Wise About Texas

Wise About Texas


Latest Episodes

EP. 103: A Fair Likeness?
August 03, 2021

In the early 1920's, the City of Houston was building what would come to be known as Hermann Park. Its centerpiece was to be a statue of Sam Houston. Enrico Cerracchio won the contract and his creat

BONUS EPISODE: The Juneteenth Legacy Project with Sam Collins III
June 26, 2021

Galveston native Sam Collins III had a vision to bring Texas history and the Juneteenth story to its home in a grand way. Enlisting the help of a team of artists, technology experts, and the Galveston community,

Ep. 102: Juneteenth and the Celebration of Freedom
June 19, 2021

On June 19, 1865, union general Gordon Granger landed in Galveston and issued some general orders. His General Order No. 3 informed the people of Texas that all the slaves in Texas were now free. Since then,

Ep. 101: The San Jacinto Battle Flag
June 01, 2021

The victorious Texians only carried one flag into the Battle of San Jacinto. It was a gift from the citizens of Newport, Kentucky to Sidney Sherman. After the revolution, the flag was sent back to Kentucky. But after several decades,

EP. 100: The San Jacinto Monument(s)
April 21, 2021

The San Jacinto monument stands 567 feet over a battleground upon which a ragtag army changed the trajectory of world history. A few hundred Texians surprised the President of Mexico and his army in an afternoon attack on April 21, 1836.

Ep. 99: A Letter From Goliad
March 28, 2021

On March 27, 1836, several hundred Texian soldiers were brutally murdered on the orders of Santa Anna. One of them, John C. Logan, left us two letters. The first was written at a time of optimism and victory.

Ep. 98: Writing Texas History with James L. Haley
March 02, 2021

James L. Haley is one of Texas' finest writers. He has written a preeminent biography of Sam Houston, an award winning narrative history of Texas called Passionate Nation as well as several works of fiction, also very highly regarded.

Ep. 97: Victory or Death-The Travis Letter
February 24, 2021

From February 23, 1836 through its fall on March 6, the Mexican army lay siege to the Alamo. William Barrret Travis wrote several letters during the siege but one stands above all others.  On February 24, 1836,

EP. 96: The All-Woman Supreme Court
January 31, 2021

In 1925, there were only a few women lawyers in Texas. But women still couldn't serve as jurors and nobody dreamed there would ever be a female judge. Then a real estate lawsuit came to the Texas Supreme Court involving a mutual life insurance company ...

EP. 95: Texas Towns: Welcome to Provident City!
January 04, 2021

In the early 20th century, Texas had room to grow.  Like the empresarios of the early 1800's, real estate drove efforts to settle new Texans.  But not all developers were honest.  Promises of historically productive land,