The Bridge Street History Center

Good morning from the Historic Victoria County Courthouse.

📸: Larry White Photogrpahy ... See MoreSee Less

The 1896 DeWitt County Courthouse In Cuero, Texas was designed in the Romanesque Revival style from sandstone and pink granite quarried from Marble Falls, by noted architect Arthur O. Watson.

Famous court cases include the Sutton-Taylor Feud— a 35 year old feud, of which no one knows why it started, but eventually over one thousand people were involved, including gunslinger John Wesley Hardin. Records of this court case are on display in the foyer of the courthouse. 📸: @alfredomoraphotography ... See MoreSee Less

All ya need to get together with friends is delicious food, good music, and great drinks, and lucky for y’all we have it all covered!

Tonight the Ransom Brothers will be playing 8-11 🎸 $5 cover at 7PM. El Taco T and Down On Da Bayou will both be open from 4-late! 21+ at 8PM🍻 ... See MoreSee Less

Did you you know?

Many Texas counties have had a series of courthouses over their history, and Karnes County is no exception.The 1894 Romanesque Revival courthouse pictured here is the third to serve the county. The first was a log cabin built in 1854 in the old county seat of Helena, an important stagecoach stop between San Antonio and Goliad. It was destroyed by a fire in 1865, and a new stone courthouse, designed by architect John Jacob Riley, was built in 1873 in Helena, where it still stands today.By the 1880s, the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway was planning a route from San Antonio to the Gulf Coast, but Helena residents didn’t raise enough money or donate sufficient land for the project. Instead, local rancher William Green Butler offered property west of Helena through what is now Karnes City. The railroad subsequently bypassed Helena and designed a route through Karnes City; the populated and prosperous railroad town became the new county seat in 1893....@txhistcomm ... See MoreSee Less

Since purchasing the hotel in 2017, I have been given items that at some point were associated with the hotel. Yesterday, I was gifted a binder of sign in sheets with the names and comments of people that had visited the hotel when it was owned by the Clays. At the back were several letters and cards. During this time, Dayna Berry taught a Lampasas history class to gifted and talented second graders, and part of that class was a field trip to the hotel.  Each year she would send a thank you letter to the Clays that was signed by the children in her class. 

Lampasas has such a rich history dating from the 1700s when it was Spanish territory. The impact of Lampasas on world, American, and Texas history is undeniable, yet I believe mostly unknown. Whether it was the supply of over 700 horses to our forces during the American revolution, the early recognition of the healing power of sulfur, the creation of a national political movement here that was a catalyst for the 1900 allegory, the “Wizard of Oz”, at one point the third largest city in Texas, production of powdered eggs for the troops during WWII, and so much more, I hope that a class on Lampasas history is still part of the curriculum. Lampasas has so much to be proud of! ... See MoreSee Less

Did you know? 👇

The city of Cuero, Spanish for “leather” or “hide,” was named for the Arroyo del Cuero nearby, a reference to the wild cattle that would often get stuck in the gully’s mud.In the early 1900s, Cuero turkey farmers would drive their stock to market on foot, creating the comical sight of hundreds of turkeys scuttling down Main Street and inspiring Turkeyfest, an annual event that continues to be celebrated in Cuero today.Although located inland, the city’s proximity to the Gulf Coast has subjected it to the battering of hurricanes on several occasions. However, many of its historic buildings survive to this day. Cuero is a participating member in the Texas Main Street program, attracting visitors with a handsome collection of more than 50 residences, churches, and public buildings listed in the National Register of Historic Places.Learn more about Main Street communities in Texas: bit.ly/txmainstreet📷: The Lyda Hill Texas Collection of Photographs in Carol M. Highsmith’s America Project, @librarycongress. .. history: @txhistcomm ... See MoreSee Less

Please join us Monday at 12:30pm when the Hood County Fallen Veterans and Historic Granbury Merchants Assoc. present a program and monument dedication ceremony at the Bridge St main stage. Get the full schedule at granburysquare.com/memorial-day-weekend ... See MoreSee Less

Freedom isn't free. In honor of all who have fallen, we will never forget.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​#FrontierTexas #TexasMemorialDay #MemorialDay2023 #TexasProud #AmericanSpirit #VisitAbilene #TravelTexas ... See MoreSee Less