A random street in Baird

I went through Baird, Texas, primarily because the tiny town was the county seat, and, therefore, has a county courthouse. The 1929, Classical Revival building wasn't all that unique, but the sky was a deep blue, and the clouds were white and billowy. So I think the pictures came out really well, despite the plainness of the courthouse.



But on a complete whim, I took a slight deviation from my planned route and made a sudden, left-hand turn onto what turned out to be Baird's main street. I was rewarded handsomely almost immediately with this stunning, repainted Bull Durham ad. These are usually "ghosts" when I find them.





The repainted Coca-Cola sign must be from 1923-1925, as variations of the "Refresh Yourself" slogan were being used during those years.



A ghostly Dr. Pepper sign.


At the end of the street was the reason for all of the ads, the 1911 circa Texas Pacific Railroad Depot.

Cisco, Texas, was a friend of mine

I sort of gorged myself on Cuero...

...and for that, I must apologize, because there's a whole lot of great stuff(!) I got for the hour and a half or so I was there. If you are one of those EBiN readers who thinks "meh" or "wtf?" whenever you see the latest post is one of those 100-year-old-houses-ghost-signs-and-vintage-neon-signs-kind-of-posts, you may want to move along. Sorry, there's nothing to see here this go around. The rest of you should prepare to receive a face full of Cuero.

The post wherein Miss Havisham meets Judge Stephen W. Blount

The 1897 Judge Stephen W. Blount House in Nacogdoches
In her autobiography, A Kind of Magic (1963), Edna Ferber compared Galveston, Texas, to wealthy spinster Miss Havisham, the "gray, mournful abandoned bride of Dickens' Great Expectations."

Ladonia! Ladonia!...

...What makes your big head so hard?

Honey Grove

Honey Grove, Texas

An hour in Denison

Denison, Texas - did it ever really get over the advent of color TV?

Seek and ye shall find (in the Rose City)

Arranged chronologically, as I found each site in Tyler:

Jenkins-Harvey Super Service Station and Garage, c. 1929, Art Deco; this place has also been known either as Firestone Auto Supply and Service Store or Griffin Auto Storage

On the sunny side of the street
(so grab your coat and snatch your hat):




Another shot of the 1955, Moderne Smith County Courthouse




Whitaker-McClendon House, c. 1880, Eastlake/Stick, Italianate; r. 1910, Classical Revival front porch


Williams-Anderson House, c. 1900, Queen Anne; I somehow found this place much more appealing than the preceding monster


Got this sign in the sun this time.




John B. Douglas House, c. 1873, Italianate, Second Empire
I'd planned on finding all of the previous structures, including the John B. Douglas House; I had not counted on the two homes on lots just to the right (left in my photos) of the Douglas House (sweet!). What a neighborhood this must have been (along Fannin Avenue):



310 South Fannin Avenue, c. 1885, Queen Anne

And unsuccessfully trying to hide from me:

306 South Fannin Avenue, c. 1885, Queen Anne
I was reminded of this place (similarly hidden and pink).

A return to Henderson

I've been through Henderson a few times before, and I stopped there again on the way home from a trip to Longview this past weekend. The main objective in Henderson was this:




100 West Ragley, c. 1870, Gothic Revival

But there was also:






305 East Main Street



306 East Main Street

Lingerin' in Longview as the day begins

I was really lucky with the clouds on this morning!


I had no choice but to pull over to get this movie theater, all lit up at 7 am, on Saturday morning.....Wait, what?

Okay, so you've seen the sunrise in Longview. How about the moon fall?



The Petroleum Building, c. 1956


Looking down North Fredonia Street at the Petroleum Building



The F.L. Whaley House, c. 1871, Symmetrical Victorian


Art Deco-esque building near the Gregg County Courthouse





The Brown-Birdsong House, c. 1879, Victorian










The Judge J.N. Campbell House, c. 1872, Greek Revival(?)