Texas Collection: Maps of Waco

City of Waco, Texas 1886 - Town Square

The Texas Collection at Baylor (one of the top special collection libraries) has on display maps of  Waco, Texas from the 1845 through 1913.  The maps show the heyday of Waco on the Brazos, a time when the city was poised to become a prominent community in the state of Texas.  Here is the link to the digital exhibit.

Friends of Cameron Park

I Should Never Have Gone Ziplining

The residents around Cameron Park in Waco, Texas have organized a group to oppose the installation of a zipline in the park.  The City of Waco is considering authorizing the installation of a 50ft. tower at Lawson's Point to carry "adventure tourists" across the Brazos River to a ropes activity course.  The park has enjoyed a Renaissance in the past 10 years, culminating the in the 100 Anniversary Celebration of the Dedication of the Park in 2010.  The residents around the park fervently oppose the zipline project because it is commercial, for-profit enterprise that would violate the deed restrictions for the park and would further destroy the natural beauty of the park setting.  For more information, or to voice your concerns about the zipline project, visit the Friends of Cameron Park website.
www.FriendsofCameronPark.com

For a humorous parody of Ziplining, see South Park, season 16, episode 6, "I Should Never Have Gone Ziplining."

Happy Birthday "Texas" Guinan

Mary "Texas" Guinan"

Mary Louise Cecilia Guinan was born January 12, 1884 in Waco, Texas.  She became an actress and, later, the proprietor of the "300 Club" in New York City.  The prohibition era speakeasy was the hot spot for socialites and actors.   Entertainment included fan dancers and impromptu performances by George Gershwin.  Texas Guinan, as she was known, died in 1933 while traveling in Vancouver, Canada.  Learn more about Texas at Jazzbabies.  Texas scandals.  Raid on the 300 Club.

Unnamed Man Ok after bender 123 years ago

The Waco Evening News reported today (December 20), 123 years ago (1888), that the "unfortunate man" who had succumbed to mania a potu is feeling much better.

In other news:
- The Constable waited until after the wedding ceremony to arrest another unnamed man for swindling and child abuse. 
- Lizzie Bennet was tried and convicted of swearing in a public place.  Fine of $5.00.

Mania a Potu: Near death in Waco 1888

On page 4 of the Waco Evening News this day, 123 years ago, a curious note was placed regarding an incident at the saloon.  Unfortunately, inside jokes are lost in time.  Who was the traveler so "well known in Waco" that a name was unnecessary?

"The banks of the dark river were pressed mighty close to-day, by the staggering feet of a commercial traveler, well known in Waco.  He fell from a chair in a saloon about ten oclock this morning, and was taken to the city hall.  His symptoms verging on a fierce form of mania a potu, grew alarming and a physician was called in.  At three this evening he was thought to be out of danger, but if he should recover he will have made a narrow escape from the dark waters of the Styx."

"Mania a potu" - madness from excessive consumption of alcohol.

Lost & Found in Waco: 123 years ago

12/19/1888 - Waco Evening News

The Waco Evening News, in service to the citizens of Waco, Texas, provided a daily list of notices regarding items lost and found.  On this day (December 19), 123 years ago, the News included the following notices:

Sanborn Map, 1885, McLelland Opera House

- Lost - Memorandum book of the Waco Bridge Co.  Lost on Austin Ave.  Please return to Mr. Russell at the bridge.  (The Bridge Co. was the entity that collected tolls for crossing the famous Waco Suspension Bridge.)
- Found - A copy of "Daniel's Chancery Pleading and Practice" on south 5th Street.  (hmm, heavy book to drop.  I guess he running late to a hearing at the courthouse.  In 1888, McLennan County was on its third courthouse, which was located at the corner of Franklin Ave. and 2nd Street.)
- Lost - A pair of gold spectacles.
- Found - A boy's overcoat, at the old McClelland opera house.

- Lost - One blow Pigeon.  $1 reward.  (I have no idea what a "blow pigeon" is.)

Sanborn Map, 1885, McLennan Courthouse

Rowdy Waco Boys Disrupt Church (in 1874)

Continuing with a review of 19th century life in Waco, Texas, the Waco Daily Examiner, on this day in 1874, reported that a group of boys gathered beneath the Baptist church windows on Sunday and conversed at such a volume that it disrupted the service.  The article admonished the boys, saying, "This sort of thing is very reprehensible, and the boys should go inside next time.  We are sorry to have to make this complaint."

Peace & Love at Fat Ho

Today, the Edge can officially recommend the burgers at Fat Ho.  For lunch I had the Feisty Fat Ho a.k.a. Hot Ho burger with jalapeños and fries.  Very tasty.  The ambiance is straight forward.  There is a counter where you order your food and places to sit... very simple.  The staff was friendly, attentive, and busy. 

Smoke on the Brazos

Digital-Life Resources

Don't forget your local library as your life becomes more dependent on electron based entrainment & information.  Although most libraries (not all) are keeping those things called books, your local library is probably ahead of the curve in providing digital content for your i-devices.  Waco-McLennan County has numerous online databases including NetLibrary.  Why is this so cool?  NetLibrary lets you check out e-books and digital audiobooks wherever you have an internet connection.  Recently, the Waco Library has joined many other libraries across the nation in using Overdrive, a digital media delivery service that integrates with your iPhone, making access to the digital content even easier.

Here is the link to the Overdrive site where you can get the software you need.

Also, don't forget to support your local library by joining the supporting your Friends of the Library organization.

Waco Timeline Revision

A recent article in Science Magazine casts the anthropological history of Waco and the Americas, for that matter, in a new light.  The Waco History Project timeline beings at 500 CE when Indians moved into this area.  Although this conservative estimate avoids any clash with Young Earthers, archaeologists at the Buttermilk Creek Complex date human habitation in Central Texas back to 13,500 BCE.  The cool thing about this is that for the past 80 years scientists said that the Clovis people were the first inhabitants of the Americas.  Periodically, an archaeologist would pop up and say, "There were people here before 11,000 BCE."  Like an academic "Whack a Mole," they would be pummeled back into submission.  I suspect that there will be some whacking after this article.  As Cornell West said when he visited Baylor, "You can still get a PhD writing a dissertation which says one group is smarter, superior, or more accomplished than another."

What do you call your burger?

A controversy is brewing on 11th street over the name of a soon-to-be-new burger joint in Waco.  "Fat Ho Burgers" put it out for the world to see.  Now that the world (Waco) has seen their name, some are very unhappy.  I drove by this morning... no protesters in the streets, yet.  As many have said, whether the name stays will depend on the quality of their product.  In Waco, there is a tradition of underselling a product by using a less than appetizing appellation.  For example:

• Lip Locker (Double meat hamburger at Kitoks)
• Gut Pack (a super Frito pie at Viteks)
• Big "O" (a big beer at George's) 

What are some other Waco products with a strange name?


UPDATE:  My visit to Fat Ho Burgers and review of the Hot Ho Jalapeno Hamburger

Moon Expanding rapidly... perhaps will explode

Well, I am getting carried away by the sensationalism that is ubiquitous in the media.  The article in the Waco Tribune-Hearld starts "Super full moon to rise tonight... It'll be bigger and brighter."  Returning to reality, the next paragraph explains that the super-giant-exploding moon is merely an optical illusion.

Waco History Project

Jules Bledsoe (1898 - 1943)

Either in an effort to construct, or reconstruct, a history of Waco, a group of fearless writers have created a very interesting website on the history of Waco.  The Waco History Project, a collaborative of many local institutions, provides a timeline of the development of Waco and brief articles on significant places and events.  The timeline begins at 500 AD with Indians moving Central Texas after receiving a generous donation of land from a political ally. The timeline ends in 2000 with George W. Bush moving to Central Texas after receiving a generous donation of land or money from a political ally.  "Samasara is a circle."

More importantly, the site provides some great, and terrible, stories from Waco's past.  Of particular interest is the article on Jules Bledsoe (see also the Wiki entry), the most famous and forgotten artist from Waco.  Bledsoe, born in Waco, became famous as a baritone singer on Broadway.  Many remember his strong and haunting voice singing Ol' Man River, few remember Jules Bledsoe.

Texas Legal Research

One aspect of practicing law that I love is research.  With the internet (thank you Al Gore), I can find an amazing amount of information in a short period of time.  As an aid to my research, and hopefully to yours as well, I have created a separate page at the Edge dedicated to Legal Research.  I will continue to update the list, so please offer suggestions about online websites and databases you have discovered.  You can use this link (http://edgeoflaw.blogspot.com/p/central-texas-legal-resources.html) or click the link on the right side of this page.

"White Bronze" Eagles of McLennan County

KWTX article from 9/2/2010

Today, the eagles perched atop the McLennan County Courthouse were unceremoniously removed.  The plan is to replace the eagles with replicas cast in aluminum.  Some time ago, a good friend of mine told me that the eagles were made of cast zinc and had red lights for eyes.  Distracted by the image of an eagle-of-justice watching my every move with its glowing red eyes, I ignored the curious fact that they were made of zinc.  Zinc... how strange.  In the 1850's, zinc became the commodity of choice for the cast sculpture... cheap cast sculpture.  Zinc ore was plentiful worldwide and thus cheap to obtain.  The melting point for zinc is low, 787.15 F, thus the facility and equipment needed to cast large sculptures was much less expensive than for bronze or cast-iron casting.  Cast-iron was relatively cheap as a material, but zinc does not rust: an important quality for public sculptures.  Wanting to improve the perception of zinc as an artistic medium, foundries and cemetery monument makers renamed zinc "white bronze."  After a short period exposed to the elements, zinc-oxide forms on the surface of the monument, protecting the zinc underneath and creating a white patina.  see Zinc Sculpture in America, 1850-1950, By Carol A. Grissom, and White Bronze Grave Marker

Photo by M. Johnson

Good Eats on the Valley

At the Edge, Wednesday will "List-Day Wednesday."  As with any group project, a few rules are needed.  There will be a topic.  As far as the length of the list, I have given this some thought.  A list of One, is not a list.  Two to a list is too harsh: only first and last place.  The minimum entries shall be Three, and Three it shall be.  For the sake of brevity, Five will be the max.

List-Day Wednesday topic:  
What are your favorite restaurants on Valley Mills Drive in Waco, Texas?  

Here is my list.  I was tempted to just list my favorite restaurants that no longer exist, but that would not be helpful.

1) Taqueria #9 - If you buy the tacos individually, you can get a great lunch for less than $4.00.  I recommend the nopales taco on a flour tortilla

2) Baris - Especially on Calzone Tuesday (includes a salad with their great house dressing)

3) Schmaltz's Sandwich Shop - I have been living on the Blue Plate Special since high school