Kingsbury School Yard...My Kind of Playground

Here is a post for all you folks who love to rummage through old warehouses and junkyards...

This is the site of the old school house in Kingsbury, sitting right off Highway 90. What a treasure trove of old bits and pieces.

The Victory Has Been Won

On this day of remembrance, we look back and recall our feelings of horror and sorrow as the Twin Towers fell. A blow was struck against the people of the United States in the heart of our great cities of New York and Washington, D.C. and we grieved as the families and friends of the dead mourned their loss. Ten years have passed since September 11, 2001 and still we grieve. Still we mourn.

Yet, we must realize that the blow that was struck did not originate from 19 fanatics flying planes. The blow was struck back in the dark recesses of time when Lucifer shook his fist in the face of God and said,


"I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High." (Isaiah 14: 13, 14)


That was the moment the battle began and it has been raging throughout time. A terrible blow was struck in the garden of Eden when Adam and Eve were enticed into rebellion. The battle continued and the enemy had so hurt mankind that God sent a terrible flood to wipe out the rebellious people. And the battle continued as Jesus came to earth as a little babe born in a stable stall.

Ah, but the good news is that the war has been won and victory is ours, for you see, when Lucifer moved in the hearts of wicked and evil men, he thought that killing the King of Glory would be the death blow for the heavens. Instead, as Jesus hung on the Roman cross, bleeding and beaten beyond recognition, he told the universe,

"IT IS FINISHED!"

And to prove to all creation that the victory over sin and death had been won, Jesus rose from the grave and ascended to the throne room of God Almighty.

The victory has been won, yet the battle still rages until that day when Jesus returns triumphant for his people, the sheep of his pasture, those who has bowed their hearts in shame for their rebellion and asked for his forgiveness.

 I am one of those people. There is nothing I could do on my own to win the fight, but my champion, my savior, Jesus Christ did it all. His pure and holy blood was given to pay my sin debt. It was enough. It was all that was needed. And IT IS FINISHED.

So, as we look back on that terrible Tuesday morning, ten years ago, when the enemy struck a blow to the people of the United States, let us not forget who the real enemy is, and let us not forget that the victory is already won!

The Rail Road and Kingsbury

Today, there are two main roads to Kingsbury. You can travel from I-10 and go north on FM2438, or you can travel Highway 90. Either way, you will pass the train tracks that follow parallel to Highway 90. The railroad has played a significant role in Kingsbury's development and history.

If you will recall, I was originally planning on driving toward Bastrop, a town about 40 miles north-east of Kingbury, on Tuesday. I came down I-10 and took FM2438 to Kingsbury, planning on picking up Highway 90 and heading east. The fire that has been raging in Bastrop is now said to be the worst wild fire ever in Texas history, and I was going to take some photos of the smoke and haze hanging over the land.

When I stopped at the intersection of Highway 90 and FM 2438, I spotted this train. It was stopped in Kingsbury, though it's engine was idling loudly. There were actually some wild flowers blooming, which is very rare due to the severe drought, so I parked my car on the side of the road and got my camera out.

If you follow the cars to the background on the left side of the photo, you can see the haze caused by the smoke from Bastrop. Also, note how the blue sky is all washed out. That is not typical for a cloudless day in Texas.

Anyhow, I digress. I wanted to share a little of the history of Kingsbury with regard to the rail road.

William Guilliam Kingsbury (1823-1896) was born in New York and became a dentist. In 1846, one year after Texas had become a state, he immigrated to Texas. After accompanying a Texas Ranger to Mexico during the Mexican war, he eventually settled in San Antonio in 1851. He wrote about Texas, and his writings caught the attention of the governor, who appointed him the commissioner of immigration. He represented several rail roads and wrote pamphlets which were distributed to people in Europe, encouraging them to immigrate to Texas.

Here is a quote from one of his pamphlets in which he describes Texas:
"I only propose in this paper to glance at the topography and some of the many inducements I am prepared to offer to parties who will settle in that country. These are rich and fertile lands, so cheap that the laboring man may get his board and ten acres for an honest month's work, and the rich man find large profits from his investments. A climate so healthful, that the death rate, taken from official sources, reaches but ten and a half to the thousand. An atmosphere so pure that fresh meat exposed to a free circulation will cure without tainting, and people may sleep out of doors the year round without the slightest risk of fevers.
A country in which law and order is strictly maintained and crime speedily punished; religion respected and churches supported, and a school fund that will give free education to it's children forever. A country in which the agriculturist reaches the highest returns from the least labour and the stock-raiser is furnished the food on which to rear his flocks and herds as free as the water they drink, or the air they breath."1

After reading that, who wouldn't want to come to Texas! Well, due to his efforts, many people immigrated to Texas.  This is the man for whom the town of Kingsbury was named.

More of Kingbsbury's story to follow....

1 September 7,2011. http://books.google.com/books. Re: Konecny, Lawrence and Machann, Clinton. Perilous voyages: Czech and English immigrants to Texas in the 1870s, p.20.

Kingsbury's 1939 Chevrolet

There is something about rusted, retired, forgotten old cars and trucks that pulls at my heart. I adore the colors in the corroded metal. The patina of an old junker is incredible. When I spy such a treasure, I long to spend time examining it. Sometimes, it is behind a fence or in a field and only accessible for viewing with a zoom lens. Once in a while, though, I find one sitting right where I can get to it.

That happened when I was in Kingsbury, yesterday. I spotted this 1939 Chevy and had to make a detour to go take a look. Isn't she gorgeous?

Looking at Kingsbury Through a Lens

Today was a road trip day. I was planning on driving toward Bastrop, since there is a massive fire that has burned thousands and thousands of acres and hundreds of homes, and since the smoke smell has travelled over 60 miles to Seguin. That was my plan. 

However, as I began to drive through Kingsbury, I decided to stop and take a few photos of the old main street buildings. I hadn't taken more than a couple of shots before a car pulled up beside me. 

That is when I met Margaret Taylor. She has lived in Kingsbury all her life. Margaret invited me to her home, which was just down the road, where she had a whole notebook filled with old photographs of the people and the buildings of Kingsbury, going back over one hundred years. Thanks, Margaret, for making your town come alive for me. 

Here are several of the original buildings that make up the old part of town. The building to the far right was a bar that served food. Left of it is Halms' Red and White Grocery Store, and then a meat market and there was a lumber/hardware store, and finally, on the end, was a stage depot. I think I have that right, but I will have to reconfirm that before I will be sure.

Here is a close up of the Red and White store. You can still see remnants of the red and white trimming which edges the porch.

Here is the Railway Saloon, open for business, at the west end of the street...

and the old post office, at the east end of the street.

Margaret graciously made me a copy of one of her old photos of the main street, and you can see the pointed roof of the building which has the buggy parked in front. Looking up at the first photo in this blog, you can spot the same building with a pick up parked out front. Times have changed, haven't they? If you look in the bottom left of this old photo, you can see an old Barnum and Bailey sign.   I look forward to posting more photos from my day trip along with a little of the history of this charming town.

Rejoice!

As we begin another week, let us begin it with praise!

Praise ye the Lord.

Praise God in his sanctuary:

Praise him in the firmament of his power.

Praise him for his mighty acts:

Praise him according to his excellent greatness.

Praise him with the sound of the trumpet:

Praise him with the psaltery and harp.

Praise him with the timbrel and dance:

praise him with stringed instruments and organs.

Praise him upon the loud cymbals: 

Praise him on the high sounding cymbals.

Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.

Praise ye the Lord.

Psalm 150

The Texas Theater Remodel

Back in March, 2011, I did a photo study of the Texas Theater, which was in the process of a major remodel. Now that the renovations are complete, I would like to show a few before and after photos. The Texas Theater is truly one of the finest jewels of Seguin's architecture.

This is the finished building...but I must admit that this photo has been edited just a bit. I couldn't stand the telephone pole and power lines in the foreground, so I photoshopped them out. 

Before

After

Before

After