We may have a lot of small towns here in Texas, but that doesn’t mean nothing important happens. In fact, some events that have impacted the entire country took place in our tiniest towns. Here are 11 of the most noteworthy ones:
- Hemphill
Facebook/Patricia Huffman Smith Museum In 2003, the Columbia space shuttle disintegrated over East Texas upon re-entry to the atmosphere a mere 15 minutes before scheduled touchdown. Although all of the crew members perished, their valuable research did not. The memories of the seven brave men and women and the discoveries they made are preserved in Hemphill’s Patricia Huffman Smith Museum.
- Galveston
Wikimedia Commons When the tragic hurricane of 1900 plagued Galveston, it had a population of only 35,000. Many storms have ravaged the Texas Gulf Coast since then, but none have even come close to being as destructive.
- Goliad
Flickr/matthigh Most people think about San Antonio and the Alamo in regards to the Texas Revolution, but the Battle of Goliad was extremely important as well. It revealed just how cruel Mexico truly was and generated a lot of support for Texas - something that greatly contributed to the success of the war.
- Waxahachie
Wikimedia Commons In the late 1980s, construction was started on what was to be the world’s largest particle accelerator. Unfortunately it was never finished due to budget problems, but how cool is it that this cavernous tunnel is hiding underground in the little town of Waxahachie?
- Beaumont
Flickr/michaelreed My hometown of Beaumont has over 100,000 people today, but had one-tenth of that before the Spindletop Gusher. In 1901, a well at Spindletop struck oil - the first gusher of the Texas Oil Boom. People flocked to the town and a major company, Texaco, was formed. It’s so neat that the town I grew up in had such a major impact on one of the world’s most important industries.
- Lake Jackson
Flickr/Tom Fowler LJTX Selena, one of the most iconic Latin artists in the world, was born here. That’s pretty huge.
- Gonzales
Flickr/Tessie The Battle of Gonzales was the first fight of the Texas Revolution. Mexico requested the return of the cannon it had lent to Gonzales, to which the residents responded with, “Come and Take It!” Every year, the town holds a festival to commemorate the unwavering bravery of Texan troops.
- Wink
Flickr/texasbackroads Around 1980, a sinkhole opened up near the West Texas town of Wink. 22 years later, a second one formed just a mile away. Both are steadily growing, and scientists fear they might converge and wipe the town of 7,000 people completely off the map.
- Glen Rose
Flickr/kittischoen I’d say huge things happened here - if you consider 10-foot tall, 1000+ pound creatures huge. Millions of years ago, dinosaurs walked this very land, and their fossilized footprints can be found at Dinosaur Valley State Park! I wonder how small my feet are compared to theirs…
- Alvin
Flickr/nakrnsm In 1979, Tropical Storm Claudette unleashed 43 inches of rain on the Alvin area in just 24 hours, setting a national record for the most rainfall in a day. The damages cost over $600 million to fix.
- Pecos
Flickr/kkanouse In 1883, the first ever rodeo in the entire WORLD was held in Pecos. That’s a pretty big deal, y’all.
Have you visited any of these towns? What other towns in Texas have huge things happened in?
Facebook/Patricia Huffman Smith Museum
In 2003, the Columbia space shuttle disintegrated over East Texas upon re-entry to the atmosphere a mere 15 minutes before scheduled touchdown. Although all of the crew members perished, their valuable research did not. The memories of the seven brave men and women and the discoveries they made are preserved in Hemphill’s Patricia Huffman Smith Museum.
Wikimedia Commons
When the tragic hurricane of 1900 plagued Galveston, it had a population of only 35,000. Many storms have ravaged the Texas Gulf Coast since then, but none have even come close to being as destructive.
Flickr/matthigh
Most people think about San Antonio and the Alamo in regards to the Texas Revolution, but the Battle of Goliad was extremely important as well. It revealed just how cruel Mexico truly was and generated a lot of support for Texas - something that greatly contributed to the success of the war.
In the late 1980s, construction was started on what was to be the world’s largest particle accelerator. Unfortunately it was never finished due to budget problems, but how cool is it that this cavernous tunnel is hiding underground in the little town of Waxahachie?
Flickr/michaelreed
My hometown of Beaumont has over 100,000 people today, but had one-tenth of that before the Spindletop Gusher. In 1901, a well at Spindletop struck oil - the first gusher of the Texas Oil Boom. People flocked to the town and a major company, Texaco, was formed. It’s so neat that the town I grew up in had such a major impact on one of the world’s most important industries.
Flickr/Tom Fowler LJTX
Selena, one of the most iconic Latin artists in the world, was born here. That’s pretty huge.
Flickr/Tessie
The Battle of Gonzales was the first fight of the Texas Revolution. Mexico requested the return of the cannon it had lent to Gonzales, to which the residents responded with, “Come and Take It!” Every year, the town holds a festival to commemorate the unwavering bravery of Texan troops.
Flickr/texasbackroads
Around 1980, a sinkhole opened up near the West Texas town of Wink. 22 years later, a second one formed just a mile away. Both are steadily growing, and scientists fear they might converge and wipe the town of 7,000 people completely off the map.
Flickr/kittischoen
I’d say huge things happened here - if you consider 10-foot tall, 1000+ pound creatures huge. Millions of years ago, dinosaurs walked this very land, and their fossilized footprints can be found at Dinosaur Valley State Park! I wonder how small my feet are compared to theirs…
Flickr/nakrnsm
In 1979, Tropical Storm Claudette unleashed 43 inches of rain on the Alvin area in just 24 hours, setting a national record for the most rainfall in a day. The damages cost over $600 million to fix.
Flickr/kkanouse
In 1883, the first ever rodeo in the entire WORLD was held in Pecos. That’s a pretty big deal, y’all.
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