Hawkins, Texas

You won't see Aunt Jemima with her colorful head scarf and brilliant smile in the small town of Hawkins, but the city claims, she used to live there. Lilian Richard, a Hawkins native of 1891 was one of several ladies hired by the Quaker Oats company to popularize their pancake mix by becoming Aunt Jemima. As a young woman of twenty, she moved to Dallas in search of work, where Quaker hired her. Talented and well liked, she turned the assignment into a lifetime career. In the 1990s, Texas legislature allowed Hawkins to be named, Pancake Captial of Texas, and the sign proudly proclaims this.

The sign also shows the name, Stanley Richard, a grand nephew of Lilian, who achieved fame as NFL safety, playing first for San Diego Chargers, and later for Washington Redskins until he retired in 1998. Although born in Mineola, he now resides in Hawkins.

I toured Hawkins in spring, during the 9th Annual Vick Russell Tomahawk throwing contest, an event, his daughter, Vicky Russell Prestridge created in honor and memory of her father and to keep alive the lost art of knife and tomahawk throwing. This tournament, where men and women compete head-to-head, brings visitors from all over Texas and from other states as well. There is an official International Knife Throwers Hall of Fame. Vicki posts her event on their website each year. I will give you the link below.

Participants dress in vintage clothing

A visitor checks out Vicky Russell Pertridge's authentic Tipi

Vicky Russell Pertridge

 Unlike other small towns in the area, Hawkins doesn't cluster around Highway 80. The city's main street, called Beaulah Street,  intersects with the highway and heads north, toward Quitman, as Highway 14. A little ways up the road, on your right, you'll find the Veterans' Memorial Park in beautiful location with a memorial wall, surrounded by green meadows, and with a pond, over which a helicopter hovers. The park memorializes all US conflicts since 1775 with plaques and lists the names of local residents, who lost their lives in the service.

The Wall of Names

Atop the Wall of Names

Make and Model? I'm no expert, but they say it flew in Vietnam

A little west of town, Lake Hawkins stretches over 633 acres, a beautiful lake, perfect for fishing and boating with many areas still accessible to the public. It is one of my favorite kayaking lakes, not too big, not too dangerous, but with hidden bays and coves for wildlife watching. At the southern tip of the lake, Wood County Park offers RV sites and a safe swimming area for kids. When the sky is overcast, the mood on the lake turns mysterious, giving me reason to reach for my camera.

If you get hungry from boating, kayaking, or jet skiing, Taste of Italy on the Lake, an excellent restaurant, serves Mediterranean food, and you can sit on the deck in nice weather, enjoying a view of the lake.

My Daddy, eating his much loved soup

View from the deck

South of Hawkins flows the Sabine River. During the rainy season, it runs high and swift, but in summer, one can sometimes enjoy a leisurely paddle upriver and float back down to point of entry.

'Atreyu,' My red kayak. :)

Farther south, a huge sign announces Tiger Creek, a well, kept, well managed Big Cat preserve, home to over 40 rescued tigers, lions, and other felines. Tiger Creek was established in 1989 on a shoestring budget, but now covers 150 acres and allows the cats to live in lush habitats, where visitors can observe them and learn their individual histories, as well as general information about their lifestyle and behavior. I have seen Tiger Creek grow from a small, cage-based operation to a large, beautifully located wildlife preserve. If you have not seen Tiger Creek, you must go visit. Tiger Creek is involved in wild tiger preservation, as well as education. Young people can intern there, preparing themselves for a variety of animal related careers. If you visit, one of the interns will give you a guided tour. I very much recommend, you take it. 

One of the many great cats at Tiger Creek

If you head east on Highway 80, toward Longview, you'll run into the site of the Jesus Controversy, where former Mayor, Will Rogers, became embroiled in a fight against the defenders of the First Amendment of the Constitution on separation of church and state, the city council, local resident Todd Eddington, and a number of other folks for what they considered his Judge-Roy-Bean-like determination to strong-arm Hawkins into Christianity. His sign, built on public property, was ordered to be taken down, but is still standing. No one knows at this time, what is to become of it. Meanwhile, smaller signs have spread all over East Texas, themselves not controversial, since they are placed on people's private lots. 

Farther east, still, Jarvis Christian College currently educates a record number of young, predominantly African American students. Jarvis is one of the historically black colleges and was established in 1912, prior to integration. Jarvis was always open to all races, but its mission was, to provide quality education for black students, who otherwise might not have been offered the opportunity. Jarvis is located on Highway 80, in the green, and visitors can call the office to get a guided tour of the facilities. The college hosts a natural history collection with biological specimens from the area. 

Links:

Lilian Richards as Aunt Jemima

Stanley Richard

International Knife Throwing Hall of Fame

Veterans' Memorial Park in Hawkins

Lake Hawkins

Taste of Italy by the Lake

Tiger Creek Wildlife Refuge

Jarvis Christian College

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. 

Quitman, Texas

Quitman, small as it is, will catch your eye. With just a little over two thousand inhabitants, it more than qualifies as a small town, yet it is nothing to snooze about. Quitman is well known throughout the state. It is off the beaten path, away from highways and interstates, away from the railroad. And still...

Quitman is a county seat, and at its center you'll find a court house, quaint or imposing, depending on your viewing angle. The Wood County Court House is in full use and forms a proper square, around which traffic snakes in a series of awkward three-way stops. A driver's license office is nearby, but the jail hides behind a row of stores. As is expected with so much legal happenings, the square is flanked by numerous law offices. If you need a lawyer, you will certainly find one here. 

 Down the road a block, three flags fly in front of the electric company and directly across from there, you'll find Governor Jim Hogg City Park, which once housed a quaint museum of the Hogg family, Governor Hogg, whose lucrative political career began in Quitman in the late 1800s. Unfortunately, the museum closed down a few years ago, leaving only the park, where festivals and fairs are held throughout the year. The Old Settler's Reunion is the most famous of the festivals, an annual event, now held every summer for more than a hundred years. 

 On a sunny, breezy day, it's not unusual to spot hawks and eagles soaring over Quitman. The eagles nest around area lakes and have recently been removed from the endangered species list. I couldn't count them; there were too many overhead, but I guess I saw around fifty birds today. 

Quitman is old oil country, so you might spot a different kind of bird, patiently pecking away at the buried black gold. Some of the old wells are dry now, and the pumps stopped moving. Like scarecrows, they poke into the evening sky.

Drive past the court house, out toward Yantis a few miles on Highway 154 and you'll eventually run into Lake Fork, the reason this little town is so well known. The highway is littered with Marinas, bait shops, RV parks, and boat rental places. This is where city folks come to chase big trophy bass. Several tournaments a year lure fishermen from all over Texas and even from out of state to try their luck in catching the biggest fish. The lake remains well stocked. Trophy hunters catch and release, although, after a while, I'm sure even a bass learns to tell a worm from a lure. 

Quitman has an emergency room, a small hospital, only a few years old. If you happen to hook yourself with a fish hook, someone will take care of you, so you can get back to your tournament. 

Quitman has no night life, that I'm aware of, but you might find some private parties in camp grounds and marinas. If you follow 154, you'll cross this bridge and you'll eventually end up in Yantis, another speck of dust on the map with nothing else but night life, where you can soak up booze and country music, if that is your thing. 

Quitman is small, not small enough that you'll miss it if you blink, but you probably shouldn't close your eyes longer than a couple of seconds. It would be a shame not to look though. Where else can you find such quaintness so nicely displayed?

Governor Hogg was not the only famous Quitmanite. Sissy Spacek called Quitman her home before Hollywood fame claimed her. Unlike her breakout role 'Carrie,' Sissy herself was homecoming queen in Quitman high school.


Quitman Chamber of Commerce
Lake Fork Area Calendar of Events
Governor Jim Hogg
Sissy Spacek

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. 

Mineola, Texas

Mineola Downtown 

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. 

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. 

Train Depot

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.

Area lakes attract sports fishermen and the nearby Mineola Nature Preserve offers a place, free of charge, to observe wildlife and walk safely in beautiful surroundings. You can even test your balance on the rope bridge

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.

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.

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.

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.