Come and Take It

In the 1960s, Houston was home of the largest and most successful African-American-owned record label in the country. It established Houston as one of the great homes for American soul music.

There have been many great women in Texas history. Some were pioneers who scraped out an existence at the edge of the prairie like Jane Long. Others were reached the top of the male-dominated political world, like Ann Richards, Barbara Jordan, or Kay Bailey Hutchins. Today we’re going to take a look at the life of Bessie Coleman, a native of small town Texas who became the first African-American woman pilot in American history. (This was originally recorded for a history podcast collage.)

He was an Eastern doctor who sought to restore his fortune in Texas, rising to become a respected statesman, and the last President of the Republic of Texas.

The early twentieth century was the era of vaudeville. Unique live acts took their performances all over the world performing in all varieties of theatres, but the best were grand palaces filled with lavish decoration and tributes to classical architectural styles. Many of these theaters survived vaudeville and found new life and elegant movie palaces. Texas, of course, had its share, including the Majestics, a string of venues operated by Karl Hoblitzelle and his Interstate Amusement Company.

In our last Texas Rock? episode, we talked about several artists and musicians who had huge hits or were seminal, groundbreaking performers, but who don’t really stand out as being associated with Texas. This week we’re going back to that well to look at some more artists we missed in our previous discussion. Remember that these performers are from Texas, but you don’t really think of them being from, or even maybe don’t even know that they are from, the Lone Star State.

This week we look at the unlikely return to power of Texas first political dynasty and the remarkable story of how Texas got its first woman governor.

They were Texas’ first political dynasty. The country lawyer who became governor before being impeached and banned for life from politics, and his wife who he pushed into politics and became the first woman elected governor of any State.

We’ve talked in previous episodes about the now lost port of Indianola, once the second busiest port in all of Texas. It was near this port, on Matagorda Bay where the first lighthouse in Texas was built. Today we discuss this magnificent cast-iron historical icon of the Texas Gulf Coast.

In 1924, George Saunders, the president of the Cattle Drivers Association, published a two-volume book compiling first hand stories from experienced trail drivers and their life on the plains. For those familiar with the podcast, the names and places referenced may sound quite familiar. So in a different kind of episode, we’re presenting more tales of Texas Trail Drivers in their own words.

He was a fiery and passionate supporter of the rights of the states and the institution of slavery. He was also violent, bigoted, a drunkard, and a US Senator from Texas on the eve of the Civil War. This week we look at the life of a Texas fire-eater.