Andy Rhodes

In the late 1800s, many German immigrants gravitated to east-central Texas, where they continued the customs of their homeland. The region’s fertile prairies and natural springs were reminiscent of the German countryside, where families had spent centuries perfecting the craft…

Have you ever deliberately tried to spend a night in jail? And gladly paid for the experience? In Clifton, heritage travelers can do just that. Hidden in an alley of this central Texas historic downtown is an unassuming concrete building…

Texas Historical Commission (THC) markers across the Lone Star State note that Native Americans frequented natural springs to hunt animals drawn to the reliable water sources. In the process, they likely dipped into the clear refreshing pools, becoming the first…

Texas Historical Commission (THC) markers across the Lone Star State note that Native Americans frequented natural springs to hunt animals drawn to the reliable water sources. In the process, they likely dipped into the clear refreshing pools, becoming the first…

Fittingly, Austin’s nucleus of intellectual activity—the University of Texas—is also its literary hub. With nearly 50,000 students on a 357-acre campus, UT is a major entity in Austin. Locals and visitors benefit from the campus’ museums and research centers, showcasing…

On an unusually brisk April afternoon in 2018, county residents packed the courthouse square in Karnes City, located about an hour’s drive southeast of San Antonio. They were celebrating one of the most dramatic transformations in the twenty-year history of…

Glance at a Fayette County map, and you’ll see German and Czech community names dotting the landscape. Schulenburg was named for a German land donor, Roznov honors a Czechoslovakian hometown, and Flatonia is the namesake of German immigrant Friedrich Flato.…

On a desolate stretch of highway, some 75 miles southeast of Fort Stockton, a lonely Texas Historical Commission marker tells the story of a violent attempted train heist that occurred nearby. Known as the Baxter’s Curve Train Robbery, the tragic…