Texas Bucket List

Texas Bucket List

Simmons Bank

The Texas Bucket List – Mitchell Spur Collection in Gatesville

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Gatesville – There’s not much more synonymous with our state than the spur.  Heck we’ve even got a professional basketball team named after them. But over in Gatesville they’ve got so many spurs that I’m told a horse won’t step one hoof into town.  After our visit, I can see why!

Coryell County is home to a great deal of Fort Hood. Just north of the massive military base is Gatesville, a small town with a love for spurs. “It means everything to us. It really does,” said Ervin Adams, the President of the Board of Coryell County Museum.

Established in 1985, the Coryell County Museum tells the story of the county that’s been around since 1854. Here you’ll find the county’s original jail that Sam Bass was jailed in in 1878 for disturbing the peace. You’ll see some of the most detailed and decorated doll houses I’ve ever seen. And they happen to have the largest spur collection in the world. “Pretty much the whole museum is centered around the spur collection,” stated Ervin.

The Mitchell Spur Collection is massive and it’s put Gatesville on the map. Local coaching legend Lloyd Mitchell amassed this collection of over 10,000 spurs in his lifetime. “Coach Mitchell was a special man, he did a lot of things in his life and then just did this collecting on the side,” explained Ervin.

How did a small-town football coach get into that? “Well, I married the Mitchell’s youngest daughter,” stated Grayson Wetzel, the son-in-law of Lloyd Mitchell.

Grayson knows this collection well.  He married Charlotte Ann Tootie Mitchel and he first set his sights on the substantial spur collection when he met his future father-in-law in 1965. “They sent me outside with her daddy. Out in the back of their house there were two old wooden buildings. Both of those buildings were crammed full of spurs and other western memorabilia. I spent the afternoon out there in hog heaven,” explained Grayson.

After that first meeting, Grayson knew he was saddling up for a long ride with the family. “As we were finishing up the visit that afternoon he said, ‘Young man, you’re welcome to come back anytime. Just bring a spur.’ So I made it my goal to do that from that time on,” said Grayson.

Grayson took us on a tour of this massive collection, and it sure does live up to its reputation! The museum has around 6,000 of the spurs in the museum. “It’s hard to display all of them,” stated Grayson.

The main exhibit consists of the most unique and storied spurs, even spurs owned by Jackie Kennedy. There’s even a colossal spur in this sizable spur collection. Then there’s spurs that showcase some unique artistry. “One of the display cases shows Gal-Leg spurs. And as I’ve done programs through the years, I say Gal-Leg spur just like that. I find that many people have no clue what I’m talking about. On the shank of the spur, the heel bands got decoration on it. Looks like a lady’s leg. So in history books or other books, you’ll find them called Gal-Leg, or sometimes they’ll say Lady-leg spurs,” explained Grayson.

So just what was it that made a football coach from a small-town start collecting this particular piece of ranching equipment? “As a young man, he was headed out west, headed towards Yellowstone to work, but he was working on a ranch that’s on the way in New Mexico. Says he was riding through the pasture one day and he looked down and saw something shiny. Says he got off his horse, kicked the dirt around, and sure enough there was a spur. He said, ‘I picked it up and I’ve kept it.’ And then said, ‘I’ve been looking for the mate to it ever since.’,” explained Grayson.

Surprisingly the spur collection has spurned interest in a tool that some folks don’t even know what it’s for anymore. “Everybody knew about spurs back then, past my generation I’m not sure how many know about spurs,” stated Grayson.

“A lot of people don’t even know what a spur is and when they walk through the door they just want to know what a spur is and take them and show them what a spur is. What does it do? Why’d they use them? And we’d have to tell a story about what they’re used for. I’m serious. We’ve had people walk in the door and don’t know what a spur is or what it was used for or anything,” explained Ervin.

So if keeping the western heritage and history of Texas is something close to your heart or you’re just looking for a spur of the moment trip, a stop at the Coryell County Museum to see the Mitchell Spur Collection is a surprising stop on The Texas Bucket List.  “If you’re a true Texan, you’ve got to have a little bit of interest in ranching, cowboys, horses, it can just go on and on. You got to have a spur involved somewhere in it,” stated Grayson.

The Texas Bucket List – Boston Terrier Museum in Floydada

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Floydada – Dogs can change a life. Every moment you have with a furry friend leaves an indelible memory.  The laughter and unconditional love a pup can provide proves they really are man’s best friend.

For Bob Hambright from Floydada, it’s Boston Terriers that pull his heartstrings.  “People that have Boston Terriers, that’s the only kind of dog there is,” said Bob.

Bob lives in Floydada and this small Texas town is where he’s been pretty much his whole life. “I never did move away on time. Only time I left here, it was when I was in the army, and I was in ’57 to ’59. I was gone for two years,” explained Bob. In 1968, he married Francis and they spent 44 years together.“She was the highlight of my life, I guess. She was a sweet girl and everybody loved her,” expressed Bob.

The only love that could compare to their dedication to each other was their infatuation with Boston Terriers, so together they created quite the collection. “Well, I had to put that on my wife. She gave me a large sand cast, Boston Terrier on my birthday, in 1991. Then I started to collect,” said Bob.

Bob owns the Boston Terrier Museum, an attraction you’d never expect to find in the middle of a farming community outside of Lubbock. “I love Boston Terriers and I love collecting Boston Terriers. And I got this wild idea. I said, “I’ll just put it in a museum, and collect Boston Terriers. And I enjoyed every minute of it,” said Bob.

Bob’s collection takes up an entire building and if you gave each one of these dogs a bone, these knick knacks would have way more than they could chew. “It took up about half the building, a little bit more. Then I just started collecting a little bit more. And first thing you know, I filled up the building. Then I don’t have room now for anything. I should have got a bigger building,” joked Bob.

From pipes, plates, to patriotic pups if it has a Boston Terrier on it, Bob’s got it. If we had to put a number on it, well. “Just a few thousand. Rounded, just round it off, just to 2000,” said Bob.

“We’ve been crazy about Boston’s forever. I’ve never not had a Boston in my life,” stated Bob’s daughter, Alissa Carter. Alissa not only supports her father’s passion for pups, she feeds into it. “It kind of became a quest for all of us to find something that he didn’t have. So we kind of fed the frenzy as well. Yeah, we have,” joked Alissa. “When he talks about his dogs, he lights up, and it’s amazing what tales he tells. He’s a pretty quiet man. But when you start talking about Boston’s, he seems to perk up and he can spew a lot of information out to you. So it’s just, it’s been a good passion for him,” explained Alissa.

Any idea how many Boston Terriers Bob has had through the years? “I’ve had five. Yeah. I’ve had five. AJ, Arnold, Harley, Sam, Spike. That’s five I’ve had. Probably the smartest one I had, was Spike, the last one. He was smart. He was smarter than I was, that’s for sure,” said Bob.

It’s been said that dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. For Bob that saying has a whole lot of bark.  “I don’t know. They just get next to you, and just fall in love with them. They are just like one of the family. When you lose one, you shed a few tears. I shed a lot of them,” expressed Bob.

So if you’re up for a kookie collection of crazy things dedicated to the Boston Terrier, a trip to the Boston Terrier Museum in Floydada is a great stop, just be sure to bring your dog. “When they come here, they bring their dogs, which I love. Any dog is allowed here,” stated Bob. “If you love a Boston, it’s definitely a bucket list place to come,” said Alissa.

The Texas Bucket List – East Texas Oil Museum in Kilgore

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Kilgore – Texas is all about oil and it all strart with the state’s first really big boom at Spindletop back in 1901. Today you can find pumpjacks from Beaumont to Midland with roughnecks working throughout the day to collect crude.

Over in northeast Texas, the oil boom wasn’t heard till the 1930’s.  That’s when things got crazy in Kilgore.  “At the height in Kilgore, there were over 1,100 derricks. As you looked across the skyline, you could see them popping up all along,” explained Olivia Moore, manager of the East Texas Oil Museum.

Just a few blocks from the big rigs scattered across the Kilgore skyline, the East Texas Oil Museum tells the story of the crazy way oil exploration exploded in Kilgore. “It not only tells the story, tells the history, tells the oil piece of this area, but it tells the story of the people who’ve lived here,” said Olivia.

Dedicated to the boom that kicked off on December 28, 1930 the East Texas Oil Museum takes a look at what life was like when oil changed the landscape of a little town. “Well, they say that a picture’s worth a thousand words. Well, could you imagine how many words walking into a picture would be,” Olivia stated as walking into the museum.

When walking into the museum, you are greeted with a man hanging from the ceiling that is sure to surprise you.  “We have Buddy,” explained Olivia. Buddy being an animatronic figure of course. “Buddy welcomes you in, talks about electricity coming to the East Texas oil field and then that brings you right into the general store, where we have Mr. Crim, the mayor of Kilgore talking to his customers about the goings on in the East Texas oil field,” explains Olivia. This town, that happens to be inside of the museum, consists of everything that you would have found in Kilgore during the oil boom. One of the most active sites for drilling in Kilgore happened to be right in the middle of town.  An area famously referred to as the world’s richest acre. “Out of that 1.2 acre space, they were able to pull 2.5 million barrels of oil out of that. And a barrel of oil is 42 gallons if that gives you any kind of reference of how much crude that is,” explained Olivia.

The historical pictures of the time help tell the story but actually having some derricks on that acre, well that helps too. “We’re an oilfield town and we’re very, very proud of our heritage,” stated Mayor of Kilgore Ronnie Spradlin.

Ronnie Spradlin has been the Mayor of Kilgore since 2010 and he grew up here.  Back when he was a boy, he took a family trip to Big D and he had one big question. “Where are their derricks? I assumed every town had derricks in it. Ours did,” said Mayor Spradlin. These towering spires dedicated to a time gone by help bring the story of Kilgore’s oil boom back to life.

Each one of these derricks here now, represents pretty much where a derrick was. “There were even more on the block, but we put back the number of them to have a representation of what it looked like,” explained Mayor Spradlin. If there was a building, they would simply knock down the walls and drill straight through the floor, not even pull up the floor! “Yep, the old brick floor from the bank is the next derrick over, and they left the brick there and just drilled through it,” said Mayor Spradlin.

“The oil field itself affected so many people in East Texas. It helped insulate against the great depression. It helped win World War II with our oil getting to the refineries in the Northeast. It just is such a special story. And it needs to be told,” said Olivia.

“The oil business has been like a ride on a roller coaster. There’ve been years where there was more money in town, second highest deposits in the state of Texas back in ’78, ’79. And then when the oil field would crash, people would be unemployed. Our unemployment would go to double digits and in spite of what the nation’s doing. So, we’re have our own little economy that’s totally separate from the rest of the nation,” explained Mayor Spradlin

So the oil continues to churn out of Kilgore, providing Texans with a natural resource for energy and our economy, including bringing people to town to get a look at the lineage of the Lone Star State. “Being transported back in time is something that all people would love to do before they kick the bucket,”joked Olivia.

“If you haven’t been to Kilgore, you haven’t been to Texas in my mind,” stated Mayor Spradlin.

“It’s an everyday reminder of how important oil was to the city of Kilgore and how important it is still today,” said Olivia.

The Texas Bucket List – Gelman Stained Glass Museum in San Juan

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San Juan – The painted churches of central Texas are some of the most serene and sacred spots in our state. The sun piercing through the windows of these old shrines fills the spirit of your soul.  These works of art tell a story and it’s easy to find yourself staring at the colorful accounts of biblical stories for what feels like an eternity.

Well, if seeing stained glass like the kind you find in these charming chapels is what brings you joy, there’s a museum in Rio Grande Valley that will light up your life. “We are the largest and most comprehensive stained glass exhibit and collection in the United States,” said Miriam Cepeda, the director of the Gelman Stained Glass Museum in San Juan.

“I enjoy seeing individuals come in here and they’re just like, ‘Wow.’ Everyone, as soon as they open the door, they’re just amazed,” said Miriam.

Now why is this magnificent museum down in the Rio Grande Valley?  “The patron, which is Dr. Lawrence Gelman, is an anesthesiologist here in the Rio Grande Valley and due to the location here in San Juan, Mrs. Gelman chose this spot,” explained Miriam.

This spot in San Juan feels like a spiritual sanctuary and that’s exactly how they wanted it. “The whole idea, the whole goal here at the Gelman Stained Glass Museum is to provide a transcendental experience for our visitors that can only be achieved in the replication of a sacred environment. And so, that’s how come when you pass by us, you think we’re a cathedral. We replicate everything from the exterior to the interior of a cathedral,” explained Miriam.

From the outside, you’ll notice there isn’t one window. That’s because the Gelman Stained Glass Museum wanted every single stained glass to be protected from the elements and look impeccable with the perfect amount of light behind each and every window.  Artificially of course. “We have something that’s very unique and different because all of our stained glass is illuminated by LED replication of sunlight,” stated Miriam.

Miriam then took us behind the scenes to see just what it takes to illuminate this place. “People appreciate something as simple as sunlight. And it’s something that we talk about here at the museum in the replication of the sunlight. So, it’s not just yellow, it’s not just white. It’s soft white, bright yellow, light yellow, green, red. The whole spectrum,” explained Miriam.

Dr. Gelman has been collecting these stained-glass windows for over 30 years, in all there’s 174 sets in the museum. “Everything except two is original antiques that date back to the late 19th century, early 20th century,” said Miriam.

Miriam took us to the European section of windows and we were not disappointed. “One of the windows that’s very famous that we have on display is our Cox/Buckley window of Christ knocking at the door. And this window, Tiffany Studios, Louis Comfort Tiffany, he made a copy off of this window. And so, this one is an English artist Cox/Buckley, however, in the Munich-Mayer style, which is the painted style window,” explained Miram.

“We have to remind ourselves that during the late 19th century, early 20th century, there was the Industrial Revolution, and this is the era of Art Nouveau where, in these industrialized cities, people wanted to see something that looked naturalistic versus the railroad versus the booming skyscrapers. And so, when you go into a church in the Northeast Coast, for example, where predominantly most of these windows are from, you see these illustrations of something that looks very real in the natural world. Something heavenly as well and when you look at the windows, you’ll get that sentiment,” explained Miriam.

Looking at each window with a particular year on it or a name of someone the window was dedicated to makes you start to think off all the things these windowns have seen over the past one hundred plus years. “They’ve gone through a lot. Honestly, I think some of these windows are alive at night, but that’s another story. But yeah, they’ve seen so many things. They’ve seen so many baptismals, weddings, Christmas masses, funerals. They’ve all been a memory to someone,” expressed Miriam.

As a child, I still remember staring at the stained-glass windows of our church. Seeing the light reflected on the imperfections of the glass all the while learning a story of a Saint or a story in the Bible. Here you can relive some of those stories or just sit in awe of some amazing artwork making the Gelman Stained Glass Museum a great place to reflect on The Texas Bucket List. “We want to preserve all of these windows for centuries to come,” stated Miriam.

The Texas Bucket List – Memorial Mini Golf and Museum in Buda

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Buda – The sound of a golf ball hitting a putter is always pleasing to the ear but when the ball finds the bottom of the hole, that’s even better. For people who play putt putt, that’s pretty much the only task at hand.  But over at Memorial Mini Golf in Buda, there’s much more to the golf game here.

Brian McKinney is the owner of this big putting playscape that looks a little different from your typical mini golf getaway. “My favorite hole is probably the Submarine Atlantic Blockade hole,” said Brian.

Here there’s a mix of green, blue, black, and tan making up 18 holes that are dedicated to the veterans of World War II. “I’ve been collecting World War II memorabilia. And my grandfather was in World War II, his little brother was in World War II. My dad was in Vietnam. So military history’s kind of just been my thing,” said Brian.

So, Brian created this one of a kind excursion complete with a museum and the only full scale replica fighter plane playscape in the world. “History buffs, mini-golf lovers, I mean, you could almost spend a half day here in itself,” said Brian.

Brian’s inspiration to create this colorful place to place a round actually came to him in a dream. “I had a pretty vivid dream that my wife and I and kids were playing on a World War II themed miniature golf course. It was a little bit different how this turned out, but, but I woke up and said… It was a calling to try to figure something out, to create an interactive environment, to not forget this generation and mini-golf was it,” explained Brian.

Each hole is dedicated to particular parts of the war and the people who fought it. “Hole number one starts in Blitzkrieg, which is the start of the technical start of World War II. And then it just runs down the chronological order,” explained Brian.

Another hole is dedicated to Pearl Harbor. “Bomb hits are actually where the bombs hit on the real USS Arizona that sank it. And then here we have a replica, full scale replica, 40-millimeter anti-aircraft cannons that were made by the same model builder that built the planes in the museum. And then the hole is dedicated to a veteran who trained with the Navy on Pearl Harbor,” explained Brian.

Then there’s the hole dedicated to Normandy and it’s a beast! “So it’s the longest par five. There’s actually a place in the Northeast that has the world’s longest hole, but it’s a par 12,” said Brian.

While this is fun, it’s actually quite a lesson in what happened during the war and those who contributed throughout. “Getting these younger generations to learn what these guys did outside of what just their Texas history book teaches. But more of the details that we have with the veterans dedicated to the holes and the additional history that we added to the placecards,” said Brian.

One of those veterans featured is Abilenian Huie Lamb. The playscape is a replica of his plane and inside the museum at Memorial Mini-Golf you’ll find a display dedicated to him along with a collection of his things. You’ll also find the uniform of Dorothy Lucas, who served with the Women Airforce Service Pilots. “This one gets overlooked, I think a lot, in history where all the able body guys that could fight went overseas and who, who was, who was making and helping with the war production in the United States. And they stepped up big,” explained Brian.

Being fortunate enough to have grandparents that served in the war, it’s refreshing to see the next generation have a way to learn about this amazing generation. “It’s pretty cool. Especially when they go from the course into the museum. And I hear a lot of parents saying, ‘That’s what your great-grandfather did.’ Or ‘That’s what your great-grandfather flew.’ And then they go, ‘Wow.’ Like they’re just that, that kind of makes it all worthwhile when you hear the wow factor of, ‘Wow. That’s what my great-grandfather did.’ and  like, ‘That’s what he flew!’ It’s real, it’s really neat to hear that,” expressed Brian.

Saluting the greatest generation that ever lived is always easy but to do it while play golf and learning about the toughest war of all time is an easy stop, for the most part on The Texas Bucket List. “It’s not huge, like the Nimitz Museum or Smithsonian, but you’re getting a huge chunk of history at every hole,” stated Brian.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Texas Bucket List – Stephen F. Austin Statue in Angleton

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Angleton – No matter what corner of the Lone Star State you find yourself in, you’ll always be right around the corner from some incredible Texas history. Brazoria County is no exception. It was here that Cabeza de Vaca landed in 1528 and three hundred years later, Stephen F. Austin was establishing a colony in these parts. But to hear more of this amazing story, just look for the sizable statue of one of the heroes of Texas.

“I do have people that come down here from Nacogdoches and they’re amazed when they see the statute, and they pull over and they have to get a picture, and they always tell me, ‘We’re coming back with all of our school gear, so we can take a picture. We didn’t know that we had a statute too.’,” joked James Glover, the historic site manager at the Stephen F. Austin-Munson Historical County Park.

When I first meet James, I wondered if he was a time traveler from the past. “My boss tells me that I was dug up from an 1835-time capsule,” joked James.

James is a walking encyclopedia of knowledge when it comes to the incredible history of Brazoria County and here it’s all about Austin and his colony. “Of course, we’ve got a giant statute of the Father of Texas out front, so we have to focus on him. I decided our focus on this site is pretty much what the original brainstormers for this site had thought of, was the era that influenced what Austin did here, and how far his influence actually carried,” explained James.

The statue of Stephen F. Austin was built by famous Texas artist David Adickes, who also constructed the massive Sam Houston statue you can find in Huntsville. But, how does he compare to the Sam Huston statue in Huntsville?  “According to the sculptor, four feet taller. I haven’t gone out and measured the two, but I’ll take Mr. Adickes’ word for it, since he built both of them,” stated James.

While his statue may be a bit bigger, in James’ eye’s, Stephen F. Austin had a much bigger role in making Texas what it is today. “I would say, although I am a bit biased, infinitely more important,” said James.

Austin was instrumental in settling Texas and that all started in 1821. “He came in, took an area that didn’t have anything, nothing here, and turned it into the most successful financial, as well as tranquil community, or area of Texas,” explained James. “All told, it is said that Austin settled about 6,000 individuals in Texas before he died,” stated James.

The history of Texas centers around Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston, two men with massive statues that might have had a bit of a rift once Texas won its Independence. “Two guys who really were not fans of each other,” said James.

“That’s exaggerated,” said Texas historian and businessman J.P Bryan. Mr. Bryan is actually related to Stephen F. Austin and has an incredible collection of Austin’s paperwork to settle Texas at the Bryan Museum in Galveston.

“They were, for two men who were ambitious, and wanted to have as much control as possible, over events of the time, politically, they were certainly not enemies. They had periods of time where they were very compatible, shared sentiments about the same thing,” explained Bryan.

And that shared sentiment set the stage for the reason we call Stephen F. Austin the father of Texas. “Two days after Austin’s death, on the 27th of December, Sam Houston wrote a eulogy and had it published in a Telegraph and Texas Register at the town of Columbia, and in it he says, ‘The father of Texas has passed.’ That was the first time he was called, The Father of Texas,” explained James.

So head down to Brazoria County to see the Father of Texas overlooking the lands of the Lone Star State and toast to his Texas sized accomplishment of making Texas, well Texas. “It does represent the Father of Texas and the guy who set up the first successful, Anglo Colony in Mexican Texas at the time, and actually has some very important sites for what later became the Republic of Texas, and ultimately the State that we now enjoy, and they get to meet me,” expressed James.

The Texas Bucket List – Deputy Bill Hardin in Cleburne

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Cleburne – The wild west was a lot different back in the 1800’s. The images we have of law enforcement prior to police cars can be somewhat preconceived. But if you head to the Chisholm Trail Museum in Cleburne, you can still get that western shootout show and get a look at what old school law enforcement was really like.

“This museum is dedicated to law enforcement. Originally, it was going to be about Texas Rangers. We were able to acquire a number of photographs that you see around the walls,” said David Murdoch.

David Murdoch is the chairman of the museum and the Chaplin for the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, he was excited to showcase a unique section of the museum that tells about the life of a unique Texas lawman, 98-year-old Deputy Bill Hardin.

Now Bill’s not on any most wanted top 10 list but he does take the case when it comes to another title. “I’m the oldest working police officer in the world. I’ve been a police officer longer than anybody in the world,” stated Deputy Bill Hardin.

How long exactly? “I started February 1st, 1947. These stripes represent five years of peace. At 70 years worth of stripes, he’s got 74 years. And in June, we can add another stripe. So, he’ll have another five-year stripe,” explained David.

“Really been a pleasure, and I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve done with the exception of a time or two where things didn’t go just exactly right,” said Bill.

Born on March 1st, 1923, Bill joined the Fort Worth police department in the 40’s after spending his rookie years with Breckenridge PD and back then things were a lot different for those behind the badge.  Walking his beat was the norm and two-way radios were not a thing. “They had mailboxes on the posts, telephone posts, uptown. And you took the brass key, and when you opened the door and picked up the phone, the dispatcher answered you. You told him what you needed.  Usually, you had a drunk in one hand, and trying to hold him and talk to the dispatcher. That didn’t work out too well, but that’s the only communication they had,” explained Bill. Bill relieves his memories as a young policeman with vivid detail and crystal-clear clarity as if these events that happened a lifetime ago, took place just the other day.

While his days of dropping the hammer or throwing a bad guy behind bars are behind him, he still gets to work on cases thanks to having a mind that’s like a different kind of steel trap.  “I’m a reserved investigator. My office is right across from the secretary and the sheriff’s right over there. He told somebody he put me up there so he can keep an eye on me,” joked Bill.

“Bill is such a … he’s such a young-minded person in an old man’s body,” said David. “He recalls all of the stories. He recalls his career. He’s a great asset to the county because when something comes up where they need the information back in the day, they don’t have to go look in the archives. They can just ask Bill, and he usually has names, and dates, and places. It is. It’s amazing. It’s truly amazing,” explained David.

Why is he still doing it?  “I love people,” stated Bill. “That’s really what makes you like police work … when you’re able to save a life or help somebody. In my time, I have helped a bunch,” said Bill.

“I’ve had young people come to me. Like, the young girls that were into prostitution and doping. I’ve had those girls come in there … not one, but several, say, ‘Mr. Hardin? Do you remember me?” And I said, ‘No, I’m sorry. I don’t.’ And they tell me who they were. She said, ‘You helped me get off of drugs. I’m off of drugs and I’m married.’ Talk about making you feel good. It really makes you feel good,” expressed Bill.

Being able to hear Bill tells these stories of nearly a century of police work makes you realize the unreal things he has been a part of.  From busting up big drug rings, horrific cases of homicide, and even having to guard the grave of Lee Harvey Oswald.

“He’s a great representative for the law. He really is,” stated David.

What did Bill think about a museum for your service?  “Well, I’m humbled,” stated Bill. “It’s still the most rewarding job, and it’s the only job that I know of that you’re required to give your life to save somebody else. A fireman’s the same way. They have to do it. But everybody loves the firemen, but nobody likes the policeman because he gives you tickets,” joked Bill.

The Texas Bucket List – The Bryan Museum in Galveston

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Galveston – Back in 2017, we first met J.P. Bryan at his Gage Hotel in Marathon. His passion for Texas history and culture is inspiring and that led him to another venture on the opposite end of our state. Down on Galveston Island, J.P. has doubled down on devotion, with a museum filled with artifacts filled with the stories of Texas and how the west settled. “A historical adventure that’s not matched by any other in world history,” said Mr. Bryan.

J.P. has a unique connection to Texas history, his family has been a part of it since the beginning. His great, great, great grandfather was Moses Austin, the father of the “Father of Texas”, Stephen F. Austin. J.P.’s great, great grandmother was Stephen F. Austin’s sister, Emily Austin Perry. “We as a family have always said collectively that it’s nice to have a connection to Stephen F. Austin or whomever but what’s that say about you? Nothing. Except that you’re related. It says something about him, but what are you going to do to uphold his sacrifice or his contribution,” explained J.P.

J.P has done that by opening a museum with over 70,000 pieces paramount to Texas history. “These artifacts were all part of people’s lives, in some way or the other either the maker or the user that was expressing something important through these items. So they’re much more than just a collection of artifacts,” explained J.P.

The Bryan Museum was established in 2015 and is housed in an orphanage built in 1895. Walking around the hallowed halls of history, you’ll find pieces of Texas’ past that will blow your mind. Throughout these galleries of artifacts, we saw land contracts, signatures and personal items from famous Texas historical figures, and other rare documents that cannot be found anywhere else!  “We were intrigued with the idea of having all the artifacts and the collection become a part of a museum. Not just because we wanted to put another museum on landscape, but because we really had a passion to try to invoke a sentiment that we think is rapidly diminishing. About the importance of history in our educational system and to ignore history we do so we think with great jeopardy,” stated J.P.

Bryan knows about every object in the museum. He started collecting things as a boy and has had a hand in acquiring just about every single piece. Every single space in the museum has just one part of mind-boggling Texas history. While Texas history takes up a vast amount of the 30,000 square foot museum, the story all starts with the Spanish exploration of the gulf coast and western parts of the United States. “When you think about it, a large measure of our history is Spanish and they dominated the landscape in the geography here for a period of 300 years,” said J.P.

Rare firearms? You’ll find them here, and even a few tales from the wild west. In the museum, there are that were in the hands of the Texas Rangers, sheriffs, bandits, and even more! These unreal stories of gunslingers and explorers is all part of the American west, what it took to settle it.

For Mr. Bryan the collection at the Bryan Museum proves that the founding fathers created something to behold.  “If we’re looking for inspiration and guidance into how we should conduct our lives, history is full of people who have done marvelous things that should inspire us,” expressed J.P.

The Texas Bucket List – Horton Classic Car Museum in Nocona

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Nocona – Nacona, Texas used a be the hotspot for cowboys on horses heading down the Chisholm Trail, but today, you will find a lot more horsepower in the middle of town.

“This is the car capital of Texas so we kind of took the ball and ran with it, we like that,” said Billy Dean Dobbs, the car caretaker of the Horton Classic Car Museum.

The Horton Classic Car Museum is an incredible compilation of cars, some of which are the most sought out antique automobiles in the world. “There are so many stories on each individual car it’s unbelievable,” said Dobbs.

Billy Dean used to work in the oil fields, but when the museum opened in 2013, he floored it on over to the fine collection to help care for the classics. “It’s been a dream job for me, I’ll tell you the very first time I came in here and saw this I was just blown away and I fell in love with it,” said Billy Dean.

Within the car museum, there are some immaculate cars that well preserved given their rareness that bares the question, why in the small town of Nocona? “The reason why this is here is this is Mr. and Mrs. Horton hometown, so why not put it in the little town of Nocona, Texas,” Billy explains.

Pete and Barbara Horton still call Nocona home and during a very successful career in the oil business, Pete wandered into a car auction one day and was hooked. With just dipping his toes into car collecting, Pete came out of his first car auction with 16 Corvettes. Today, the collection has grown into 150 cars with a total value a hidden secret.

With three massive buildings to explore, you’ll find fine automobiles with far out stories. First and foremost, the collection of Corvettes was surely worth talking about. You’ll find every model from 1953 to 1973 in just one room.  Among them is a 1953 Corvette, one of only 300 remaining in the world.  But there is so much more to each one of these very rare Corvettes, some even previously owned by celebrities!

The 1954 rare Pennant blue Corvette owned by Roy Clark. “I kind of like to get in it and sit in it every now and then and act like I’m picking it and grinning it like Roy,” joked Billy.

The collection also includes a 1963 Stingray Split window corvette that once belonged to Sandra Bullock , a green 1967 GT500 owned by Caroll Shelby that even has his signature on the dashboard! “It’s a bad hombre,” joked Billy. In other rooms, there are more jaw-dropping classic cars from a 1931 Packard to a Ford GT 350 owned by Bob Seger.

With all of the classic cars in the museum it was just too hard to choose one to deem a favorite. For Billy Dean, he knew which cars were his favorite. “I think I’d have to go with the ole’ Packards, they’re just all hand built and they didnt have all that technogoloy that we do today, and to see it all built and well-made like that is unbelievable,” said Billy.

Being able to see these classic cars in immaculate condition with colors that can canvas the color chart is well worth the cost of a tank of gas to get here. “If you are a car classic enthusiast then this is the place you’ll need to come, it’s quite an honor just to be able to come in, and walk through here and see cars that you don’t see anymore,” expressed Billy.

The Texas Bucket List – The Roadside America Museum in Hillsboro

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Hillsboro— Smack dab between the Metroplex and Waco, you’ll find Hillsboro, which also happens to be the home of some very nice billboards for our favorite rest stop in West. Before we buy a bunch of kolaches at Slovacek’s we got our fill of Americana at one awesome stop. “Welcome to Roadside America… in Hillsboro, Texas. I’ve got some pretty interesting things, I would say,” said Carroll Estes. Carroll is the curator at the Roadside America Museum.

Originally from Dallas, Carroll bought the old Ford Dealership in Downtown Hillsboro and converted it to a showplace for all his possessions.“It’s mainly a hobby turned into what people started calling a museum. So, I started calling it a museum too,” he explained. A lover of all things 50’s, Carroll has been collecting a curious assortment of anything that makes him feel like he’s a kid again. “I wish I had a time machine. I’d go back to 1959 and stay there forever… Reason I picked 1959 I wouldn’t want to miss the fins on ’59 Cadillac,” said Carroll. “Such a simpler time. Before the computer age and all that stuff took over. And the cars, the cars of the 50s, come on, that’s all I need to say.

Vintage records, vintage remedies, and vintage road signs are just a few of the retro things Carroll collects. He searches the state looking for this stuff, but also finds some of it on the internet. “I do find things on there now from time to time… I guess… there’s some advantages [with computers]. The spell check is good,” he commented. Fortunately, U-S-A is easy to spell and this place sure showcases that it’s proud to be American.

“I know some collectors they collect great stuff, but they just build rows of shelves and stick things up on shelves… But you could give some personality,” he said. Carrol’s collection includes massive cartoon characters that are colossal in size. Pepe Le Pew, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Sylvester the Cat! “My goal is to get the entire Looney Tunes cast someday…Foggy, you got to have Foggy [Foghorn Leghorn]. I’m looking for a Foggy,” he said. “The eight foot Big Boy over here, which was my first fiberglass statue…I just found out a couple of years ago that he came from one of the first two Big Boy restaurants,” said Carrol.

Grape soda known as Grapette also means a great deal to this gatherer of all things 50s.“I got what I think may be the largest Grapette soda collection in existence,” he claimed. “I got started on the Grapette because that was my favorite drink as a kid, for one thing. I was 12 before I knew my tongue wasn’t supposed to be purple.” Carroll’s colossal collections of grape soda and Looney Tunes are impressive, but there is even more out back.

“I’ve got an old general store out back…it’s a display. It’s not for selling. It’s for showing… Built it out of 100% old rustic materials. It’s pretty cool. Stocked up with any kind of old store stock like stepping back into the forties…It covers a few decades, but it goes from all the way to turn of the century up probably,” he said.

It’s been said that as you get older, three things happen. First your memory goes and the other two, well I can’t remember the other two, but not Carroll. He is too busy remembering the 50’s because that brings him back to a joyful time in his life, a joy he wants to share with Texas.

“If you grew up in this area, it will take you back to a time that just makes you feel good… It was just a time in history I think everyone should either relive or at least learn about,” he concluded.