Texas Backroads Weekly

Often cited as the most photographed building in Texas. The Backstory Completed in 1897, the Ellis County Courthouse is a pink granite and red sandstone fortress that looks more like a European castle than a local center of government. It was built during a time when Waxahachie was the "Cotton King" of North Texas, and the town wanted a building that reflected its immense wealth. They certainly got what they paid for; the structure cost an astronomical $150,000 at the time—a fortune in the late 19th century. The building is famous not just for its scale, but for its intricate details. The sandstone exterior is covered in carvings of faces, animals, and mythical creatures. Legend has it that the Italian stone carver hired for the job was in love with a local woman. As the story goes, his early carvings show her beautiful face, but after she rejected him, he began carving her likeness into the hideous gargoyles that haunt the upper reaches of the building. ...

The historic 1906 bottling plant that birthed an American icon. The Backstory In 1885—one year before Coca-Cola was invented—a pharmacist named Charles Alderton was working at Old Corner Drug Store in Waco. He loved the way the store smelled with all the fruit syrups and soda fountain aromas, and he decided to capture that scent in a drink. He called it a "Waco," but his boss eventually renamed it Dr Pepper . The rest, as they say, is carbonated history. The Dr Pepper Museum is located in the beautiful "Artesian Manufacturing and Bottling Company" building. It served as the company's headquarters and primary plant for decades. Today, it stands as a monument to the 23 secret flavors that make the drink a Texas staple. It isn't owned by the Dr Pepper Snapple Group; it is an independent non-profit dedicated to the history of the entire soft drink industry. 📍 At a Glance Location: 300 S 5th St, Waco, TX 76701 Region: Central T...

The "Cleanest Little City in Texas" and the brewery that put it on the map. The Backstory In 1909, the residents of Shiner, Texas, were tired of drinking beer shipped in from elsewhere, so they formed the Shiner Brewing Association. However, the magic didn't truly begin until 1914, when a Bavarian immigrant named Kosmos Spoetzl arrived. He brought with him a family recipe for a dark, Bavarian-style lager and a copper kettle. He eventually bought the brewery, gave it his name, and the legend of Shiner Bock was born. The brewery’s history is a story of Texas-sized resilience. During Prohibition, Spoetzl kept the doors open by making "near beer" and ice. Legend has it he would occasionally "accidentally" leave a few bottles of the real stuff for the locals. Today, while Shiner is shipped to all 50 states, every single drop is still brewed right here in this small town using the water from the same artesian wells Kosmos used over a century ...

The "Tower Station" that defined the golden age of Route 66. The Backstory In 1936, a man named J.M. Tindall had a vision for a world-class rest stop in the middle of the Texas Panhandle. He commissioned architect Joseph Berry to create something that would stop travelers in their tracks. The result was the Tower Station and U-Drop Inn , a stunning example of "Art Deco" architecture, featuring two flared towers, green neon lights, and intricate glazed tile work. The name "U-Drop Inn" was actually chosen through a local contest (won by an 8-year-old boy). It served as a Conoco gas station, a café, and a retail store, becoming one of the most famous landmarks on the entire stretch of Route 66 between Chicago and Los Angeles. When the Mother Road was bypassed by I-40 in the 1970s, the building fell into decay, but the town of Shamrock eventually saved it, restoring it to its 1930s glory with the help of a federal grant. 📍 At a Glance ...