Tonight! Campfire Tales!

October 21st, 2023|Comments Off on Tonight! Campfire Tales!

Please join me on the Garland Square for local lore including crimes, characters, and sundry wild history.

Upcoming public talks

July 12th, 2023|Comments Off on Upcoming public talks

October 7 – Sachse Cemetery Celebration of Souls Topic: Cemetery Tour and discussion of founding folks (Last year these tours were at 6, 6:30 and 7 pm, but needs to be verified for this year.) [...]

High-end shopping in DFW talk

November 18th, 2022|Comments Off on High-end shopping in DFW talk

4 pm, tomorrow, Saturday, November 19. Landmark Museum. Free for Members, $10 for the rest of y'all. Fancy pants shopping and holiday history for the DFW area is our topic. Not-so-fancy pants free wine, coffee [...]

  • Alex Cockrell headstone is a simple and typical rounded headstone although there is a massive and extravagent family marker nearby. tales

Campfire Tales, 2022

October 19th, 2022|Comments Off on Campfire Tales, 2022

This Saturday, October 22! Campfire Tales, 2022.  All new tales. This Saturday, the 22nd:  Local Legends and Lore Next Saturday, the 29th:   Bootlegging and Bad Outcomes Landmark Museum greenspace, behind the public library. 393 N [...]

Upcoming Campfire Tales!

October 12th, 2022|Comments Off on Upcoming Campfire Tales!

  Campfire Tales are entirely researched and written by me - they take place in Garland at the Landmark Museum, outside, with S'mores after. These are entirely FREE. Saturday, October 22 is all [...]

  • sachse celebration hayride

Sachse Cemetery Tour Success

October 9th, 2022|Comments Off on Sachse Cemetery Tour Success

The Sachse Celebration of Souls event which included a hayride through the cemetery was a huge success!  Thanks for inviting me! Keep your eye on my Facebook page for upcoming events.

Sachse Cemetery Tours!

October 8th, 2022|Comments Off on Sachse Cemetery Tours!

Me in a cemetery, tonight! Hayride tours of the Sachse Cemetery, next door to the Sachse Historical Socity tonight at 6, 6:30 and 7 pm. Photo ops, a Day of the Dead presentation, crafts - [...]

  • Lady Macbeth detailed, veined hands, clutched to the side.

Travels in History, Elisabet Ney, Part III

July 27th, 2022|Comments Off on Travels in History, Elisabet Ney, Part III

Elisabet Ney, our intrepid sculptor from (what we now call) west Germany, raised a lot of eyebrows in her time.  Reminder that 'her time' was 1833 to 1907.  When still a teenager, Elisabet told her [...]

Travels in History, Elisabet Ney, Part II

July 25th, 2022|Comments Off on Travels in History, Elisabet Ney, Part II

Elisabet Ney - Austinite late in life, sculptor to the rich and famous, including King Ludwig II. Not up on your Bavarian/German/Prussian history? You know him best for Neuschwanstein, the castle that inspired Walt Disney. [...]

  • exterior shot of a very castle-like building with wild landscaping in keeping with the prairie lands this used to be
  • Ney's take on Schopenhauer with huge mutton chops

Weekend Travels in History – Elisabet Ney

July 17th, 2022|Comments Off on Weekend Travels in History – Elisabet Ney

Y'all know I love to discuss the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago.  Mainly because of serial killer H H Holmes and his connection to the DFW area.  But I also like to talk about all [...]

Jackoo, early Dallasite

March 15th, 2022|Comments Off on Jackoo, early Dallasite

Find out more about one of the very first Dallasites.

  • A very plain, faint wanted ad is posted here. Bettin he didn't get his money back.

I’m a bettin’

February 17th, 2022|Comments Off on I’m a bettin’

I am not a bettin' woman, but if I had to take odds, I would say this man never had to pay a reward. Dallas Morning News, September 18, 1918 LOST - Ten new $5 [...]

  • A google maps screen grab of the low brick building at the corner of Greenwood and Skiles (c)

Fun with Research: (c) Dallas History Edition

February 16th, 2022|Comments Off on Fun with Research: (c) Dallas History Edition

Combing through the 1915 Dallas city directory, I stumbled on the entry of: Thomas, John (c) fireman, 3406 Greenwood John Thomas of 3406 Greenwood Street was an African American firefighter in 1915.  The (c) stood [...]

  • Charlotte supervises over a laptop screen - waiting for walks

Long walks

January 30th, 2022|Comments Off on Long walks

Please meet the new company mascot - Charlotte, the 10 year old boxer pit.  She came from the wonderful people at the Mesquite Shelter.  Charlotte hates stairs but loves walks of any duration.  If you [...]

  • Bonechilling temps in 2021 and 1930

Bonechilling

January 14th, 2022|Comments Off on Bonechilling

This week in 1930 (January 18, 1930) the temperature plummeted to a bonechilling -1F (-18C).  I am happy to report that the high in Dallas today is set to be 73F.  Bonus:  sunshine! Image:  February [...]

  • died today - Ghirlandaio who painted a very realistic images of an old man staring adoringly at a small child with gold ringlets
  • full color horrific image of demons trying to tear apart St. Anthony

Died today – January 11th

January 11th, 2022|Comments Off on Died today – January 11th

Domenico Ghirlandaio died today in January 1494 .  His name isn't quite as familiar as many other Renaissance artists today.  But, he was one of the first instructors for a very young Michelangelo.  Michelangelo, however, [...]

  • Color image of dry goods store in DFW - two stories on one side, one story on the other - ochre plaster, large plate glass windows.

Brrrrr…DFW style

January 10th, 2022|Comments Off on Brrrrr…DFW style

As the temperatures drop in DFW, maybe you are in the market for a new coat. Walton's Dry Goods was opening in 1917 in Garland. It was housed in what is now the Baker Furniture's [...]

  • A sandwich board with poorly executed drawings of logs, fires and smores

Campfire Tales

October 19th, 2021|Comments Off on Campfire Tales

Campfire Tales Where: On the Garland Square When: 6 pm More When: Saturday, October 23, 2021 What: Tales of historic Halloween celebrations, crazy crimes and even crazier characters from Garland's history. Bonus what:  [...]