Women of Jefferson held their Annual Valentine’s Day Breakfast on Tuesday at Taste of Caddo. The annual event is a fundraiser for their scholarship fund. The basket winner Wes Miller and their best apron winner Amanda Oney.Continue Reading
1949: Longoria given hero’s burial On this day in 1949, the body of Private Felix Longoria of Three Rivers, Texas, was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Longoria had died in the Philippines near the end of World War II. When his recovered remains were sent to Three Rivers for burial,Continue Reading
1876: Texas adopts constitution On this day in 1876, citizens of Texas adopted the Constitution of 1876. They ratified it by a vote of 136,606 to 56,652. The document is the sixth constitution by which Texas has been governed since declaring independence from Mexico. Among the longest of U.S. stateContinue Reading
1882: Railroad crew founds Valentine, Texas On this day in 1882, the town of Valentine, Texas, was founded and named when a Southern Pacific Railroad crew building east from El Paso reached the site. Valentine, in Jeff Davis County, is thirty-six miles west of Fort Davis. The trains started runningContinue Reading
1943: First class of army aerial navigators arrives in San Marcos On this day in 1943, the first class of military aerial navigators arrived at San Marcos Army Air Field. Texas was at the forefront of aviation training during World War II, and some ten thousand navigators were eventually trainedContinue Reading
1869: Sixty-one die as steamboat burns On this day in 1869, sixty-one men, women, and children died when the sidewheel steamboat Mittie Stephens caught fire on Caddo Lake during a run from New Orleans to Jefferson, Texas. The boat had been plying the New Orleans-Red River route since 1866. At that timeContinue Reading
1915: Legislature passes bill to pay for governor’s “chicken salad and punch” On this day in 1915, the state legislature passed an appropriations bill to pay for expenses incurred by former governor Oscar Branch Colquitt for “chicken salad and punch,” among other items, during his term in office. An ensuingContinue Reading
Mardi Gras season kicked off last Saturday with the Krewe of Hebe’s Mab Ball. Royalty members included, from left, Darlene Keith (2021-2 Queen), Richard Turner (2023 King), Gina Davis (2023 Queen), and Rob Baker (2021-2 King). Festivities begin next Friday, February 17 with the Do Dah Parade. Live music, parades,Continue Reading
Meetings • Commissioners Court, Feb. 13, 9a • City Tourism Board, Feb. 13, 5:30p • JEDCO, Feb. 14, 5:30p • Blessings of Grace, Produce Feb 14, 16, 21, 23, 28 at 9a • St Vincent de Paul, Feb. 16, 23, at 10-11a • Blessings of Grace Food Pantry, Feb. 18,Continue Reading
Ken Bridges/Contributing writer What is the cost of changing the world? For those who dare, it can everything in their life, for good or ill. Heman Sweatt put everything on the line for his bid to desegregate the University of Texas law school, an effort that changed civil rights laws forever. Continue Reading
Dan Eakin/Contributing writer Many years ago, the late Dr. W.A. Criswell, longtime pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, preached a powerful message titled, “Loving the Unseen Christ.” His text was I Peter 1:8: “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing,Continue Reading
Let’s get Shakin!!! Here we are in the middle of Mardi Gras season and like every year, I’m getting the same questions and comments. “I wanna make something traditional, and I wanna make something good, but it just takes too long to make, I am not an expert in theContinue Reading
Marcia Thomas/Contributing Writer Jefferson talented chocolate-makers are gearing up for one of the most fun and unusual events held in East Texas – Souper Bowl Chocolate Sunday. Conceived as an idea to be a fund-raiser for the city’s community theatre group, the Opera House Theatre Players, the event has beenContinue Reading
KSLA, and Chef Hunter Lee, were on hand Tuesday afternoon to welcome Big Daddy’s Crawfish to Jefferson! The food truck is located on Austin Street.Continue Reading
1899: “Madam Candelaria” dies at age 113 On this day in 1899, Andrea Castañón Villanueva (Madam Candelaria), who claimed to be a survivor of the battle of the Alamo, died at age 113 in San Antonio. She said she had been born in Laredo in 1785, though other sources sayContinue Reading
From Jefferson Carnegie Library Simply E, The Library Reader App, is now available through Jefferson Carnegie Library. The library is reaching out into our community to provide reading experiences for our patrons through SimplyE which is easy to install and navigate. SimplyE provides over 5,000 books for your reading pleasureContinue Reading
1902: NAACP leader born in Round Rock On this day in 1902, Juanita Shanks Craft was born in Round Rock, Texas. Her long record as a civil-rights activist began when she joined the Dallas branch of the NAACP in 1935. She was appointed Dallas NAACP membership chairman in 1942 andContinue Reading
1887: Violence presages end of notorious red-light district On this day in 1887, “Longhair Jim” Courtright, former town marshall of Fort Worth, was killed in a gunfight with Luke Short. This was one of the most famous gunfights in western history–and, contrary to the movie legends, one of the fewContinue Reading
1855: Cowboy, author, and detective born on Texas coast On this day in 1855, Charles Siringo was born in Matagorda County. Beginning in 1870, he worked as a cowboy, part of the time for Shanghai Pierce, and later helped establish the LX Ranch. While working as an LX cowboy, heContinue Reading
1879: First Czech newspaper in Texas On this day in 1879, the first issue of the Texan, the first Czech newspaper in Texas, appeared. Though the periodical, published by E. J. Glueckman, lasted little more than a decade, it reflected the rich influence of the Czech culture in Texas and wasContinue Reading