I always thought the Bankhead Highway was a local, or at least regional, highway. It was actually a national highway running from Washington D.C. to San Diego, California. It was part of the National Auto Trail system. Wikipedia entries for: the Bankhead Highway and the National Auto Trail system.
And speaking of history... I recently bought an 1856 Texas map poster and learned that this area of Texas was part of Bexar County at that time. I was aware that several counties out here were carved out of Tom Green County (late 1880's) but didn't know we were ever lumped in with San Antonio.
There are replicas of a 1910 Texas roadmap for sale (check eBay) and it sure is tempting to buy one.
If you're interested in West Texas history you should be aware of the Permian Historical Society.
Monday, November 17, 2008
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4 comments:
That's very interesting. I thought the Bankhead Hwy was local, too.
BTW, that was an interesting article about rural electrification over at the Permian Historical Society website. A man I knew who is now deceased had a job installing wiring in rural homes -- must have been in the late 1930s. He said he would ask the residents where they wanted an electrical outlet, and they typically would want one in the living room for a reading light and one in the bedroom for a light to help them get dressed in the predawn hours. So a house may have had only two electrical outlets unless he was able to persuade them they needed more. Almost unbelievable by today's standards.
Wes, people doing title work can tell horror stories about having to go from one courthouse to another, then another, then ... some leases for a single location will take you back through three or four counties (including the Bexar you mentioned).
Hey George. I was afraid I was the only person in West Texas who didn't know about the Bankhead Highway.
There are also some good articles at the Sibley Nature Center website. Look at the Essays there.
Jeff... I guess there weren't many houses around here in the 1850's but I never thought about other property deeds, etc. Some of the old ranches might still have that kinda stuff in their paperwork.
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