FEATURES

Moonshinin’ In the Pines

EAST TEXAS- Moonshine is an unmistakable spirit known by names such as white lightning, hooch, and mountain dew. Moonshining is the unlicensed distillation of whiskey and has deep roots in the Deep South, dating back to long before the Nineteenth Century. The corn whiskey takes its romanticized name from the days when moonshine moved through the Pineywoods by the light of the moon. READ MORE

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cotton Was King In East Texas Until Timber Overthrew the Thrown 

EAST TEXAS- Stephen F. Austin advertised the rich land lying along the Brazos and Colorado River as prime property to grow the cash crop cotton. In 1825, Leonard Groce introduced what is believed to be the first cotton gin in Austin’s colony, near present-day Hempstead. By 1828, there were four or five cotton gins in East Texas, but roughly 30 years later there were approximately 2,000 cotton gins throughout the state. READ MORE

 

 

 

Grapeland Gathers For Goobers

GRAPELAND, TEXAS- Texas Festivals are a dime a dozen, as Texans seemingly find reasons to celebrate. Festivals in the state are held in the name of flowers of all kinds, practically any kind of fruit you can think of, rattle snakes, chiggers, oil, kolaches, Shakespeare, and even the movie, Lonesome Dove. But not all community festivals catch on, and there are certainly none like that of the Grapeland Peanut Festival. READ MORE

 

 

 

 

Tall Tales & White Tails

GRAPELAND, TEXAS- The Big Buck Contest hosted by Chapman’s Hardware in Grapeland has been a driving force behind a little healthy competition for hunters in Houston County and adjoining counties for many years; for over half a century in fact. Chapman’s Hardware has long since been the gathering place of hunters during deer season. If the walls inside Chapman’s could talk they would tell tall tales about white tails and others outdoor adventures had by East Texans in the last century. READ MORE

 

 

 

 

 

 

Possums Walked Through the Queen City of the Sand Flats 100 Years Ago

GRAPELAND, TEXAS- Almost 100 years ago, thousands of people poured into the little town of Grapeland on morning trains from points along the International and Great Northern and from the surrounding countryside to witness marsupials marching down the street on their way to a BBQ. Approximately 5,000 people came from near and far to see Grapeland’s first Possum Walk. READ MORE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BETHANY, TEXAS- “Lick Skillet” is not just something you did when the grub was good, although, it was most certainly something you did when the grub was good if you didn’t have a biscuit to sop it up. It is a name deeply rooted in East Texas culture. For over a century, Lick Skillet is a name that has been attached to roads, creeks, and communities. READ MORE