I visited some rural Texas towns that have changed little in the past 60 years. Towns visited: Commerce, Texas Ladonia, Texas Honey Grove, Texas Whitewright, Texas Trenton, Texas Leonard, Texas Farmersville, Texas Travel Vlog# 142
In Texas, "Bois D' Arc" is usually pronounced like "Bo Dark" or "Board Arc". It is an extremely HARD wood, it was used as Foundation Stumps for Houses for a long time. It is very resistant to DECAY. Small Bois D' Arc pegs were used as "fillings" in decayed human teeth back in the old days so they say. The wood is very dense and hard and will dull a Chainsaw in nothing flat. It is invasive, what many people call a TRASH TREE. It grows slowly but will invade a pasture and if they get a stand can cost some considerable money to remove. They also have THORNS that can ruin a Tractor tire even worse than a Mesquite tree. Many of those OLD houses you are "admiring" have Bois D' Arc Stump foundations. The Bios D' Arc stumps can possibly outlast CONCRETE. Concrete can "cure out" in about 125 years and turns to dust. You can find Houses with Bois D' Arc Stmps for piers that are OLDER than 125 years and the stumps are still good. They are just laborious to gather and install as they take a LONG TIME to "grow" and very hard to "harvest" as they will dull a saw in a hurry. Then pier holes must be dug etc. It is much faster and easier to use Concrete and concrete will outlast the highest and best use of some many structrues built today. These trees bear a disgusting fruit some people call a "Horse Apple" not that horses will eat it. You see horses nibble on it as an act of curiosity. They don't like them. The DEMISE of Agriculture has destroyed many small towns in Texas. These towns are reminders of better days and better places of the agricultural past. Now we have a few HUGE OLIGARCHS that control "Agri-Business" and Urban Sprawl have made land so expensive NOBODY can Farm it. Nowadays NOBODY can buy locally produced agricultural products, so we have more and more super processed foods and the problems that go with them. Fast Cross Country Trucking has played a huge role in hauling Agri-Business Produce from California to the East Coast and everywhere in between. They haul Oranges from California to Florida and Oranges grown in Florida are hauled to California etc. Happens all of the time. Sounds insane doesn't it?? There are "reasons" for that, but it is kind of crazy. This does allow the "availability" of various fruits and foodstuffs year around. That is one reason or "benefit" but the cost is great. And will get "greater". You can see the downside of THAT by just looking a FUEL PRICES ALONE. But factor in the ever expanding cost of Equipment, Insurance, Drivers, DEPRECIATION, wear and tear of Equipment and ROADS, and so on. And of course INFLATION caused by Crazy Politicians and economic flaws in neo-Classical Keynesian Economics. The Building of more "Houses and Street" so one can build MORE "houses and streets" is paving over all of Texas that is decent to live in just like California, there is an end game to that. They are going to build 15 more lakes in the North Texas areas to supply WATER to the Urban Sprawl. These lakes of course are built in and on "Bottom Land" which is also known as FARM LAND. So, you can see the problem with that coming at some point. And of COURSE it has to RAIN to charge the lakes. How is that going in Nevada these days? Urban Sprawl will RUIN TEXAS just like it has ruined CALIFORNIA. Just wait and see. Half of the USA is DESERT. There is a problem with that. Half of TEXAS is desert as well. We are not going to run out of LAND, we are going to run out of Air and Water FIRST. You might note that Farmersville has claimed to be the Boyhood Home of Audie Murphy the highly decorated WW II Soldier. He did move around the area though, and lived in Celeste and Greenville as well and possibly another place or two in the same general area before he went in to the Army. My memory is failing me a little bit on his background. He "moved" several times due to his difficult issues he faces as a boy. Davy Crockett lost his last election in Tennessee in 1835 and died in March 1836, so factor in the SLOW overland Travel of his day, he didn't do much "Town Building" in Honey Grove. However it is widely known he camped in the Honey Grove area and liked the country side there, at least it is widely "stated". From his failed Election attempt in November 1835 in Tennessee and then traveling to Texas and being killed in March 1836, well, he was a busy fellow in those last few months. So, I cannot see him doing any Town Founding much. But, the mention of the area has been quoted by many people of the day and beyond as he was a famous man somewhat in his time. Nearby Bonham Texas is one of the OLDEST towns in Texas. That North Texas area was much traveled through by settlers migratiing to Texas. My own ancestors have shown up in the general area as they migrated in to Texas a long time ago. I myself lived in Fannin County Texas back in the 1950's before we moved to where we are now. These almost Ghost Towns are probably inevitable as times always change. The per capita INCOME is very low in many of these areas. You can SEE that with the Deferred Maintenance of the Housing and the old Commercial buildings. As a RULE the biggest employer in these areas is the GOVERNMENT of one stripe or another. Some of them cannot even support a WAL-Mart which I see as a GOOD THING most of the time. You can wear a car out driving to these places in Texas and Oklahoma. Same thing is going on in Southern Illinois, need I mention the Deep SOUTH, the Dust Bowl Area, and so on. This is an interesting video, I Liked and subbed. Thanks BB.
Just wanted to comment on trucking items like oranges back and forth from California and Florida. The companies that are doing this the most, is to make bigger profits. When it sits in the other state for 48 hours the can then leagaly call them that states name. So they can ship Florida oranges ect. to California for 48 hours and bring them back to Florida and sell them for a higher price as "California" oranges and vice versa..companies do the same thing shipping cheese to Wisconsin !!
The opposite of Keynesian economics is Reaganomics (or Supply Side economics) which is responsible for devastating recessions. Unfortunately, Commerce did get a Walmart, and I have no doubt that that helped kill the vitality of its downtown. Temple, which is where I was born, had a thriving downtown in the 1950s and even into the 1960s, with a central square surrounding the Municipal Building (since Temple was not the county seat), but its downtown has never recovered from the flight to the tacky malls at the edges of town. I grew up on a farm in Bell County, and the land around that farm is now being converted to horse farms and llama retreats, despite having no large central city in the Killeen-Temple metro area. Killeen is on the opposite side of the county from where I grew up.
So many east Texas towns look the same. We are proud of our cities and towns. Love our sports and it's a great place to raise children. Some of our yards are cluttered but you won't find better people .We absolutely have the best.
My Grandaddy was the pastor of First Methodist Church, Commerce, before World War I. He enlisted, went to France, and served as a chaplain. He saw some terrible things, was struck in the helmet with shrapnel and nearly killed, and his hearing was permanently impaired due to prolonged cannon fire. But he made it home (obviously, because I'm here!) and served the Lord for many years, doing good.
love to watch from pakistan, i am very fond to explore western culture and towns of the USA, great beautifula and fascinating video, keep sharing please
Thank you for producing these videos. You are taking us to places in the United States that many of us (me included) will never see! There isn't enough time left!
The city is home to Texas A&M University-Commerce, a four-year university of more than 12,000 students that has been in the town since 1894. Commerce is one of the smallest college towns in Texas.
I grew up in Leonard in the 80s and early 90s. Except for Commerce, all of the towns listed we competed against in sports. Also, the Leonard Public Library was started by my grandmother on my mother's side of the family. That cafe you showed on the square was an empty, derelict building the entire time I lived there.
In Honeygrove, you found a great many large old houses with intricate woodworking; these kinds of houses have always been referred to as Gingerbread Houses, because of their many angles, wrap around porches, columns and often times exquisite work working detail.
Excellent video! Love seeing these Texas towns! Loved the house in Honey Grove with the copper turret. Those were Muscovy ducks at the park in Whitewright. Farmersville is lovely. Thank you! ❤️
The oldest tree and probably the largest tree is a Live Oak tree in Landa Park in New Braunfels, TX. This tree is older then the state itself and they say is over 400 years old. I go and sit under this tree that over looks the Comal River. It’s so peaceful.
Ladonia appreciates the exposure :)❤ yes there’s more to the town like the fossil river and the new lake being built but the heart of the town is really the square and the schools ❤️
I work for a company and that whole area (Bonham, Paris, Commerce, Ladonia, down to Sulphur Springs and Mount Pleasant) and I love the whole area. I grew up in the Sherman/Denison area and I never want to leave.
I grew up in a rural Texas town POP 879. I was always proud of my hometown. Today, it is nothing but traffic jams, zero lot lines, red lights and high crime. POP 55,000 and I wouldn't give you fifteen cents in Mexican money for it.
You said that you didn’t like the way the house was built on brick pilings, my grandmother’s house in El Campo was built on brick pilings just like that. Her home was built in 1893, and was a Victorian with wraparound porches. Having it up off of the ground kept it cool in the summer, especially since South Texas summers are so hot and humid. She didn’t get air conditioning until the mid 1960’s, because my parents were tired of going there and trying to sleep after coming from our house where they kept the air conditioning set on 68° year around. My grandmother didn’t get a refrigerator until 1960, after my mom took us there for a weekend and my grandmother’s milk was spoiled because her “ice box” didn’t keep it cold enough, even though the block ice man came by everyday. Those were some simple times.
I would like you to go to Pecan Gap and Cooper. After WW11 my family lived at Pecan Gap. We farmed till we couldn't make any money. My Daddy sold our milk cow in 1950. He paid a Dentist in Ladonia to make dentures for him. He was buried with the dentures in his mouth in 2015. The dentist was really good as Daddy never had trouble with them. Cotton was the crop everyone grew. I can proudly say, I never picked cotton.
I’d buy a shirt if you ever decided to make merchandise that says “That’s a mansion!” Yay, you’re coming BACK to San Antonio! I feel like you all didn’t do it Justice last time y’all came by here! We have so many nice historical places to see. 🙌🏻
I love your videos but i especially love the comments! What a delight to get the back story from all the people who lived or worked in these small towns! Thanks so much.
The lady and I love your channel. Thank you for putting the names of the towns in the video description. If I choose to be sane and stop fighting to save my ancestral home here in Nor Cal... I'm looking for a quiet place that time has forgotten to settle down. Places far away from big liberal cities, cancer that infest good people, and good towns. Thanks to Sacramento being 45 minutes away, our city deals with as many as a couple over doses a year. Don't get me started on the crime and how bad that's gotten. Anyway thanks again. Your videos give me hope, and something to look forward to.
the tree in commerce is bois d'arc the name changed to bodark (bow dark) its an Osage orange tree. named after the Osage Indians and the name bodark means bow wood and its what the natives used to make bows from it was strong was best wood for bows .
My grandmother graduated from the Teacher's College in Commerce in the 1920's at the age of 16. It was the closest college to Mt. Pleasant for many, many years.
Some even say " Bo-Dart" lol. I lived east TX for a while. They called it horse apple too. I know one thing, they bring a pretty penny due to outlasting steel T posts. Some tough wood right there.
@@jwiLx When camping out there, we'd always look for some bois d'arc on the ground. That stuff burned forever so kept the campfire going for a long time.
People in Louisiana call it Bwa-dark, and I've heard people in east Texas pronounce it that way also. "Bo-dark" is the hillbilly pronunciation and is more common.
What a blast from the past! I grew up in Commerce and you passed by my old home. It's in terrible disrepair now, makes me really sad for some reason. Great video, thanks Brother.
There is a lady (& hubby) I watch on RU-vid who grew up in Richardson TX. Her husband also from the area - but a smaller town.) I mention her because you might get a kick out of the channel. It's called Our 80s Life. She grew up in 80s and is into anything about the 80s. They go to concerts. Estate sales. Movie locations. Im a 70s/80s kid, myself. 😊
I really like the vibe of the first town. It's looks almost like my town where I live here, many trees and the humid weather, and the wooden houses. Loved it.
WOW!!!! Going on this car trip with you gave me so much joy in my heart !! I loved it. My son and I always go through small towns on the way to anywhere from Ft Worth. Honey Grove enchanted me. That building you liked was probably once a bank. Banks always has their front doors facing both streets to see bank robbers. I grew up in a small town in Kansas . It looked like these. Just so happy for your video ! Thank you!
Wow the historic 2 story houses ,, ahhh I,m in love,,there beautiful ,, my aunt lived in a southern style house it was built in the 1800,s with6 columns across the front and a big front porch,,loved to go visit when I was a kid she inherited it and had it remodel ,, sure enjoyed these videos of your travel,s to different places ,,thanks
Texas A&M-Commerce used to be East Texas State University. My brother went there in the '60's. He gave me a sweatshirt for Christmas one year with their lion mascot on the front and back. I wore it till I outgrew it.
Hi Lord Spoda Thanks for this cool video. Nice Texas rural towns. Very peaceful. Feeding birds at 25.25 is interesting. Infectious enjoyment. Thanks for sharing.
I love your videos, very informative both geographically and entertaining at the same time. I know Texas is such a big state, but now I’m getting acquainted with the towns of this state.
I'm loving your videos! I only recently came across your channel and I'm hooked. It seems I have a lot of catching up to do... I'm a retired Aussie. I've visited the States a few times over the years, but the last time was in the late 80s, so it's been quite a while now. I probably won't get there again at this remove, got too much going on at home these days (I'm retired from work, not from life, lol) but this is the next best thing, getting to see all these fascinating places which I will never get to see for myself thanks to your terrific videos. Happy travels mate, stay safe, and I look forward to joining you on more of your entertaining jaunts. Cheers and thanks!
Recently found this channel on another video and decided to see what other towns you did to see if I found a place I lived for a few years. I lived in Trenton and visited most of these towns while living there. It's been over 20 years and the town looks the same. The "new" buildings in downtown are there because there was a fire there that took out the old buildings.
This is a great video, I love getting on the backroads and finding treasures like these. I didn't know there was a Commerce Texas. There is a Commerce Georgia about 60 miles N.E. of Atlanta whose claim to fame is is the hometown to Country Music Singer and song writer "Whispering Bill Anderson". Farmersville makes me think of Madison, Georgia. it has a lot of beautiful antebellum homes that survived Sherman"s march through Georgia. Thank you for sharing this wonderful video.
I remember driving through small towns as a child with my father to go to visit relatives that lived in the small towns. The relatives we visited had beautiful back yard with pretty tress cover. Small ponds with frogs.
Oh, "Whispering Bill Anderson!" I'll never forget seeing him in Foster, RI in 1982. He opened for Ed Bruce, one of my faves. I was having a root canal the next day but this put my mind at ease. Thanks for the memories, Allen!
Several years ago I researched Texas towns that have suffered at least a 50% population decline or been completely abandoned ... came up with over 3400 locations.
I apologize if you’ve done this already, but I think it would be really cool if you filmed the drive from town to town and sped it up quickly as a transition between your destinations!
Some beautiful town squares that come to mind are Comanche Texas, Brady Texas, my personal favorite is Mason Texas you have fort Mason up on the hill along with a lot of Old Stone homes and fences and a huge beautiful whole turn of the century mansion. Also golliad and Gonzalez.
Husband is watching football, as I catch up on some travel videos for possible new destinations for our own travels. You are showing me areas I feel I can avoid and use my travel time more wisely elsewhere. I do love old architecture, which those little old towns tend to have just sitting there rotting sometimes. It's a shame. Another shameful thing is the trash and unkept property there is .And that is in so many states. Those old victorian style homes are gorgeous , problem is getting them restored to code will cost tons . It's hard to find buyers that is willing to put in the cost for a home in a town hanging by a thread, the location of many of those homes are their downfall many times and the cost to restore.them. It's a shame to see them just rot away and mother nature take over. Safe travels , , enjoy your ride.
@@bunnygaffney2765 I heard that was a great place to eat. The old feed mill, Sextons is the name, has turned into a bar and grill right on the Paluxy. Fun place with axe throwing too.
Watching this from The Netherlands. I watch this and your news as a non-fiction western, love it. Your country is so new. All the history is from yesterday and stil here to see. Thanks for showing this.
I'm finding it interesting to try to mirror your travels through these towns on Google Maps' street view and see the difference in some of the structures. The same brown van you passed in Ladonia after you turned around at the closed road is still sitting there. I need a hobby*
Aw, no you don't. There's nothing wrong with seeing EVERYTHING in this country. It's my goal with this channel. And you might be surprised to know that a LOT of people here do the exact same thing you do - follow on Google Maps. I think it's awesome! :)
Wow, these towns are booming compared to West Texas (not on the Permian). Because Texas has so many counties, these towns aren’t going to completely go away. Each has a local government, complete with a police force, utilities and the like. For those towns not near oil, they are heavy on low paying but relatively plentiful agricultural jobs.
I'm from texas born and raised. I love going through these small old towns wish there was one where I live. I live in southeast texas. They all pretty much have the square. Love the house with the American flags. You obviously are not from the south if an old store fascinates you lol...everyone noticed you with a camera on the square now the whole town will know your there . The old huge mansion homes are all over the south. The upkeep on these homes are unheard of to the common folk. To keep that house cool no telling what the electric bill would be. I would love to have one and redo it.
Thank you for the interesting videos. Just to let you know that I appreciate that you list the towns you visit in your description, etc. This helps me to check them out easily in Goggle Earth, etc. at my leisure.
I just subscribed to your channel. I love small towns, old buildings, and old homes. This video caught my eye with the title RURAL TEXAS Towns Where Time Has Stood Still - Far Off the Interstate. I would love to live in one of those small towns, but at age 74, I need to stay in the larger cities for medical care. I was born and raised in San Antonio, and am still living here, so I'm going to watch your San Antonio video next. I'm hoping you got some of the fantastic homes in the King William area. Thank you for this great small town video.
I moved to San Antonio 40 years ago and still here. I do not like how they have been so busy changing so much. I'm in my 70's also, remembering my Dad always said "If it's not broken, don't fix it," I've never thought San Antonio was broken. For me it's so sad to see things and place going away.
Honey Grove was hit by a really bad storm in May (I’m still not sure if it was a tornado or just bad straight line winds). It took out a ton of trees and caused damage to just about every property. It took me almost six months to get all the damage to my place fixed. That church and gazebo were In gorgeous condition prior to the storm. Hopefully they can get it properly restored. You were a block away from my house, which was built in 1894, but you turned. Kinda bummed. I’m getting ready to put it on the market, and that would have been a neat way to get more exposure for it! 😂
Good day, Joe! I wish you would have said something about Texas A & M Commerce. It seems like a university would have a bigger impact on a small town than a large tree would.
Haven't been to these towns in particular, but it's very interesting how many towns had the same center! Ozona looks a lot like these places too it's so cool.
My tenure at ft hood Texas. I learned about Topsy Texas. Every fall there is a great dance off "square dancing" so I would save. Some of my off time and party in topsie.
