Driving through the small town of New London, Texas (population a little under 1,000), you notice a cenotaph. If you stop to read the historical marker, you will find that on this spot, approximately 300 people, mostly students (numbers range from 296-319) died in an explosion at the school. AcrossContinue Reading
I love to look for hidden gems, especially places for walking and picnics. Here in Kilgore, we have a place called Synergy Park. J.D. Elder and his brother acquired this land at the end of World War I, moving their timber mill to the site. The Kilgore Economic and DevelopmentContinue Reading
Last weekend, we enjoyed catching up with friends at Lake Bob Sandlin State Park. This East Texas park offers camping, fishing, boating, hiking, geocaching and more. Click here for a map of the park. Campsites They have 75 campsites with water and electricity, and 16 primitive hike-in sites. Very fewContinue Reading
Fireworks, concerts, great food—some of the many ways we celebrate our freedom on the 4th of July. Unfortunately, the original 4th of July didn’t mean freedom for all. This Saturday, January 19th, we celebrate another independence day: Juneteenth. On June 19, 1865, General Gordon Granger landed in Galveston, Texas. HeContinue Reading
Between visiting the National World War II Museum, remembering soldiers on Memorial Day, and the 77th anniversary of D-Day this weekend, the sacrifice of the families in the armed forces has been on my mind. Maybe it has been on yours as well. Why not consider visiting a veterans parkContinue Reading
When you travel, sometimes bigger doesn’t always mean better. Though we have enjoyed visiting large metropolitan cities and events, we have a particular fondness for smaller venues. Start locally. The first place you should start is in your own area. Look around to see what fun events small towns areContinue Reading
We enjoyed walking on both trails at Dangerfield State Park when we visited there last fall. The trail map provides sites of interest in addition to an outline of the trails. Rustling Leaves Trail This 2.4 trail provides an easy trail around the lake. That said, this trail does haveContinue Reading
Are you looking for fall color in Texas? We’ve always wanted to camp at Dangerfield State Park in the fall, but never planned far enough in advance to do so. Which is why I am writing about fall colors in the spring. You can make reservations 5 months in advance,Continue Reading
The main reason I took a day trip to Marshall, Texas was to explore the contributions of African Americans in our area. You can pick up the brochure at the Harrison County Museum, but you may have to ask for the brochure specifically. They did not have copies in theContinue Reading
In honor of Black History Month, I wanted to travel to some local sites that featured important people or events in Black history. I started with the town of Marshall in East Texas. Before I started my tour, I grabbed lunch to go at a wonderful place on the townContinue Reading