Peter was respectfully known as the Old Texas Ranger. Not that he had ever been a member of Texas’ famous frontier law enforcement agency, but that he had ranged all over the state preaching the Gospel. Born in Kentucky in 1797, Peter H. Fullenwider came from a modest Christian family. He completed his secondary education in old field schools, which were built on worn-out farm fields and taught by volunteers. After graduating from Centre College in Kentucky, he completed thr

On Dec. 11, 1926, Rebecca Bradley, aged 22, robbed the Farmers National in Buna, Texas. She had been impersonating a reporter for the Beaumont Enterprise while interviewing employees about county agricultural concerns. Rebecca followed two tellers into the vault and confronted them with a .32 caliber pistol. She locked them in and left with $1,000 cash, or $18,500 in today’s money. So begins the curious story of an uncommon criminal whom the newspapers dubbed the Flapper Band

Sophia Suttenfield Aughinbaugh Coffee Butt Porter was a complex character who attracted curious attention for her colorful behavior. Her life included four marriages, and was filled with a mixture of balderdash and mystifying exploits. Columnist Frank X. Tolbert referred to Sophia as the Texas version of Scarlett O’Hara. Born in 1815 in Indiana, Sophia was just 17 when she married Jesse Aughinbaugh. Some say that he was the headmaster of her school when they eloped to Texas

The history of Texas is filled with salacious accounts of gunslingers, human traffickers, gamblers, and corrupt politicians. The following observation by historian V.V. Masterson could have portrayed many towns in Texas when he described Skiddy Street in Denison in 1873: “Here were the tented gambling halls, the hurdy-gurdy joints, lowest class saloons, cockfighting pits, variety houses, and the deadly ‘dovecotes’ that served as houses of prostitution for all races, colors, a

The Alamo in San Antonio is rightly named the “Cradle of Texas Liberty.” It was first established in East Texas, and was later moved to San Antonio around 1719 where it was known as the Mission del San Antonio de Valero. By 1836, the Alamo church and convent were enclosed by a wall that was eight feet high, and two and a half feet thick. It was built to enclose 1,000 men plus animals and supplies. With around 200 fighters, Col. William B. Travis could not protect such a vas

When the Spanish explorers came to Texas around 1540, many historians surmise that they had three main goals: God, glory and gold. But probably not in that order. Such explorers as Pánfilo de Narváez, Alonso Álvarez de Pineda, and Cabeza de Vaca brought with them Catholic friars to advance Christianity. One friar, Father Juan Suárez, starved to death in the failed Narváez expedition and is regarded by some to be the first Catholic martyr in Texas. Many of these Spanish expl

Among the illustrious speakers at the 1888 Republican National Convention was Frederick Douglass, an American social reformer that was known for his mesmerizing oratory. Douglass was formerly enslaved but had become a vocal advocate for equality and human rights until his death in 1895. Part of Douglass’ Convention speech included these thoughts: “I believe that the Republican party will prove itself equally faithful to its friends, and those friends during the [Civil] w

If you stop in at Marlowe’s BBQ restaurant in Memphis, Tennessee, you will see a memorial to Elvis Presley, the late “King” of rock n’ roll. Since Graceland is nearby, he often dined at Marlowe’s and visited with the owner. Today, due to the Elvis connection, Marlowe’s has a standing tribute to the singer. A visit by the “king” made a difference. On May 18, 1840, Abraham Lincoln visited Pontiac, Michigan, while fulfilling his first term in the Livingston County circuit cour

When Texas native Pearl Simmons died in India on December 18, 1912, few noticed. Born in 1884, Pearl lost her mother while still an infant, and her father died when she was a young teen. Suddenly on her own, Pearl struggled to survive in the foreboding city of Dallas. Regrettably, she found the financial income she needed in the red-light districts like Frogtown and Boggy Bayou. Over time, the toll of constant abuse left her in hopeless despair. It was then that Pearl met R

When American frontiersman and posthumous Texas hero Davy Crockett left politics in Tennessee, he famously said that they may go to Hell, but he would go to Texas. But once Crockett arrived in Texas, he may have been a bit surprised at how similar the Lone Star state was to Hades. Not only was Texas hot and sultry, but a portion of the population consisted of violent criminals and other unsavory characters. Mercifully, God had a plan to bring the Gospel message to the un