Texas Bucket List

Texas Bucket List

Simmons Bank

The Texas Bucket List – The Old Jail Museum in Gonzales

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GONZALES, Texas – Getting thrown in jail is something you really shouldn’t want to cross off The Texas Bucket List, but visiting an old one that will keep your imagination locked up with curiosity is always a good verdict. So, we booked into Gonzales to get a good look at why the pokey ain’t the place for us, especially when it comes to the ghostly visitors.

Smack dab in the middle of the city where the Texas revolution started, sits the Gonzales County Jail Museum. Built in 1885, only 49 years after Texas won its independence from Mexico, its seen its share of outlaws, banditos, and bad guys over the years.

Sandra Wolf has a passion for this old prison. She knows the history of this old Graybar Hotel because she has special connection to it.

“This is where I grew up,” Sandra said. “This was my house. This was originally designated as the sheriff’s living quarters, and my dad was sheriff for 18 years. I grew up here. Moved in here when I was 6 years old, stayed here until I was 16, and I haven’t done anything bad yet. I loved it. I actually thought that I moved from the middle of the country to a three story mansion in the middle of town. So I was happy.”

Her father L.O. McGinty had a stellar reputation with citizens and even those who spent time behind bars.

“I have people who were incarcerated here during my dad’s terms, and they come back to look and see if their name is still on the wall,” Sandra informed us. “If I know when it was I ask if they knew Sheriff McGinty, and they say, ‘Oh yeah.’ They all say he was a fine fella and they respected him. The thing that makes me the proudest is they say he was fair.”

Sheriff McGinty came from a long line of lawmen that lead the long arm of the law in this little town but when the jail was built here all those years ago, some thought Gonzales might get as big as San Antonio hence the reason such a big, big house was built. Famed architect Eugene Heiner designed the jail that wasn’t closed till 1975.

“I don’t think it was ever completely full,” Sandra says. “They said it was built to hold 150 to 200 prisoners in case of a riot.”

The names of those who spent time here still tell their stories on the wall and a grim reminder of what capital punishment used to be like still stands in the jail.

“The gallows was actually stored there out of sight,”

Only three executions ever took place here, all before 1924 but for some reason you still get the heebee jeebies here.

“This is really high security. You’ve got locked doors everywhere. If you get put back here you’re not getting out,” Sandra explained. “People who were put in this section committed felony crimes. That’s armed robbery, murder, rape, bad crimes. People who hurt other people get put in these cells here.”

While sitting in these old cells, you can’t help but feel the hair on the back your neck start to rise.

“We actually have people get a little creepy feeling in here, and a lot of people that visit the jail can’t even go up the stairs,” Sandra says. “They sit there and they say that it’s just an oppressive feeling, and some of them really leave when they get to the top of the stairs and see all the cells.”

Perhaps the most intriguing Gonzales Jail ghost story took a place a few years ago in these very cells.

“We’ve done lots of paranormal investigations, and we’ve heard whistles and footsteps and seen orbs, and all the regular kinds of things that you see when you do that,” Sandra said. “But, we really had a spectacular viewing. A 17-year-old young man came up stairs. His mother stayed in this big run around area, and he went into this security section in the very back cell, which is very small and you can tell if there is anybody else there right away. He went in there. He was by himself. He saw the outline of a left hand on the wall. He put his hand in that and immediately got this feeling down his back that he wasn’t alone. He turned around, and right close to him was a smallish man who had on a blue shirt. He had a scraggly beard, and he had bruises on his neck. It scared the young man, and so he got out of that. Since it was the last of three cells he had a little ways to go to get out of that cell block. As he’s coming through the last cell, that same man that he just saw appeared on the bunk in that last cell as he’s going out the door.”

After hearing this, it comes as no surprise that this young man fled from the jail and refused to reneter.

“The young man left the jail and would not come back in,” Sandra said. “His mother eventually came back in and said, ‘I’m sorry if that was an inconvenience or if it upset anybody, but he is an empath. He sees dead people.’ He saw him, whoever he was.”

Considering I’m into history more than horror stories, we said our goodbyes to anyone from beyond. That’s when Sandra informed us that she’s never been afraid in the old building.

“I was always surrounded by deputies, and actually I usually knew most of the people that were in jail,” Sandra explained.

This old jail is more than a former lock up; it’s a story of Texas justice with connections to legendary lawmen and a few well known fugitives (perhaps even a poltergeist or two) making it well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List.

“I do feel a presence,” Sandra says. “It’s not like a ghost presence, or anything like that. It’s just like history’s whispering to me or something and I just feel like this is what I need to do.”

 

The Texas Bucket List – Checking It Twice – The Texas Museum of Broadcasting and Communications

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KILGORE, Texas – After over 100 episodes of The Texas Bucket List there’s been a few things that we’ve checked off the list that have moved on to bigger and better things. That’s exactly the case in Kilgore, where we went back to the Museum of Broadcasting and Communications to see their new digs in a segment we like to call checking it twice.

Back in 2015 we met Chuck Conrad and Chuck is big into broadcasting. Back then Chuck had his personal collection of communications technology displayed in his Chalk Hill home.

“You don’t really notice things gathering in your closet until you go to move,” Chuck said. “That’s always those critical moments, I think it is for everybody, and you go, ‘I didn’t know I had this many socks!’ Well, I didn’t know I had this many TV cameras!”

The history seen through the lens of these cameras or told through the ribbon of these microphones changed our perspective on the world and delivered the latest news back in the day.

“Almost everybody watches TV,” Chuck says. “It’s really how several generations have experienced the world. It’s really true. It’s a repository of Texas history.”

Now those pieces of metal and glass purveyors of the past can be found at a new stop on The Texas Bucket List, situated on the streets of downtown Kilgore.

“The museum actually owns this building, which is really great,” Chuck informed us. “So, it will be here for a long time unlike some other museums that kind of come and go.”

The Musuem of Broadcasting of Communications is now located in an old car dealership that’s definitely got a 1950 art deco feel to it.

The vintage part kind of fits with what we’re doing,” Chuck said. “The TVs and the TV cameras and stuff all came from the same era when this was showing a corvette or something in the showroom.”

And just about everything, at least the biggest pieces from Chuck’s collection are now here.

“We have stuff,” Chuck began to explain. “We have cameras that are early black and white cameras, early color cameras. This is one of the first colored cameras. This is one of my favorites. We call it Bertha because it’s kind of big. Weighs 340 pounds. They used to carry these things around to football games and baseball games and stuff. I can’t imagine what it was like hauling this thing around. We used a forklift truck to get it up here, and this dolly.”

Chuck also found a new friend who also had an assortment of antique audio and video devices that are now part of the museum.  Warren Willard added his collection of old radios and TVs.

“We realized that we both share the same sickness of collecting weight enhanced devices,” Chuck said.

Being home to such a peculiar collection of particular things sort of bucks the trend in Kilgore, but if you tune in for a time, it’s easy to get lost in the TV history here.

“Most people think of Kilgore as the oil museum maybe and the Kilgore Rangerettes or something, and we’ve really upset the dynamic of Kilgore a little bit just by being the Broadcasting and Communications Museum,” Chuck explained. “That’s not something they think of themselves as, but they’re beginning to adopt it and think it’s pretty cool.”

With all this old technology in one place, the museum has become a drop off point for people looking to donate their past prime equipment.

“It changes almost on a daily basis,” Chuck says. “It surprises me how fast new stuff just arrives. Almost everyday someone will come in with a smoldering thing and go, ‘Hi, this is for you.’”

And the newly renovated 18,000 square foot facility includes a space for Chucks big ol’ bus that has an interesting connection to Kilgore.  Tom Potter, the oilman from this area that put channel 8 on the air in Dallas was the original buyer of this massive news van.

“He paid $94,000 for it back in 1949 which was a bunch of money,” explained Chuck. “He was from Kilgore. He paid a lot of money to put channel 8 in Dallas on the air. I understand he sold it for not a lot of money, too. In less than a year I guess he figured radio with pictures wasn’t going to happen. Sometimes you’re right, sometimes you’re wrong.”

Well a stop at the Texas Museum of Broadcasting and Communications is something worth tuning into on The Texas Bucket List.

“Most people spend an hour and a half to two hours, sometimes more,” Chuck said when talking about how much time the typical museum visitor spends at The Museum of Broadcasting and Communications. “If they’re broadcasters, sometimes it’s all day, because they’ll start geeking out at some of the stuff and go, ‘Eww, look!’ This is a lot different than the last time you saw it.”

The Texas Bucket List – First Monday Trade Days in Canton

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CANTON, Texas – On your average day in Canton, you’ll find nearly 4,000 Texans making their way of life here in East Texas, but every single month there are four days things get a bit crazy in Canton at what is known as First Monday Trade Days. So crazy that the little town swells to the seventh largest city in Texas!

Linda Boston has been in charge of this monthly chore of bringing together all these people and all this stuff for the past 20 years, but the story of the First Monday Trade Days goes all the way back to the 1850’s when people from all over Van Zandt County would congregate around the courthouse.  It was on the first Monday of the month that the local judge would hold court and those proceedings, which occasionally involved a few hangings, drew big crowds. That crowd started to trade stuff.

“They traded a dog for a gun,” Linda said while listing trades made at the court proceedings. “They traded many different things. We’ve heard they traded some husbands and wives, but we don’t know about that.”

By the 1960s the trade days moved from the square to 5 acres of land known as the main gate. The biggest change involved the days First Monday Trade Days is held. It’s not on Monday anymore.

“People’s lives really changed,” Linda explained. “The Monday part got dropped as far as the trading, but it’s still our marker day. It’s still what we call first Monday trade days.”

Today, you’ll find just about everything under the sun here when it comes to stuff. As Linda says, “The list would be shorter of what you couldn’t find here.”

So what’s the weirdest thing Linda has seen out here? Bed pan guitars. Like I said, you can find just about anything here.

When encountering unique finds in Canton, all signs point to Dollar Debbie.

“If Dollar Debbie is not here, we’re on the phone calling Dollar Debbie to ask her if anything’s wrong,” Linda said.

Dollar Debbie is known for her painted wooden signs that used to cost one dollar.  Today, they’re up to five dollars.

“Somebody said, ‘Does the wood talk to you until you put it on there?’ I said, ‘No. Wood don’t talk to me,’” Dollar Debbie said with a laugh.

She’s been coming to Canton, every month, all the way from Arkansas, for 30 years.

“I put my daughter through college doing dollar signs, and now she’s almost 50,” Dollar Debbie informed us. “It’s like coming to a vacation camp where you really have a good time. You don’t write home to Mom, ‘Come get me!’”

With sayings like,” I only drink beer on days that end in Y,” “tornado evacuation plan – grab a beer and run like hell,” and “we don’t’ skiny dip, we chuncky dunk,” her zany signs are a small part of what Canton is all about.  She seems to encompass the spirit of the sale with a smile.

“I want to see people laugh,” Debbie said. “Everybody’s too serious, and when I grew up everybody was laughing and having a good time.”

Smokey Sarvant is another hawker with a good humor that’s been here since the late ‘60s.  He specializes in old objects, generally made of metal, earning him the nickname Iron Man.

“I like the people,” Smokey says. “I like the handling of the merchandise. Some people call it junk, but it was Grandma and Grandpa’s old junk. Like the old blacksmith sets, and old Model T, Model A parts, and car parts, things sold, primitive collectables, furniture, big wooden ol’ nice boxes, all that kind of stuff. Everyone says, ‘well, when are you going to retire,’ I say, ‘Well, I retired three months ago,’ I said, ‘I put some new tires on my truck.’”

Smokey and Debbie are just two of thousands of vendors selling their unique goods at this massive monthly market and they’re the epitome of why it’s fun to come here.

While seeing the inordinate amount of stuff is mind-boggling, running into the people who have made Canton what it is today makes a walk amongst the clutter well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List.

“Where else can you go and find the diamond in the rough, antiques, plants galore, and then something to wear to your cousins wedding next month?” Linda pointed out. “It’s just all here in one place. All you got to do is look.”

The Texas Bucket List – Chuy’s (Madden Haul of Fame) in Van Horn

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VAN HORN, Texas – As you make your way to El Paso along the wide-open roads of west Texas, you’ll come across only a few sanctuaries in this part of the state to stock up on supplies or get a snack.

Van Horn is one of those isolated islands along the way and there you’ll find a Mexican restaurant named Chuy’s and no, it’s not the one you might be thinking of.

Paul Uranga is now the caretaker of the cantina that started out as a hamburger stand when his parents, Jesus and Mary Lou, opened it back in 1959 out in the middle of nowhere.

“We’re 90 miles from the next civilization this way and about 120 miles to El Paso,” Paul said. “You know, it’s different. A lot of people ask us how do you do it, but I guess you get used to it.”

With less than 2,000 Texans living in Van Horn, Chuy’s is a popular stop not just for locals but also legends. You may be surprised to learn that Chuy’s is the old stomping grounds of Johnny Cash, Selena, Ray Price, Conway Twitty, Harrison Ford, and more.

All of these celebrity visits got started back in 1987 when football legend John Madden happened to be passing through on a Monday night.

“If you don’t have cable you’re not going to get reception, so he was passing down this way and he lost reception and he saw lights up ahead,” Paul said. “He told his driver – it was a Monday night – ‘I need to watch this game. See if there’s a place we can watch the game, and we had a sign up that said TV room. He said, ‘There’s a place that has a TV. Check it out.’ So the bus driver gets down first, looked at the place, and said, ‘You know seems like a decent place, nice place.’ So John Madden, that was the first time he came in. He has been stopping ever since at least three or four times a year.”

A fear of being confined in a plane forced Madden to take his famed Madden Cruiser to football stadiums across the country, when driving down Interstate 10, he’d always find time to veer off in Van Horn.

“He’s been here several times, and he was certainly a presence when he came,” said Larry, a Chuy’s regular.

Well if this Tex Mex makes Madden’s mouth water, I’m in. So, we sampled their famous family recipe, flat enchiladas.

I must report, they were a real game winner with a chili powder kick. As for their famous fajitas, they are a real crowd pleaser.

“It’s unique to Van Horn, and it’s just a unique experience that one needs to enjoy.”

The Texas Bucket List – Stockyards Museum in Fort Worth

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FORT WORTH, Texas – The Fort Worth Stockyards are synonymous with longhorn steers.  Twice a day these big ol’ cattle are lead down exchange avenue as sort of a spectacle as to what business was like here in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.

But for a more historical look at the story of the stockyards, moseying into the old Livestock Exchange Building will continue your cattle drive through time.

Teresa Burleson is the director of the stockyards museum and she’s got the credentials to tell this story.

“This building was actually dubbed the Wall Street of the West because so much money passed through here,” Teresa said after informing us that she is a proud fifth generation Texan who loves her job.

“I love history,” Teresa said. “I love our heritage. And I love the colorful people that make up our history.”

Since 1989 the North Fort Worth History Society has been the point rider for this small museum that tells the story of how different the stockyards used to be.

“When people see that picture [of the stockyards] they suddenly become aware of how huge these stockyards were,” Teresa said. “I mean they were the third largest in the nation. Chicago was first, Omaha was second, Fort Worth was third.”

While this rich history is big draw, there are a few other oddities that you might not expect to find here.

“We have artifacts from what you would find in a home in the early 1900s. Then we have things that are a little bazar like the bad luck wedding dress and the light bulb that’s been burning 108 years,” Teresa informed us.

With such unique historical artifacts in a historical building in Fort Worth, you might be wondering,were does one start?  But let’s go ahead and get the bad luck out of the way.

“The bad luck wedding dress has nothing to do whatsoever with the stockyards, but the lady that inherited it did not want it in her house and so she brought it to us,” Teresa said. “. Out of the four people that had the bad luck, three of them lost their husbands and one lady become sick. “We have it under the Plexiglas to keep the bad mojo in there.”

Next Teresa shed some light on the lightbulb that’s been glowing for 108 years.

“This is the famous Palace Theatre light bulb, and you know it has its own Facebook page, too,” Teresa said.  “And we do have it on a dimmer. It could be brighter. It’s going to last forever.”

So what’s the key to making a light bulb last 108 years?

“The filament is made from tungsten, and when it was made there was a vacuum that sucked all the moisture out of it, and that’s one of the reasons it’s lasted so long,” Teresa explained.

This bulb has been burning bright since 1908 when a stagehand screwed it into a socket at the old Brayers Opera House, later known as the Palace Theater. Considering this is the second longest running light bulb in the world, don’t expect to get a hand on it.

So don’t be turned off by the idea of seeing this old light bulb because it’s actually quit illuminating and well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List.

The Texas Bucket List – Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in Wichita Falls

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WICHITA FALLS, Texas – In the middle of downtown Wichita Falls, in the building affectionately known as big blue, you’ll find a class dedicated to crushing your opponents.

These hopeful athletes are learning the sport of wrestling with the goal of one day, being the main event.  They have the inspiration they need right below them in the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Cowboy Johnny Mantell has been tussling between the turnbuckles since the 70s.

Today he’s the caretaker of more than 100 years of wrestling history, but back in the day he put the three count on some of the biggest stars.

“I wrestled André the Giant, Lopez, Gene Kiniski, Pedro Morales, Victor Rivera, Stan Stasiak, Piper, all the Von Erich boys, I mean I just have been so very blessed in this business to get to do what I’ve gotten to do,” Johnny shared.

From some of the earliest wrestlers to the progression and popularity of the sport, you’ll be surprised by some of the facts you find at this faction that includes everyone. For example, did you know Abraham Lincoln was a professional wrestler?

Al Farat has also made his mark on the mat.

“Man, it’s nostalgic to be able to look around and see all of these different people that I’ve worked with, and not even people that I worked with, people that I grew up watching,” Farat said.

Each year the hall inducts a handful of wrestlers. You’ll find babyfaces and heels, legends and lore.

“It’s something we need to keep the history alive and tell that story,” Johnny says. “I know with a lot of these living legends in here they feel the same way. They want their story to be told from now on.”

This hall honors hundreds of wrestlers, some have become superstars, others have simply continued the tradition of this theatrical sport but all of them have made sacrifices.  They’ve endured physical pain and relentless training that the next generation of wrestling greats is willing to withstand in order to get in the ring and maybe someday in the hall below that keeps them motivated.

“Whether you’re an avid fan or a closet fan you have some connection to professional wrestling,” Johnny explained, “and I think that when you walk through these halls here you’re going to find somebody in that connection in your mind that you’re going to relate to from your childhood or your youth or some time you spent with a family member and I think that’s what’s so important about this hall. I honestly believe that we’re becoming a bucket list for a lot of people.”

 

Season 9 of The Texas Bucket is List Premieres September 9th

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The show dedicated to EVERYTHING there is to see, do, and experience in the Lone Star State is gearing up for its ninth season! Entering out 5th year on the air, The Texas Bucket List has been bringing exciting Texas stories, fantastic food finds, hidden gems, and amazing annual events into the homes of viewers since 2013 and will continue to do so on Sept. 9 during the first episode of the fall season.

TBL fans can expect to see an expanded palate on the show this year, including a tour of Central Texas BBQ stops in the season opener. The Texas Bucket List Burger of the Week segment will be returning this season as host Shane McAuliffe continues to find meaty treats almost as unique as the state they are made in.

The show will also feature interesting things to do in the state where everything is bigger and better that may inspire a few tall tales. Among these experiences are a Prairie Dog Park, a long standing Christmas ball, and Canton Trade Days, to name a few.

With more excitement, food, and action than ever before, the ninth season of TBL is one you won’t want to miss. It’s no secret that Texans are proud of the state they call home.  Shane McAuliffe’s interactions with people all over the Lone Star State make it easy to see why Texans are so proud of this great state.

The Texas Bucket List airs on 23 markets television markets and has won seven Telly Awards.  TBL has also been nominated for seven Lone Star Emmy Awards.

For more information on The Texas Bucket List, visit TheTexasBucketList.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pintrist.

TO TEXAS!

The Texas Bucket List – Summer Stops Newman’s Castle in Bellville

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When passing through Bellville, you’ve got to stop at two places. First is Newman’s Bakery. This bakery has been serving up some of the best treats in Texas for over 30 years, but that’s not why Bellville finds itself on our list of summer stops. The big attraction here is bakery owner Mike Newman’s medieval castle. Newman’s Castle was built in true medieval fashion complete with a moat, dungeon, and formal dining area. While at the castle you can dress up in medieval attire, watch a catapult demonstration, eat a dinner fit for the Knight’s Round Table, and say a prayer in the castle’s chapel.

The Texas Bucket List – RV Museum in Amarillo

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AMARILLO, Texas – The great expanse that is the Panhandle calls travelers to explore the open road.  The old route 66 has a plethora of pit stops from the Cadillac Ranch, the barbed wire museum, the big Texan, and one you might not expect to find in Amarillo, the RV museum.

Trent and Jack Sisemore are a father and son duo that has been in the RV business since 1974.

For over 30 years, they’ve been collecting rare recreational vehicles in an 8,000 square foot metal building in the crossroads of the panhandle.

“We were very strategic in the accusations that we did through that 30 years knowing that this was going to be the ultimate consummation of that,” Jack said.

Winnebagos from way back, buses from blockbusters, and a few motorcycles to round out the mobile collection, this archive is sort of an accolade of Americana.

Their collection includes a 1935 Airstream.

“It’s the oldest Airstream in the world that was built by a Dr. Holloman in his back yard in Florida,” Trent said. “It was all built by hand. It looks kind of like something from a Jules Vern movie.”

So what did Dr. Holloman get from Airstream if he had to build the RV himself? Plans and one license to build it, according to Trent.

“It was out of Popular Mechanics and it cost five dollars,” Trent said. “But then as you can see, we’ve been in manufacturing and I don’t know many people anymore that could build something of this design and this quality. I mean it took years of love and care to build this. ”

The oldest RV in the world, you’ll find that here too.

“It’s a 1921 Lamsteed Kamkar built by Anheuser Busch,” Trent said. “They actually built five of them. There’s two of them left. This one and one in the museum in Harris in Reno Nevada.”

Even the super campy campers of the 70’s are all restored and maintained to the sparking super fly semblance that was somehow in style.

Jack and Trent are incredibly tedious about recreating what life was like during the time period of each trailer.

“I do a lot of RVing in the fall, and I go everywhere I can go,” Trent said. “Every garage sale, every yard sale, every junk store finding all the old toys and games that go along with these and the books and people can then go back there and remember how much fun they had.”

These old-school campers are a far cry from what you can find today but telling this story isn’t just about a fond look at the fixtures and patterns of the past.  This is about getting out there and seeing the world from a perspective with propulsion.

“From the time man began people have adventured and tried to move into new frontiers. And so that spirit, it keeps it alive,” Trent said. “And this keeps the history of the RV industry alive.”

The Texas Bucket List – The Austin Toy Museum

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AUSTIN, Texas – Every once in a while, you just want to feel like a kid again and over in Austin there’s a museum dedicated to the toys some of us had back in the day.  So we headed to our capital to get knocked over by nostalgia.

Caleb Zammit is the mid 30’s mastermind who simply kept on collecting figures and hard to find fortresses since the fantastic 80’s.

“I think at my 30th birthday I was like, ‘I think I’ll open a toy museum,” said Zammitt.

The former teacher decided to open this museum to reminisce and he needed a place to put all his toys.  Convincing his mom not to get rid of his toys was the trick to making this toy museum a reality.

“She was very understanding with my collection passion, and my wife, too, luckily. But she’s happy to have it all out of the house now. She actually has her house back.”

Now Caleb gets to share his huge collection of He-Man, what seems like thousands of Thundercats, too many transformers to count, a ginormous group of G.I. Joe’s, and a sizeable selection of Star Wars.

“Our catch phrase is, ‘I had that,’ so we hear a lot of people come through and, ‘I had that. I had that. I had that.’”

You’ll even find a collection of old school arcade games that are all on free play. While the younger generations are able to pick up how to play on these tactile treasures, other versions of home electronics are harder to figure out.

Despite having this amazing g collection that’ll take you through the years, Caleb does have one thing to work on, other than the games.

“We’ve gotten complaints that we don’t have enough girl toys. We need to work on that.”

10 year old Rylan seemed to be having just as much as me at the museum.

“I’ve never seen a museum with toys in it before,” Rylan said. “Best museum.”

There’s no doubt about it, the Austin Toy Museum is well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List for the young at heart form around the country.

“For me I just get joy out of it.,” Gerold McCoy, a kid at heart from Chicago, said. “You know, I remember stuff that I did as a kid going over to my cousin Chuck’s house to play Co-Leak-Oh Vision.  You know there’s just good memories from it. You’ve got to remember what you were like when you were a kid. Life’s too short.”