You've done it too, haven't you? A small sign on the highway catches your attention: "Historical Marker ahead." But there's almost never enough interest to actually stop and read the text. Too much to do. Someplace to be.
I've often wished for a website that would provide the information without requiring the interruption of stopping the car. Yesterday, I learned that such a site already exists for our Texas Historical Markers. An entry on the Facebook page for the Abilene Preservation League pointed me to an interactive map listing Texas historical sites. Be sure to allow some time if you do visit the map. Something like that can be addictive.
Not all the markers denote the exact place of the event they mark. Here's a segment from a marker southwest of Abilene: "One mile southeast to Fort Chadbourne. . . " The marker at Coronado's camp is honest enough to say: "In 1541, the Spanish explorer Coronado is thought to have passed this way en route from New Mexico to the fabled Indian villages of "Quivira", though his path across vast Texas plains is now difficult to determine." But at least none of them say: "On this spot January 13, 1333 absolutely nothing happened."
If you're looking for information on nearby buildings with interesting history, try the Abilene Preservation League's site. Membership information is available at the site.
I've often wished for a website that would provide the information without requiring the interruption of stopping the car. Yesterday, I learned that such a site already exists for our Texas Historical Markers. An entry on the Facebook page for the Abilene Preservation League pointed me to an interactive map listing Texas historical sites. Be sure to allow some time if you do visit the map. Something like that can be addictive.
Not all the markers denote the exact place of the event they mark. Here's a segment from a marker southwest of Abilene: "One mile southeast to Fort Chadbourne. . . " The marker at Coronado's camp is honest enough to say: "In 1541, the Spanish explorer Coronado is thought to have passed this way en route from New Mexico to the fabled Indian villages of "Quivira", though his path across vast Texas plains is now difficult to determine." But at least none of them say: "On this spot January 13, 1333 absolutely nothing happened."
If you're looking for information on nearby buildings with interesting history, try the Abilene Preservation League's site. Membership information is available at the site.
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