Texas History Highlights: Indelible Austin, Juneteenth Tours, and Gruene Hall

Coming soon to a digital or bricks-and-mortar shop near you: Volume 5 of Indelible Austin.

Just handled the first finished copies of the fifth collection of my Austin history columns, republished by Waterloo Press, the imprint of the Austin History Center Association.

Updates will follow on a laminated box set of all five volumes, expected out in time for the holiday gift season. The books benefit the nonprofit AHCA, which supports the efforts of the city-run Austin History Center.

This week in the Think Texas newsletter, we’re exploring the once rural Summitt School, which turns 150 this year; a Juneteenth historic house tour in Houston; tiny Sunday Houses in Fredericksburg; George Strait on the legacy of Gruene Hall in Gruene; the story Beaumont pioneer William McFaddin; and a fifth-generation legacy cattle business in Muleshoe.

Summitt School through 150 years of Austin history

This year, the Summitt School turns 150. Founded in 1875, Summitt is six years older than the Austin school district, created in 1881, and one year older than Pease Elementary School, opened in 1876 in Central Austin.

Unlike Pease, however, the original Summitt School building, a one-room log cabin, does not survive at its first location on the northern reaches of Burnet Road. After many moves, the current Summitt Elementary School, now part of AISD, opened in 1986 at 12207 Brigadoon Lane.

Some readers of From the Archives still remember the 1914 country place of learning that was part of the Travis County educational system back in a time when some of those segregated one- or two-room schools were labeled Negro, Colored or Mexican. READ MORE AT THE AMERICAN STATESMAN

Juneteenth home tour traces Black Houstonians’ journey from slavery to homeownership

Tucked under the modern skyscrapers of downtown Houston is a cluster of buildings that quietly carry the weight of history.

On Juneteenth, the Heritage Society of Sam Houston Park opened the doors of three historic homes and a cabin to the public as part of a series sold-out commemorative tours at Sam Houston Park.

About 120 people joined the event across multiple tours on Thursday alone, prompting organizers to add extra tour slots to accommodate demand. Hundreds more have toured the park's homes throughout June, according to the Heritage Society.

Each of the 1800s-era houses — three of which are now UNESCO Sites of Memory — offers a window into a different chapter of Black life in Houston, from enslavement to emancipation. READ MORE AT THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE

Find these 150-year-old tiny houses in popular Fredericksburg

If you've visited the city of Fredericksburg to taste Hill Country wine or historic Texas peaches, you may have noticed diminutive structures peppered around town. They’re called Sunday Houses, and their story started before Texas was even a state.

There was little infrastructure in place when the Republic of Texas won its independence from Mexico in 1836. The new country needed roads, towns and schools, but with coffers drained by war, there was no money to pay for them. What Texas did have was land — lots of land. So much land that word was dispatched to Europe, promising 320 acres to every family willing to take a chance on a new life overseas. READ MORE AT CHRON.COM

'King of Country' reflects on Texas’ oldest dance hall

Texas music history has always had a heartbeat, and for the past 50 years, it's echoed through the weathered walls and hardwood floors of Gruene Hall, the oldest dance hall in the Lone Star State.

The legendary venue is celebrating half a century under the ownership of the Molak family, led by patriarch Pat Molak, who took a chance on a risky vision in 1975, turning Gruene Hall into the iconic crown jewel of Texas music culture it is today, playing a role in shaping the trajectory of artists like George Strait, Robert Earl Keen, Charley Crockett, Asleep at the Wheel, Pat Green and Lyle Lovett. READ MORE AT MYSA.COM

Beaumont pioneer William M. McFaddin was born in 1819

William M McFaddin, one of the first McFaddins in the area, was born June 8, 1819, in Lake Charles. McFaddin moved to Texas in 1823, first living in Liberty before making his way to Beaumont in 1833.

When McFaddin was 16, he served at the siege of Bexar in the Texas Revolution. He also was a member of the group commanded by Thomas J. Rusk that buried the victims of the Goliad Massacre, the Association said.

McFaddin then joined Sam Houston’s army at Columbus and guarded the wounded and baggage at San Jacinto. He was discharged from the Army on his 17th birthday in 1836. READ MORE AT THE BEAUMONT ENTERPRISE

Fifth generation of Cage family keeps business legacy alive

The Cage Cattle Company was established in Muleshoe during the early 1900s, with the fifth generation now helping to continue its legacy.

The business was originally created by James Duncan Cage and has been a family affair for the past five generations. Julie Cage, wife of James Duncan Cage’s grandson, J.D. Cage, said the business was then operated by J.D.’s father, Robert Cage, and eventually, J.D. Julie and J.D.’s son, Jay Cage, and their grandson, Christopher Cage, are now helping to carry the torch of the Cage Cattle Company.

The Cage family’s cattle business is primarily involved in three areas, including running a cow/calf operation with calves being sold yearly, having cattle run on wheat fields during the winter before being sold, and grazing steers in the Kansas flint hills. READ MORE AT MYPLAINVIEW.COM