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The Traveling Fool
20 Underrated Historic Spots in Texas for Curious Travelers
The famous historical landmarks of Texas like the Alamo and San Jacinto battlefield draw thousands of visitors each year, but the Lone Star State harbors dozens of lesser-known historic treasures that tell equally compelling stories without the crowds. In this episode, we uncover twenty overlooked historic sites across Texas that reveal surprising chapters of the state's rich past.
These overlooked historic gems provide a deeper, more nuanced understanding of Texas history than you'll find at the famous landmarks. Head to TheTravelingFool.com for more information and leave a review if you enjoyed discovering these hidden historic treasures!
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Hi, and welcome to the Traveling Fool, the show where we explore the most intriguing aspects of travel, culture, and history. I'm your host, Bob Bales, and today we are covering 20 historic sites in Texas that are often overlooked. These aren't the big names like The Alamo or San Jacinto that draw big crowds. These are quieter spots, forts, missions, homes, battlegrounds, the Alamo or San Jacinto that draw crowds. These tell just as much about Texas's past, if not more. I've visited most myself. I've talked to locals and historians about others and put together a list that's worth your time. If you're into history and travel, I'll give you the history on each place, some unique facts, notable people who were there and a few interesting things nearby today. So stay tuned.
Bob Bales:Texas is a big state with a huge history Native tribes going back thousands of years, Spanish settlers in the 1700s, the fight for independence in the 1830s, the Civil War and the growth after that. The famous sites get all the visitors, but these 20 are different. They're spread across the state, from the deserts of West Texas to the Gulf Coast, and they show parts of the past that don't always make it into the guidebooks. Some are ruins from the frontier days. Some are preserved homes from key figures, others are battlefields or old military posts that shaped what Texas became. They're not crowded, they don't have big tourist setups, just real history waiting for you to explore, and I would bet a lot of Texans don't even know about some of these. I'll start out west and work my way across the state.
Bob Bales:Now here's the first one. Fort Leighton State Historic Site in Presidio. Now it's located in the Chihuahuan Desert in far west Texas, about four miles from the Mexican border and 20 miles southeast of Big Bend National Park. This site dates to 1848, when Benjamin Leighton, a trader from New Orleans, built it as a private trading post along the Chihuahua Trail, a major route linking San Antonio to Chihuahua Mexico, used since the Spanish colonial days. Now, Leighton was a tough character. Born in 1819 in Alabama, he had worked as a scalp hunter in Mexico, hired to fight Apache raids, before settling here with his wife. His wife, Juana Pedraza, came from a prominent Mexican family, and he constructed this massive adobe fort covering over an acre, with 40 rooms around a central courtyard, thick walls up to three feet wide, and a fortified entrance. It wasn't just a home, it was his business hub, where he traded goods like guns, whiskey, and blankets with the tribes, Mexican merchants, and local ranchers. Now, some historians say he encouraged Comanches to raid the Mexican settlements just to keep his trade flowing. So who knows? We may never know. Now, by 1851, Leighton died of yellow fever, leaving Juana, his wife, to run it. She remarried, and her second husband, Edward Hall, kept the operation going until he was murdered in 1860 over a debt issue. The US Army briefly used it as an outpost in the 1860s during border tensions, but it fell into private hands again until the state took it over in 1968. Now, today it's a historic site managed by the Texas Historical Commission. You can walk through the restored rooms, the living quarters, a kitchen, even a blacksmith's shop, and see artifacts like old wagons and tools. It's a glimpse into the rough border life of the mid-1800s. Nearby Presidio's got the 14 De La Senega. You know I'm gonna mess that up, it's just my accent. It's a restored 1880s ranch house. It's not a big draw, but it shows how settlers lived out here in that rough West Texas land.
Bob Bales:Next is site number two, Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site near Comstock. Comstock's about 30 miles northwest of Del Rio along the Rio Grande River. This place goes back thousands of years. Archaeologists dated the rock art there to be around 2000 BCE, left by hunter-gatherer tribes who roamed the lower Pecos region. The Fate Bell Shelter, a key spot in the park, has some of the best preserved pictographs in Texas. Red, yellow, and black images of human figures, deer, and abstract shapes painted on limestone walls. Experts think that these were tied to religious rituals or hunting ceremonies. Some drawings show shamans with antlers, others mark water sources. Now the tribes lived off small games and plants like prickly pear, used, and I know I'm going to mess this up at atlatls. Those are those spear throwers. You hold them in your hand, and you sling it. It's almost like a slingshot for a spear, and that's before. Bows got introduced later on, and they would use those things and do their hunting. Fast forward to the 1870s, and the site got its modern name from the Black Seminole Scouts, who were descendants of escaped slaves and Seminole Indians out of Florida. They served in the US Army tracking Apache and Comanche raiders under leaders like John Horst, who fought in the Seminole Wars. The Army set up Camp Pena nearby in 1882 to guard the railroad, but it's gone now.
Bob Bales:The park itself opened in 1980. It protects a little over 2,100 acres. Now you can only see the rock art on a guided hike about a mile each way, and it's pretty rocky terrain. It takes an hour. There are 10 miles of trails total, plus camping if you want to stay. Now here's a unique fact: In 1984, archaeologists found a 9,500-year-old skeleton called the Leanderthal Lady, one of the oldest human remains found in North America. Nearby, about 40 miles away, is Langtree, where you've got Judge Roy Bean's Vista Center. It's an old 1880s saloon with a famous law west of the Pecos Hill Court. It's a quick detour if you're in that area.
Bob Bales:Next up we have site number three, Fort Lancaster State Historic Site.
Bob Bales:It's in Crockett County near Sheffield, which is about 60 miles east of Fort Stockton and 10 miles from the Pecos River. The US Army established it in 1855 to protect settlers and supply wagons on the San Antonio-El Paso Road, a 600-mile trail that was the main link between East and West Texas back then. The fort was built with limestone and adobe barracks, a hospital, officers' quarters and a bakery. It housed around 150 soldiers from the 1st Infantry Regiment. Now they faced harsh conditions summer heat, over 100 degrees, scarce water and constant threats from Comanche and Apache tribes who saw the road as an invasion. On December 26, 1867, about 300 Comanches attacked during the supply run, killed three soldiers, wounded 11, and burned part of the fort. It was one of the last big raids in the area. The army rebuilt but abandoned it in 1874 as the frontier moved west.
Bob Bales:By the 1880s locals were scavenging the stone for their own homes. The Texas Historical Commission took over in 1968, and today it's mainly ruins stone chimneys, wall bases and a parade ground overlooking a wide valley. There's a two-mile trail to explore it, plus a small museum with artifacts like uniforms and cannonball. A notable figure stopped through there Robert E Lee. He was a colonel in the Union Army before the Civil War. He inspected the fort in 1856. He called it the most cheerless post he had ever seen. Nearby Ozona's got the Crockett County Museum, old ranch gear and a 1900 jail about 35 miles away.
Bob Bales:Next up we have site number four, Fort Belknap, named after Brigadier General William G Belknap. It's near Newcastle. It's about 100 miles west of Fort Worth, just off Highway 380. The US Army built it in 1851 to guard settlers moving into Young County along the Brazos River frontier. It was the northernmost fort in a line from the Rio Grande to the Red River. It started with log huts and tents, but later upgraded to stone buildings, barracks, a magazine, even a two-story headquarters. Over 200 soldiers from the 5th Infantry were stationed here, dealing with Comanche and Kiowa raids that hit hard in the 1850s. One attack in 1855 killed four settlers just 10 miles away from the fort.
Bob Bales:During the Civil War, confederates took it over in 1861, but it was abandoned by 1867 as the frontier shifted. After that it became a ranching hub. Cattle baron Charles Goodnight stopped by in the 1870s while driving herds up the Goodnight Loving Trail. The state made it a historic site in 1936, and locals restored it over decades of work. Today you can see eight original buildings, limestone walls still standing, plus a museum with muskets, a cannon and a 19th century chuck wagon. It's run by the Fort Belknap Society.
Bob Bales:Another unique fact Robert E Lee visited here too. He inspected it in 1856. Something you may not know about Robert E Lee, he was going around for the Union Army inspecting a lot of bases. He was an engineer and he had to go through and inspect a lot of places all throughout the South. Nearby, the town of Graham has a town square about 15 miles east of there, but in the town square, the 1930s courthouse is still standing, still in use, and it's worth a stop to take a look at. They got some nice shopping in that town too, moving right along on site number five. They got some nice shopping in that town too.
Bob Bales:Moving right along on site number five, Fort McAvitt State Historic Site. It's near Menard in West Texas, about 25 miles southwest of San Angelo.
Bob Bales:The Army set it up in 1852 to guard settlers along the San Saba River and the road to El Paso. It started with tents and then grew into a solid post with 40 limestone buildings, including barracks, a school, a bakery and even a lime kiln for construction. Over 400 soldiers lived here at its peak, including companies A and H of the 8th Infantry. After the Civil War. From 1868 to 1883, it was a base for the famed Buffalo Soldiers. Those were the African-American troops of the 10th Cavalry who patrolled against Comanche and Apache troops in Apache raids. Now, one notable event in 1871, a soldier named Emanuel Stance earned the Medal of Honor for bravery in a skirmish near Kickapoo Springs, 20 miles away the first black soldier in Texas to be awarded such an honor. The fort closed in 1883 as the frontier settled and kind of settled down. Locals turned it into a small town until the 1920s. The state took over in 1968. Now it's got 25 restored buildings you can walk through and check out, plus a two-mile trail. And General William Sherman visited here in 1871. He called it one of the prettiest posts he'd ever seen High praise from a tough old man.
Bob Bales:Nearby is Presidio de San Saba, another old Spanish fort. It's about 30 miles north of there.
Bob Bales:Next up for site number six we have the Presidio La Bahia. It's in Goliad, 90 miles southeast of San Antonio. It started in 1721 as a Spanish fort near Matagorda Bay called Presidio Nuestra Senora de Loreto to guard against French expansion. In 1749, they moved it to its current spot on the San Antonio River. It's got limestone walls, a chapel, a barracks for a hundred soldiers. It protected Mission Espiritu Santo, which we'll talk about next.
Bob Bales:During the Texas Revolution it saw major action. In October of 1835, Texian rebels under James Fannin captured it from Mexican forces after about a 30-minute fight. First big win of the war. But in March 1836, after losing a battle at Coleto Creek, Fannin and 342 of his men surrendered here on Palm Sunday, March 27th Santa Ana, the Mexican general, ordered them executed, shot in groups outside the walls. One of the darkest moments in Texas Revolution history. Only 28 escaped. The fort stayed active under Mexico and then the US until 1865. The Catholic Church bought it in 1853, and it's been a historic site since 1967. You can still see the chapel. It's still used for mass. There's an officer's quarters and a museum with artifacts like musket balls and right outside the walls, all those men, Fannin and his troops, well, they're buried in a mass grave just on the other side of the wall.
Bob Bales:Next up we have site number seven, which is the Mission Nuestra Señora del Espiritu Santo del Zuniga, long name. It's right next to the La Bahia in Goliad Well, not right next, it's maybe an eighth of a mile away. But it was founded in 1722 near Lavaca Bay to convert Karankwa and Aranama tribes to Christianity and farming. It moved twice, first in 1726 and then in 1749 to Goliad, where it sits today. The mission had a stone church, workshops and fields where the native converts grew corn and raised cattle. By 1750, they managed over 40,000 head, the biggest herd in Texas. At the time, priests like Father Jose Calahorra, ran it teaching Spanish and trades, but diseases like smallpox cut the population hard man. Records show that only 200 converts by 1770 were still around. It closed in 1830 as Mexico secularized missions during the revolution. The Texians used it as a barracks before the massacre occurred. The state restored it in the 1930s. Civilian Conservation Corps workers rebuilt the church in the granary, and today it's part of Goliad State Park. You can see the chapel, small museum with pottery and stuff in it, and reconstructions of the native huts. Now, nearby, Goliad's downtown has the 1894 courthouse, which is a really cool looking courthouse, and sitting out in front of the courthouse is the Hanging Tree, been there for a long, long time and locals will tell you that's where they used to hang people after they were found guilty at the courthouse.
Bob Bales:Next up we have Site no 8, San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site, located in San Felipe, 50 miles west of Houston. And you know what? I would venture to say that well over half of people who live in Houston don't know anything about this place. They may have read about it when they were in school in their history class somewhere, but they don't realize it's sitting right outside the big city. This was Stephen F Austin's colony. Started in 1823 under a Spanish land grant, he brought 300 families, called the Old 300, to settle the Brazos River Valley. It became the social and political hub of Anglo Texas with a town hall, stores, and a newspaper. They called it the Texas Gazette, first published in 1829 by Godwin Brown Cotton. By 1835, it had 600 people and hosted early independence talks. In March 1836, as the Santa Ana Army closed in, Austin ordered it burned to the ground to keep supplies from the enemy. Nothing left but ashes. It rebuilt later, but it never regained its former glory. Now the state made it a historic site in 1940, and now it's got log cabin replicas. It's got a well, and a statue of Austin from 1992. Sam Houston actually spoke there in 1833, pushing for a separate Texas government, the seeds of the Texas Revolution. Today it's quiet, got about 700 residents. When I stopped by there there was one car sitting in the parking lot that was visiting the grounds. But it was interesting, it was nice, had a lot of stuff in the little museum there, you could see the replicas of the buildings, and it was the location where Texas began.
Bob Bales:Next up we have site number nine, Fort Grogan Museum and Grounds in Burnet, Burnet's, about 50 miles northwest of Austin in the hill country. Now, the Army built this place in 1849, one of four forts to guard settlers after Texas joined the US in 1845. It housed 50 soldiers from the 2nd Dragoons Cavalry Unit living in wooden cabins with a blacksmith shop and a powder house. They patrolled against Comanche raids along the Colorado River. One skirmish in 1851 near Oatmeal Creek killed two soldiers but stopped an attack on Burnet. The fort closed in 1853 as settlers pushed west. Locals used the buildings until 1890s, when most just rotted away. In 1957, the Burnet County Historical Society turned it into a museum, restoring four of the structures, a cabin, a schoolhouse, a blacksmith shop, and a barn. Today you can see muskets, saddles, and a cannon. Volunteers offer tours. General George Custer actually passed through this place in 1871, inspecting frontier posts. Nearby, Longhorn Cavern State Park is 13 miles It has a 1930s Civilian Conservation Corps built visitor center.
Bob Bales:Next up we have site number 10, Casa Navarro State Historic Site in San Antonio, Texas, a block from Market Square and the Alamo. It's the 1850s home of Jose Antonio Navarro, a Tejano who was born in 1795, who helped shape Texas. He fought for Mexican independence from Spain in 1813, then signed the Texas Declaration of Independence in 1836, one of only two Tejanos to do so. Navarro served in the Republic's Congress. He wrote laws protecting Tejano land rights and later joined the Texas Senate. After statehood, he built his adobe house, three rooms, a kitchen, and a courtyard, living there until his death in 1871. His nephew kept it in the family until 1895. The state bought it in 1959, and now it's a museum. It holds his desks, books that he owned, a 19th century loom, and a bunch of other artifacts. Now here's a unique fact, Navarro was at the 1845 annexation convention and helped make Texas into a state. It's a small place but it shows the Mexican-Texian mix that built Texas, often missed in San Antonio's mission hype.
Bob Bales:Next up Fort Griffin, state's historic site near Albany, 40 miles northwest of Abilene, the Army established it in 1867 to protect settlers and cattle drives along the western trail to Dodge City. It had 200 soldiers from the 4th Cavalry living in the barracks, a guardhouse, officers' quarters, all wood and stone. The fort was a rough old place, though nearby, The Flat, a boomtown, drew gamblers, prostitutes, and buffalo hunters. Fights were common. In 1874, the 10th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers took over, chasing Kiowa and Comanche raiders. One big raid in 1871 near Fort Griffin killed seven settlers. The army tracked the attackers 100 miles but lost them. It closed in 1881. Locals tore down most of the buildings. The state reopened it in 1935 with ruins and a longhorn herd. Descendants of Charles Goodnight's cattle are still there. You can hike a three-mile trail and see a restored bakery. A notable figure, General Ranald McKenzie, led troops here during the Red River Campaign, before his assignment to Wyoming, where he defeated the Sioux in the Battle of the Red Fork. That was in the aftermath of the Little Bighorn.
Bob Bales:Site number 12, Eisenhower Birthplace, that's right, the Dwight D Eisenhower Birthplace State Historic Site is in Denison, Texas, 75 miles north of Dallas, near Oklahoma. Dwight David Eisenhower, future general and president, was born here on October 14, 1890 in a two-room clapboard home, although he spent most of his time in Abilene, Kansas, and that is where his presidential museum is located. This is where he was born. His father, David, worked for the railroad. His mother, Ida, raised six boys lived in tight quarters. The family lived here until 1892, moving to Kansas when Dwight was only two. The house stayed private until 1946, when locals preserved it as a museum, after his World War II fame. The state took over in 1952 and now, it's got original furniture, a bed, a stove, and a statue of Ike in his general's uniform. It was added in 1978. It's small, it's only about 1,500 square foot, showing the humble roots of a big man. One unique fact Eisenhower is one of two Texas-born presidents, the other being Lyndon Baines Johnson. Nearby, Denison's Red River Railroad has old train cars, and kind of ties into his dad's job. It's an interesting sight to see.
Bob Bales:Number 13, Washington, on the Brazos State Historic Site. It's in Washington, Texas, 80 miles northwest of Houston. This is where Texas independence started. On March 2, 1836, 59 delegates met in a log building and signed the Declaration of Independence from Mexico. The town was a ferry crossing on the Brazos River, founded in 1834 by a fellow named John Hall. It grew into about a thousand people by 1837, a key republic hub with a customs house and a militia to guard it. Sam Houston was sworn in as president here in 1836. The Republic's constitution was written in that same old room. It faded after 1846 when Austin became the capital, but the state park opened in 1916 with a replica of Independence Hall. One notable event 1836 convention lasted 17 days, hashing out a new nation under Mexican attack. The nearby town of Independence is a fun stop. It has the ruins of Baylor University, the first university in Texas. That was before the institution moved to Waco. Sam Houston's wife, Margaret Leah Houston, is also buried there, and her home is still standing right there on the main road.
Bob Bales:Site number 14, The Star of the Republic Museum, is also in Washington. It's right next door. It's part of the same historic area. It was built in 1976 for the US Bicentennial, and it's dedicated to the Texas Republic, which existed from 1836 to 1846. The museum is shaped like a pentagon with exhibits on two floors. It's got muskets from San Jacinto, Sam Houston's letters, a Republic flag with one star, hence the name. It covers daily life, cotton farming, blacksmithing, and big moments like the 1845 annexation vote. The Daughters of the Republic of Texas run it. They've got artifacts like an 1830s printing press used for early newspapers. One unique detail is Barrington Plantation is right next to the museum. Barrington Plantation is the home of the last president of the Republic of Texas, Anson Jones. It's now a living museum with people doing daily work on the farm and gardens and everyday life, and they'll tell you about what they're doing and how people lived back in the day.
Bob Bales:When I stopped by, again these are not well-known places to most people. So, unless they've got a school function going where there's a bunch of school kids, you're not going to see a lot of people there. When I stopped by, I was the only one there, along with a man, his wife, and their small child. Site number 15, Fanthorpe Inn State Historic Site is in Anderson. Now Anderson is about 30 miles southeast of College Station, and it's only 17 miles from Washington, which is where the Star of the Texas Museum is, and Washington on the Brazos.
Bob Bales:Henry Fanthorpe, an Englishman, built it in 1835 as a log home and then expanded it into a two-story inn. By 1840s, it became a stagecoach stop on the road from Houston to Austin. It had a post office, a tavern, and rooms for travelers. By 1850, it served 200 people a month. During the Republic's years, Sam Houston stayed here many times. Records show him signing mail in 1837. Fanthorpe died in 1867. His family ran it until 1879 when the railroad bypassed the town. The state bought it in 1977. Now, it's restored with original furniture, a desk, beds, and stagecoach demos on some weekends. It was one of the few Republic-era inns still standing in the state. Nearby Anderson's Courthouse from the 1890s, this big old red brick building it's still active.
Bob Bales:And if you haven't done it, Texas courthouses in these small Texas counties are architectural wonders. They're not just plain buildings. There are people who actually just go around to photograph and visit the courthouses because of their architectural beauty. We're moving right along here.
Bob Bales:We're at site number 16 out of 20. And site number 16 is Monument Hill State Historic Site in LaGrange, Texas, which is 70 miles east of Austin.
Bob Bales:Memorial to the 52 Texians, that's right Texians, who were killed in 1842-1843 during the Mier Expedition and Dawson Massacres. Now, that was a failed raid. That was done in retaliation after Mexico had raided San Antonio. In the Mier Expedition, 176 men surrendered near the city of Mier, Ciudad Mier. Santa Ana ordered a decimation of them. Seventeen executed after drawing black beans from a jar of 159 white beans. So you drew the bean, and if you got the black one, you were executed. Their bodies were buried here in 1848 under a 48-foot stone obelisk. The Dawson Group, 36 men, died earlier, ambushed near San Antonio. The site overlooks the Colorado River. It's got trails and picnic spots. One notable figure, Captain Nicholas Dawson, who led that doomed fight, his name is on the marker. Nearby. LaGrange's Texas Czech Center has old immigrant tools tied to the area's settlers.
Bob Bales:And we're going to go right into site number 17, which is the Kreisch Brewery State Historic Site in LaGrange. It's right next to Monument Hill. The Kreisch Brewery State Historic Site is just that it was started by a fellow named Heinrich Kreisch, a German immigrant. He built this in the 1860s. He arrived in 1846. He was a stonemason who was fleeing Europe's unrest. Texas has big German and Czech roots. A lot of folks from Germany and the Czech came here, and he was no different. Heinrich came here, and in 1860, he started brewing lager in the hillside cellars near his stone house, using spring water and barley from his farm. His Bluff Beer, as he called it, sold across Fayette County. Records show 700 barrels a year by 1870. It was one of Texas's first commercial breweries. Kreish died in 1882 after a fall, and his family ran it until 1884, when it shut down. The state took over in 1977, and now you can see the brewery ruins, a house, and the smokehouse. The stoneworks are still pretty solid. One unique detail he built the brewery over a natural spring, which kept the beer cold, naturally. Now, while you're there, be sure to check out downtown LaGrange, they have a great museum that's housed in the old jail. It's a really cool little museum.
Bob Bales:Site 18, Fort Davis National Historic Site, 200 miles southeast of El Paso. The Army founded it in 1854. The Guard of San Antonio El Paso rode through the Davis Mountains, which were named for Jefferson Davis, who was then the US Secretary of War. It started with wood huts rebuilt by stone. In the 1860s barracks had a hospital. 100 buildings total. Now, over 400 soldiers served here, including the 9th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers after 1867.
Bob Bales:They were sent there to patrol against Apache and Comanche raids. In 1875, Colonel Benjamin Grierson led a campaign from here where he chased Apache chief Victoria or Victorio. He was chief of the Warm Springs Band of the Chihinde Division of Central Apaches. He chased that fella 600 miles. Never did catch him. While Geronimo is more well-known, Victorio is considered a more skilled warrior and diplomat, and he led a much larger force. Now, the fort closed in 1891. National Park Service took it over in 1961, and now it's got 20 restored buildings, a five-mile trail. They do bugle calls on the weekends. Nearby, The McDonnell Observatory is 20 miles away. They have star parties with huge telescopes. It's one of the best places to view the stars and the planets. You ought to check this place out if you're ever in the area.
Bob Bales:Next up we have number 19, the 1940s Air Terminal in Houston, Texas. It's part of the William Hobby Airport system. Now I visited here several years ago, but not even many Houstonians are aware of this little gem sitting there near downtown Houston. It opened in 1940 as the Houston Municipal Airport. It's in an Art Deco building, three stories, curved lined terrazo floors. The building itself was designed by a fellow named Joseph Finger. Now it handled 141,000 passengers by 1948.
Bob Bales:And you're thinking well, that doesn't sound like a whole lot. But you got to remember in the 1940s not that many people flew on aircraft. Aircraft travel was a luxury. They'd had airlines like Braniff and Eastern flying DC-3s out of this place. During World War II it trained pilots for the Army Air Corps. In 1943, over a thousand cadets passed through there.
Bob Bales:The terminal closed for commercial use in 1954 when Hobby's new building opened. But it's been a museum since 1998. It's run by the 1940s Air Terminal Museum foundation. You can see all kinds of stuff there, old flight gear, a 1940s ticket counter, photos of Houston's early days, and several old planes. One notable figure passed through here, a fellow by the name of Howard Hughes landed here in 1947. He was testing out a new airplane. It's right by the modern airport, which is still active, although it's a lot less air travel goes through here versus George Bush Airport, Houston's big one. But the 1940s Air Terminal is a blast from the past. It's well worth visiting and very few people ever go there.
Bob Bales:All right, number 20.
Bob Bales:Out of our list of 20, we have Camp Hearn. Camp Hearne is 12 miles northwest of Bryan College Station. Camp Hearne was a World War II prisoner of war camp built in 1942 to hold 4,800 German prisoners, that were captured in North Africa, mostly Rommel's Afrika Korps. People don't realize that in World War II Texas had about 50 prisoner of war camps, some permanent and some temporary. This one, Camp Hearne, from 1943 to 1946, housed up to 5,000 men. Mostly worked on local farms under guard, you know, farming cotton and peanuts and such. Some were hardcore Nazis, others were just soldiers. 128 escaped Camp Hearne, but all were recaptured. The camp closed in 1946. Most of the buildings were torn down, but one barracks and one foundation remain. A museum opened in 1997 with diaries, a model camp, and a guard tower replica. Prisoners built a fountain, which is still there, and it's a unique glimpse and a little bit of World War II history.
Bob Bales:Now, nearby, Hearnes Railroad Depot from 1901 is a small little museum. It's worth checking out as well. So that's 20. Twenty overlooked and little known historic places in Texas. Ah, but wait, I got a bonus for you. Here's the bonus place Fort Chadbourne, north of San Angelo, just 12 miles out of Bront, Texas. It's on US Highway 277.
Bob Bales:Fort Chadbourne was established in 1852 by the United States Army. It was one of a string of frontier forts built to protect settlers moving west along the San Antonio-El Paso Road, named after Lieutenant Theodore Lincoln Chadbourne, who died in the Mexican War. It housed troops like the 8th Infantry and later the Buffalo Soldiers guarded against Comanche raids. From 1858 to 1861, it was a stop on the Butterfield-Overland mail route, think stagecoaches rumbling through. The fort surrendered to the Confederates in 1861. It was reoccupied after the Civil War and shut down in 1867 when the water ran low. Today, the Richards family, who've owned it for eight generations, restored it with absolutely no government money, just grit and hard work.
Bob Bales:You can visit the stabilized ruins, a 12,500 square foot museum, and see artifacts like old firearms and a stagecoach. I mean, it's a real piece of Texas history off the beaten path.
Bob Bales:So that's it, I promise. That's all 20 plus a bonus. Overlooked spots, from Texas frontier forts to its World War II camps, there are a lot more places like this in Texas that are often overlooked or people just don't know about. They're not the loudest names, but they've got stories, prehistoric cave paintings, Texians fighting for independence, soldiers holding the line, and everyday people just shaping the state. If you're into history, these are worth a visit. No big crowds, just the real thing. You can check out TheTravellingFool. com for more, or tell me your own finds. I might use them next time. If you like this, I'd appreciate it if you leave a review, and until next time, safe travels. Thank you.
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