Our Facebook Groups

M O R E W A C O H I S T O R Y…

Thank you for being a part of us! Posted below is a full list of the Waco, Texas pages and groups we manage, and we want to invite you to be a part of as many of them as you want! Click on any link, and it will take you there, and you can join or “like”.

And be sure to follow the “Waco Blog” at our website http://www.wacotexashistoryinpictures.com

GROUPS

“Waco, Texas History in Pictures”
Photos and memories of Waco, Texas
https://www.facebook.com/groups/440335416074300/

“Historical Bosqueville, Texas (pre-1965)”
A community with a rich history…just out North 19th and across the Bosque Bridge!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/historicalbosquevilletexas/

“The Old Lake Waco and Dam”
Photos and memories of the 1930 Waco Dam, including the transition to the present Lake Waco.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/oldlakewacodam/

“1953 Waco Tornado Memorial”
Photos, videos and newspaper articles from the week that followed the May 11, 1953 Waco tornado.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1953WacoTexasTornado/

PAGES

“Waco, Texas: That’s My Hometown”
Historic AND current pictures and events in Waco, Texas
https://www.facebook.com/wacotexashistory/

“Waco, Texas: Centennial 1849-1949”
A celebration of Waco’s First One Hundred Years!
https://www.facebook.com/pg/Waco-Texas-Centennial-1849-1949-1098824286938153/

“Waco, Texas: African American Heritage”. A historical record of the African American community in Waco, Texas.
https://www.facebook.com/Waco-Texas-African-American-Heritage-108562367569379/

“Bosqueville-China Spring, Texas: Now and Then”
Historic AND current pictures and events in Bosqueville, Texas
https://www.facebook.com/Bosqueville-Texas-Now-and-Then-791622494328166/

1930 Lake Waco Dam

1930 LAKE WACO DAM

This photo of the 1930 Lake Waco Dam was taken from the “airport” side of the lake, looking toward the Waco side. The building at the end of the road is The Brass Rail, and us at the four of the hill of Green Leaf Peninsula. People who remember driving across this bridge/dam recall how noisy it was.

This photo is from Google Images, and we have no information about the date or photographer. If you do, please post it in the comments.

The Construction of the 1930 Lake Waco Dam

The City of Waco formed the Waco Water Commission in 1912. On September 14,1926, a $3,500,000 bond election was passed to finance the building of a dam on the Bosque River. After some concerned citizens complained about the cost of the new dam, it was decided to build a smaller dam, resulting in a smaller lake for around $ 2,500,000. The Waco Water Commission, under the direction of Cecil C. Shear, Chairman, hired the engineering firm of Floyd and Lochridge as Chief Engineer, and W.E. Callahan Construction Company as the General Contractor. George W. Goethals, famous for building the Panama Canal, was hired to come to Waco to review the plans. He was impressed with the plans, and gave his approval. The cost was estimated at $2,000,000, and the estimated completion date was July of 1930.

Workmen began clearing land for the dam in December of 1928. Construction on the dam began on January 2, 1929, with T.C. Shuler serving as Resident Engineer. Over 25,000 cords of wood resulted from the clearing of 2,800 acres. Soon came the construction of a concrete plant, woodmill, camp houses and a dining hall large enough for 100 workers.

Crews worked day and night, and the Lake Waco Dam was completed in April 1930, storing over 130,000 acre feet of water, and securing 39,000 acre feet of water annually. This dam served the City of Waco until a new dam was built beginning July 5, 1958. The new dam was dedicated in 1965.

Sources: WCCC-TV’s “Water: A Resource for Life-The History of Waco’s Water” (Mark Randolph, Editor) and historical newspaper articles.

The Old Waco Dam, built in 1930. Photographer unknown. From The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Postcards!

POSTCARDS:BUILDINGS
This is the latest photo gallery added to our WEBSITE.

We are in the process of organizing our photos into the following photo galleries. In the near future, we will be adding:
POSTCARDS: STREET SCENES
POSTCARDS: BIRD’S EYE/AERIAL VIEWS
POSTCARDS: CAMP MACARTHUR
POSTCARDS: RESTAURANTS, HOTELS, MOTELS
POSTCARDS: RIVERS, LAKES, PARKS
POSTCARDS: MISCELLANEOUS

Look for more soon!

Postcard image from eBay.

The Amazing Zenora Scott

“Zenora Scott, left, worked as cook at the Waco Methodist Home for 36 years, and for over a decade she prepared meals for the hundreds of students who ate in the main dining room. When the new student center kitchen replaced the old kitchen, she moved there and continued cooking. Famed for her yeast rolls, Scott prepared them for Superintendents Johnson, Copeland, and Daniels successively, and she observed the all-white institution which had first employed her integrate first the children, then the house mothers, and finally the social workers. Of all the children whom Scott knew, she remembered Dawnyce Martin as the friendliest. ‘She would always come down from her dormitory upstairs over the dining room and visit with me. She was always a nice girl and I will never forget her.’ Photo courtesy of Methodist Home Archives.”

From the book “Centennial” (1990) by Patricia Ward Wallace.

Valentine’s Day-Waco Style!

Wacoans have always loved Valentine’s Day…these ads and newspaper clippings prove it! Touch/click each picture to see the full photo.

  • The Waco News Tribune, February 14, 1952.
  • The Waco Tribune Herald, June 27, 1957.
  • The Waco Tribune Herlad, February 17, 1952.
  • The Waco Tribune Herald, February 16, 1947.
  • The Waco Tribune Herald, February 11, 1934.
  • The Waco Tribune Herald, February 10, 1957.
  • The Waco Tribune Herald, February 10, 1957.
  • The Waco Tribune Herald, February 10, 1952.
  • The Waco Tribune Herald, February 10, 1957.
  • The Waco Tribune Herald, February 10, 1952.
  • The Waco Tribune Herald, February 10, 1952.
  • The Waco Tribune Herald, February 10, 1952.
  • The Waco Tribune Herald, February 10, 1952.
  • The Waco Tribune Herald, February 10, 1952.
  • The Waco Tribune Herald, February 10, 1952.
  • The Waco Tribune Herald, February 10, 1952.
  • The Waco Tribune Herald, February 8, 1959.
  • The Waco Morning News, February 14, 1917.
  • The Waco Morning News, February 7, 1917.
  • The Waco News Tribune, September 7, 1966.
  • The Waco News Tribune, February 14, 1966.
  • The Waco News Tribune, February 12, 1922.
  • The Waco News Tribune, February 13, 1924.
  • The Waco News Tribune, February 13, 1963.
  • The Waco News Tribune, February 11, 1966.
  • The Waco News Tribune, February 11, 1966.
  • The Waco Daily Examiner, February 14, 1882.
  • The Waco Citizen, February 13, 1959.
  • The Waco Citizen, February 10, 1984.

Smallest Church in the World

Smallest Church in the World
Layman’s Time Shop
909 Columbus

According to the back of this postcard, this little building had an 8’ x 8’ sanctuary, eight seats, a pipe organ, a pulpit and a recording machine for making records. According to a a June 22, 2013 article in The Waco Tribune Herald, this church building was at another location and active in the 1930s and 1940s and the pastor was Rev. Bernie Hayter. In 1949, it was moved to 909 Columbus and became “Layman’s Time Shop”.

Postcard photo from our personal collection.

Willie Nelson and Zeke Varner

“Zeke Varner was one of the best friends I ever had. From the time I was 14 until he died last year, we were the best of buddies. We drank together and gambled together. Zeke played all games, from pool to poker to dominoes. He was an expert at them all. The first time I remember meeting Zeke was at the Nite Owl in West, Texas. He was always one of my biggest fans. When I played with Bud Fletcher and the Texans at the Nite Owl, Chief’s Bloody Bucket, Shadowland, The County Line, all the beer joints around Waco and West, Zeke was there every night.””

From the book “The Facts of Life” (2002) by Willie Nelson.

Willie Nelson and Zeke Varner. From the book “The Facts of Life” (2002) by Willie Nelson.