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Mineola Downtown
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Friends say, I should start with Mineola, since I live here. I think that's an excellent idea because it makes me take a second look at the all too familiar. Who appreciates their own back yard anyway?
Mineola is an old railroad town. The Union Pacific and Amtrak travel through here and the charming train depot houses some of the old artifacts. The top picture is something you might see from the train window, a glimpse up Johnson Street with its red bricks and flanked by historical buildings. I took this shot from the gazebo, which was added in recent years and resembles an old band stand. The building on the right was rumored to once have been a brothel with ladies enticing from a balcony, no longer in existence. I have found no hard evidence to support this rumor but I can well picture the scene if I squint a little against the glare of a summer sun.
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| The old caboose by the track |
The railroad runs East-West and divides the town into North of the Tracks and South of the Tracks. Mineola was highly and strictly segregated in 1980 when I first moved here. Nobody dared move from 'their' allotted side of town and infractions were swiftly punished. Coming from Europe, this was my first ever experience with racism. Though today, population is much more mixed, and both, light skinned and dark skinned people live on either side of the tracks, the town stays quite segregated, as far as business goes. I'm not sure why.
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| Train Depot |
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| Union Pacific |
Over the past twenty years, Mineola developed from a sleepy redneck town into a lively tourist attraction, due to the Mainstreet program, which helped local commerce by beautifying the town and attracting a variety of merchants. Amtrak stops there and folks from the Dallas area ride the train here and visit, shopping for antiques and curiosities and staying at local bed and breakfast inns. In spring, the Bluebonnets bloom in many a garden but nowhere as profusely as in the corner lot across from the church parking lot.
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| Mineola Nature Preserve |
. During the rainy season, the river floods and vast areas of forest can be accessed by kayak or canoe. Careful though! It's easy to get lost in that watery jungle. Extensive searches throughout the flooded areas don't always find folks in time.
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| Flooded River |
Mineola has a historical museum, housed in the old post office downtown. For its small space, it is well organized and offers a glimpse into the town's history. The chamber of commerce is located in the old First National Bank building, which, according to unsubstantiated rumors, was once robbed by Bonnie and Clyde.
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| Chamber of Commerce (Formerly First National Bank) |
On the southside, while on a photo walk, I discovered Beverly's Garden, an enchanting small rose garden, which draws the eye away from a monstrous power station.
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| Beverly's Garden |
Several times per year, Mineolans assemble for festivals with the biggest one being the Iron Horse Festival, celebrating - of course - trains. A wine train runs from Louisiana to Fort Worth with stop in Mineola to pick up passengers. I have not yet experienced the wine train but it is on my bucket list.
Mineola has plenty of mystery. Greer road, once called 'Spook Road' snakes through back country around town and is responsible for many a teenager's nightmares. There is also a Crybaby Bridge, where from time to time the cries of an infant are said to be heard, an infant who drowned there. And of course, there are the ghost hunters and the seekers of Bigfoot, all found in the Mineola area. Animal Planet has visited the area due to supposed sightings and someone even made a movie about a Bigfoot attack, filmed it right in Mineola, using local citizens as extras. So, if you are otherworldly and like mystery and myth, look no further. Mineola is the town for you.
Mineola boasts a few celebrities, for example Andrew Jackson Rhodes, better known as Jack Rhodes, a composer and producer of predominantly country music, whose son I was once married to, and Willie Brown, a local politician who became Mayor of San Francisco, California.
Links:
Mineola Chamber of Commerce
Mineola Nature Preserve
Mineola Historical Museum
The Wine Train
DISCLAIMER:
I write about this town the way I experienced it. This is a subjective account and I make no guarantees about the accuracy of my observations. This blog post is for your enjoyment and entertainment only. For travel information, please contact the local chamber of commerce.
