Ellis County Courthouse

The Ellis County Courthouse sits right in the Waxahachie town square like so many others.  Completely unassuming, county business gets done there as locals come and go and tourists pass by on their way to various downtown shops and restaurants.  But is there something more to this historic building?

The marker reads:

    "Ellis County's first courthouse was made of cedar logs and built here in 1850. A second courthouse was built on this square in 1853 and a third in 1874. In 1894 Virginia native and San Antonio architect James Riely Gordon was commissioned to design the fourth Ellis County courthouse to be built at this site. 

    The cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1895, and the courthouse completed in 1897 with each of its main entrances purposely oriented toward true North, South, East and West compass points. Faces which adorn the courthouse were sculpted by European stonemasons. 

    The Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style used by Gordon to design this building was created by Bostonian Henry Hobson Richardson in the 1870s and popularized in Texas by Gordon. For this structure Gordon deviated from previous Texas courthouses he had designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style by displaying open, two-story arcaded and colonnaded porticos on the exterior of the building and placing entrances at inside angles. Red and gray granite from Central Texas and red sandstone from the Pecos River in West Texas were used to build this courthouse. Gordon's Ellis County courthouse design set a new standard for other public buildings erected in Texas."

But is there more to this story?  Check out the video:

@tkentvideo They’re watching #waxahachie #texas #elliscounty #courthouse #design #face #sculpt #creepy #weird #roadside #weird #hidden #easteregg #architecture #gargoyle #legend #secret #spooky ♬ Creepy and simple horror background music(1070744) - howlingindicator

Mother Neff State Park

 Mother Neff State Park is located in central Texas, about 35 miles southwest of Waco.  The land was originally donated by the mother of Texas governor Pat Neff and has the distinction of being the the first state park in Texas.  

 Naturally, it has its own historical marker.  It reads:

    "First official state park in Texas; suggested the idea for the State Parks system. Originated with a 6-acre plot willed to Texas in 1916 by Mrs. Isabella E. Neff, mother of Pat M. Neff, Governor of Texas (1921-1925) Because Texas then had no state parks, Mrs. Neff stated the land was to be used for religious, fraternal, political, and educational activities. 

    Seeing the need for more such areas, in 1923, the 39th Legislature created the State Parks Board. In 1934 Pat Neff deeded 250 acres, and other owners 3 acres, to enlarge the original tract."

Work was done at the park by the Civilian Conservation Corps at the park and can still been seen by park visitors, including the Lookout Tower/Water Storage Tank.  Here's a video we shot about some of the science behind the rocks used to build it:

First National Bank Building

The fourth episode of season 1 of Walker, Texas Ranger has the standard "bad guy who goes around town doing genuinely bad things" plot.  Shenanigans occur around the usual Dallas/Fort Worth areas in the beginning of the story.  Later in the episode there is some hubbub at an old school looking bank:

The building is located on the downtown square in McKinney, TX (north of Dallas).  It's a historic building that was a bank at one time but now it's an antique shop.

Here is the building's historical marker for your viewing pleasure:

The text reads:

    "Entrepreneur Francis Emerson (1815-1905) founded a McKinney banking firm in 1869, which developed into the First National Bank in 1882. First National bought this site in 1912 and built this classical revival style building. Glazed bricks and massive columns support classical details of cast stone and a gilded eagle. Collin County National Bank, founded in 1883, occupied the building from 1935 to 1958. First Savings and Loan Association officed here from 1958 to 1973."

 Of course Walker and his partner show up to put an end to the nonsense:

But unfortunately they didn't have time to visit downtown McKinney's many unique shops and restaurants (maybe they can plan a Saturday afternoon trip sometime):

A few roundhouse kicks later and McKinney was safe from Mr. Bad Guy...but for how long???

The Big Bopper

Jiles Perry "J.P." Richardson Jr, a.k.a. "The Big Bopper" was born and raised in Texas and achieved rock star status at a young age with hits like "Chantilly Lace" and "White Lighting."  Sadly, he died young along with Ritchie Valens and fellow Texan Buddy Holly on what came to be known as "The Day the Music Died."  There's a Texas Historical Marker commemorating the singer/songwriter in his hometown Beaumont, TX.

 The marker reads:

    "Jiles Perry "J.P." Richardson, Jr. was born on October 24, 1930 to Jiles and Elsie Bernice (Stalsby) Richardson in Sabine Pass (26 mi. SE); the family moved to Beaumont when he was six. As a teenager, Richardson began writing songs with country and western influences. Following graduation from Beaumont High School in 1947, he attended Lamar College, where he sang in the choir and played in the band. He also became a disc jockey for radio station KTRM. It was there he developed his "Big Bopper" character and his musical style shifted toward rockabilly, combining country and western with rock and roll. He served two years in the Army but returned to radio work in Beaumont, and as a DJ in 1957 Richardson raised money for charity by spinning records continuously for more than 122 hours. Around the same time, Mercury Records executive Shelby Singleton signed him to a contract, and the Big Bopper went on tour along the east coast. His recording Chantilly Lace was on the top of the charts for six weeks in 1958 and earned him a gold record after being listed among the Top 100 for 25 weeks.

    At the age of 28, married with two children, rock and roll star J.P. Richardson joined a group of young musicians on another national tour. Tragically, on February 3, 1959, their plane crashed in Iowa, killing him and fellow artists Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens. Richardson's body was returned here for burial. In addition to the 21 songs he recorded as the Big Bopper, he wrote many more, including Running Bear and White Lightnin', made popular by other singers. J.P. Richardson, Jr. is remembered for his musical talent as well as his larger-than-life persona as the Big Bopper."

The marker is right next to his grave in the Forest Lawn Funeral Home & Memorial Park.  It's a humble head stone that's clearly well-visited by his fans, as you can see coins and other small mementos left in his honor.

It's also worth noting that there was a significant amount of artistic license taken by the animators of The Simpsons when the Big Bopper's grave was portrayed on that show.  Whether or not their version was better or worse is up to you: