It turns out that attendance at the State Fair of Texas was not doing just fine this year. After viral posts at the beginning of the month showed fewer crowds at the fair and many online commenters blamed higher prices, State Fair representatives downplayed concerns and assured Texans that fair attendance always picks up after […]
Category: Texana
Posted inCulture
Oscar Wyatt Was Houston’s Oil-Slicked Gatsby. Step Inside His ‘Tower of Terror.’
Late last week my mom texted me, “Only the good die young.” Then, “Oscar Wyatt.” The 101-year-old oil tycoon was primarily famous for turning an $800 loan in 1955 into a pipeline company that became the Coastal Corporation — a national energy conglomerate that earned him billions. He passed away in Houston last week “peacefully […]
Posted inTexana
The 13 Spookiest Texas Ghost Stories We Could Find
A state as vast as Texas is home to all sorts of frights: rattlesnakes, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, and many, many ghosts. We interviewed Texas historians and ghost tour guides — and combed the internet — to round up the scariest ghost stories from across the state. (Editor’s Note: Some of the responses have been […]
Posted inCulture
Even Corn Dogs Aren’t Safe from Inflation. Now Some Texans Are ‘Done With the State Fair.’
Inflation has come for our corn dogs. Reviews are flowing in from the State Fair of Texas as it enters its second week, and one thing is clear: Big Tex hasn’t been spared from the nation’s cost of living increases. “We are done with the state fair after this year,” Reddit user Lane8323 posted to […]
Posted inFood
Texan Visits Maine, Immediately Becomes Insufferable About Lobster
If you live in or have just heard of Texas, you know about our barbecue — particularly brisket. It’s one of the foods most strongly associated with the state. Heck, it may as well be on our flag. And of all the other states with a strong identification with a particular food (Wisconsin and cheese […]
Posted inCulture
If You Don’t Already Know Heman Sweatt’s Name, It’s Time to Learn It
This fall semester is my first time teaching college history. Incidentally, it also marks the 75th anniversary of the first time Black students were admitted into formerly segregated colleges and universities in this nation. As a Black adjunct professor, one of my goals is to teach younger generations how long ago events impact the lives […]
Posted inCulture
I Learned a Whitewashed Version of Texas History in School. Journalism Taught Me the Stories That Got Left Out.
I still remember my last high school football game on the Red Oak Hawkette drill team. I was 17, and our dance group had spent hours rehearsing in our maroon leotards and bright white ankle boots with mini silver bolo ties on the side. We wore nude dance tights and white hats with matching maroon […]
Posted inTexana
Texas’ Official History Museum Hides More Than It Shows
The Bullock Texas State History Museum is an impressive piece of Texana, a hulking granite-faced structure across the street from the University of Texas campus. Step inside and you’re confronted with a giant mural of longhorns, horses, and cowboys that promises to tell you “The Story of Texas.” There are equally oversized quotes from famed […]
Posted inCulture
The ‘King of the Hill’ Reboot Will Heal Your Complicated Relationship With Texas
If you live in Texas, you probably have a complicated relationship with the state. As in: You love Willie Nelson, but you hate Ted Cruz. You’re proud of Buddy Holly, but then you remember Joe Rogan moved here and started talking like he invented barbecue. We gave the world Beyoncé, Selena, and Wes Anderson — […]
Posted inOpinion
Happy July 4. Everything You Love About America Was Made by Black People.
Black women are intrinsic to the fabric of America. Grace Wisher, a Black girl from Baltimore, assisted in the creation of the American flag. Harriet Tubman led Union soldiers to victory at the Combahee Ferry Raid during the Civil War. There is no United States without Black people. It was Black women and men who […]