Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Throughout its history, Varner-Hogg Plantation, in Brazoria County, has been home to well-known Texans — including the family of James S. Hogg, the first native-born governor of Texas.

The Hoggs purchased the property in 1901. They bought it and made a cottage, a country home for them to go and retreat to.

Kandy Taylor-Hille, is Varner-Hogg site manager.

James Stephen Hogg also bought it because he very personally felt and thought after his involvement in Beaumont with Spindletop there was oil on the property. And he was right! Never found this out unfortunately in his lifetime, but by the 1920s this land was giving over $40,000 a day up in oil to the Hogg family. That’s where their real riches came from. He made some money in politics, but his children, this three sons and daughter, Miss Ima Hogg, were the ones who really prospered from it. All the wonderful things they did for Houston and for Texas was because of the oil they received from this property and the money from that.

The home remained in the Hogg family until in 1957, at which time Miss Ima Hogg donated the renovated property to the state. It was dedicated and opened for visitation on her father’s birthday in 1958.

And this Saturday Varner-Hogg celebrates Ms. Ima Hogg’s birthday from noon to 2 and you’re invited. Find a link to park information and directions at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show for today…with research and writing help from Loren Seeger…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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July 7, 2007 — Varner-Hogg Plantation SHS — Miss Ima’s Birthday — In recognition of the birthday of Miss Ima Hogg, Houston philanthropist and only daughter of Gov. and Mrs. James Stephen Hogg, we will celebrate with cake and punch on the porch of Miss Ima’s Cottage. Noon-2 p.m. (979) 345-4656.

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Only a handful of historic lighthouses remain standing; among them — the 155 year old Port Isabel Lighthouse on the Lower Laguna Madre. Perhaps you’ve been there… and as you climbed the spiral staircase to the top… wondered about the people who tread those same steps… more than a hundred years ago.

The lighthouse was used during the Civil War by the Confederate and the Union soldiers back in 1866.

Port Isabel lighthouse keeper, Gabriel Gildinas.

During the war, the light had been removed. The soldiers could use it as a lookout tower. The Confederate soldiers would be stationed upstairs and they would make sure none of the Union soldiers were moving into this area.

Removing the light wasn’t the only modification made to the lighthouse during the Civil War. The handrail was moved to the right of the staircase. Doing so gave occupying forces at the top… an advantage over those climbing the stairs.

The soldiers that would be upstairs, when they’re coming down, they want to be able to use their right hand [to shoot their guns], so if any soldiers [enemy forces] are going up to the top of the lighthouse, they’d be forced to have to use their left hand. It gave the soldiers that were stationed inside the lighthouse an advantage.

Of course, this assumes all soldiers were right handed.

Find a link to more information about the Port Isabel Lighthouse State Historic Site at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show for today…with research and writing help from Loren Seeger…

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

For most of its 155 year history, the Port Isabel Lighthouse, like a lonely sentry, kept silent watch over ships that ventured into the shallow gulf waters of the lower Laguna Madre. One of sixteen lighthouses serving the state, this renovated structure is evocative of a bygone era; one that continues to capture the imagination of visitors.

A lot of people are fascinated with lighthouses.

Gabriel Gildinas is Port Isabel’s lighthouse keeper.

A lot of the visitors that we have are inland, so seeing a lighthouse is like finding treasure to them. It’s just an unbelievable site that they want to come, they want to experience this. It brings a lot to their imaginations. You just see the children. They’re just unbelievably fascinated with it. They just want to run up the stairs.

New technologies have made the need for lighthouses obsolete. But at one time – they were lifesavers.

Well, in the past, the use of this lighthouse was mainly to help the ships in this area. At the time, this was one of the largest shipping ports in the entire world. The lighthouses, they really don’t serve much of a purpose nowadays because of the GPS- global positioning system, but back in that time, lighthouses were like the GPS. The only way you could navigate and knows what’s in front of you is by knowing there’s a lighthouse right there.

Find a link to more information about the Port Isabel Lighthouse at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show for today…with research and writing help from Loren Seeger…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

In June, the Texas Archaeological Society (TAS) offers a Field School where folks dig in the dirt to explore our state’s history. Bryan Jameson is Field School Committee Chairman.

I have people who come up to me and I’ll mention archeology and they think of dinosaurs, and archeology obviously is the study of the people of the past. That’s why archeology sites are so important.

The 2007 Field School takes place in Menard, and celebrates the historic site of Presidio San Saba.

This year represents the 250th anniversary of Presidio San Saba. We’re going to do some excavations at the Presidio with the intent of hoping to define more of the architecture, features that we may find to help us figure out what the daily life of these people in an 18th century post would have been like.

TAS promotes the importance of archeology with hands-on activities and education during the summer event.

We’re trying to educate everyone as much as we can as to the importance of archeology and this is one way to accomplish that. Archeology sites are a very limited resource. So, hopefully by people coming and attending and being part of it, they realize exactly what we are trying to say to them. Preservation of our history can only be accomplished by these means.

Field School is June 9th through 16th. Register online at www.txarch.org…. the deadline is May 31st.

Tomorrow, getting kids involved in archeology.

That’s our show for today…with research and writing help from Loren Seeger…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Window to the Past is a segment airing on the Texas Parks and Wildlife television series the week of May 13. Series writer/producer, Alan Fisher, says it examines prehistoric rock art in the lower Pecos River Region of Texas.

In the canyons and cliffs in and around Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site, there are these amazing pictographs – ancient rock paintings.

You go down right in that canyon and you step back three-thousand, four-thousand years.

We followed, not only the personnel at the state park there, but also some scholars who were doing some of the latest research on trying to figure out what these rock paintings really mean to the people who made them so long ago.

Now, another symbol in this rock art that is what is called a crenelated arch; it is there to represent the physical barrier between the real world and the spirit world, or the after world.

There aren’t too many places you can look at something that was made by human hands that is that old in Texas, or really anywhere in North America. So, it’s really remarkable to stand before a painting that was painted so long ago and try to imagine what the people who made it were thinking and what their lives must have been like.

The Window to the Past segment airs the week of May 13, as part of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Television Series.

Check your local listings.

That’s our show for today… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

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