For millennia, various tribes of Native Americans occupied the region that is now Texas. They were as diverse in culture as the geography of Texas itself. The following is a very brief overview of the major tribes that existed at the time of the first European exploration: The Caddos in the east and northeast Texas … Read more
Carved out of a portion of the Austin colony grant of Richardson Harris, the town of Harrisburg was laid out in 1826. Located on Buffalo Bayou near present day Houston, it became an important trading center before the Texas Revolution. Before it was burned by Santa Anna a few days before the Battle of San … Read more
The USS Texas is now a shrine moored at the site of the San Jacinto battlefield about 20 miles east of Houston. Perhaps better known as the Battleship Texas, she remains as an icon of a noble past. Although thousands of sightseers visit the memorial each year, few realize that her heritage extends back more than 100 … Read more
Several sets of some of the earliest baseball cards ever issued depict players from the Texas League or were issued and distributed by sponsors in the Lone Star state. Among these were two sets issued in 1910: the “Old Mill” and the “Mello-Mint” sets. Each of these sets is described in more detail below. 1910 … Read more
Financing the public debt and implementing a stable currency system were among the many challenges facing the government of the Republic of Texas. Although the Constitution of 1836 gave Congress the power to “coin money [and] regulate the value thereof,” no coins were ever minted. Initially, the chief means of bartering for goods were the … Read more
Over the past sixty years, the United States Postal Service has issued almost two dozen stamps commemorating Texas and Texans. They are presented here, courtesy of the lifetime collection of the late Mrs. Myrtine Hardeman of Bryan, Texas. The stamps are divided into three categories: Stamps Commemorating Texas Events Stamps Commemorating Texans Stamps Commemorating Texas … Read more
Whooping CranesIssued November 22, 19573-cents State birds and flowers (Texas)Issued April 14, 198220-cents American Wildlife (Jack Rabbit)Issued June 13, 198722-cents American Wildlife (Armadillo)Issued June 13, 198722-cents American Wildlife (Mockingbird)Issued June 13, 198722-cents
Stamps are presented in the order issued. Sam RayburnIssued September 16, 19624-cents Sam HoustonIssued January 10, 19635-cents Davy CrockettIssued August 17, 19675-cents Dwight D. EisenhowerIssued October 14, 19696-cents Lyndon B. JohnsonIssued August 27, 19738-cents Wiley Post (and “Winnie Mae”)Issued November 20, 197925-cents Babe ZahariasIssued September 22, 198118-cents Scott JoplinIssued June 9, 198320-cents
On San Jacinto Day, April 21, 1867, the mighty Houston Stonewalls overwhelmed the Galveston Robert E. Lees, 35-2. While certainly not the first baseball game played in the Texas, it was among the first to be recorded in some detail. Moreover, it underscored the quickly growing passion for “the national pastime” in Lone Star state. … Read more
From time to time, we like to dive into our TexasProud.com email bag and answer a reader question…. “I’d like to learn more about the Civil War incident where Captain Duff and his Partisan Rangers captured four Kerr County residents, Sebird Henderson, Gus Tegener, Frank Scott, and Hiram Nelson, took them to Spring Branch near … Read more