indian fighter and Texas Ranger, Hays was born on January 28, 1817, near Little Cedar Lick, Tennessee. By the age of 15, John had learned the trade of

Minnie Stacey was a clandestine prostitute at the Dew Drop Inn in Woodward, Oklahoma. When she was brought before the court on obvious charges, no local attorney would defend her. So the judge appointed the young lawyer who had just arrived in town. With only10 minutes to prepare for the case, Temple Lea Houston had to think fast. Born in 1860, Temple was the eighth and last child of Texas hero Sam and Margaret Lea Houston. His father died when he was 3 years old, and his mot

The letter began with the words, “Dear Mother, I write to you under the most awful feelings that a son ever addressed a mother, for in half an hour my doom will be finished on earth….” The subsequent events constituted a significant tragedy. On March 2, 1836, Texas declared its independence from Mexico. But even after the decisive Battle of San Jacinto, Mexico refused to accept defeat. The new Republic of Texas lived in constant fear that Mexico would again invade with inten

Texas had many heroes during the 1835 Revolution against Mexico. But few people remember the remarkable contribution that Noah Turner Byars made to the formation of the Republic of Texas. Born in South Carolina in 1808, Byars relocated to Washington-on-the-Brazos Texas in 1835. Hoping to utilize his significant talents as a gunsmith and blacksmith, he and his partner Peter M. Mercer purchased a lot and began constructing a gun store. However, it was only partially completed

Stuart was the rebellious son of a preacher. He refused the “narrow” road in order to follow the “broad way” of riotous living. Because alcohol would habitually confound Stuart's thinking, he was often jailed for public brawling, much to the embarrassment of his loyal family. Soon, his bawdy lifestyle tarnished his home, friendships, and a nationally acclaimed career. Carl Stuart Hamblen was a major success in radio, movies, and country music. Born in 1908 in Kellyv

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