Mr. Chanin's Visit to Huntsville & Waco

On Monday, I return to the classroom for a week of professional development prior to my students' return to school - I am looking forward to the challenges I will face as well as the new connections I will make in the upcoming academic year. This summer was an adventure, a quick adventure too since time flew by. In June, I traveled to Huntsville with my wife, where we walked among the ghosts of Austin Hall on the Sam Houston State University campus (the original home of Austin College) and I recently returned from Waco in Central Texas. I'll be splitting my summer blogs into two parts - this is part 1. Part 2, which will feature details about the Sam Houston statue and Atlanta's Olympic Park, will be written soon. Enjoy!

I saluted a statue of Doris Miller in Waco during my travel trip. Doris Miller, a Waco native, was a naval cook stationed at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese launched their infamous surprise attack on December 7, 1941. Although Miller had no official weaponry training, he manned one of the anti-aircraft guns on the USS West Virginia and shot down 6 Japanese planes. He also helped get his teammates to safety. Miller was later awarded the Navy Cross, the highest decoration for valor presented by the U.S. Navy. He was killed in action in 1943. Miller's story of bravery, patriotism & overcoming racial challenges inspires me - he is one of my favorite WWII heroes! God bless these United States! Author's Collections.

I snapped this beautiful photograph of the Brazos River and one of Waco's many bridges. Central Texas is magnificent... I braved the scorching 110 degree F. heat & walked along the Waco Riverwalk, admiring the region's natural beauty. Author's Collections.

I found this cool Martin Luther King Jr. mural under the Waco Suspension Bridge. MLK Jr. was one of the principal leaders of the African American Civil Rights Movement (1950s & 1960s). In August 1963, he addressed a crowd of 20,000 activists at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. & delivered his famous "I have a dream" speech. Author's Collections.

Before I returned to Dallas, I walked across Waco's Suspension Bridge - in 1866, the Waco Bridge Company was granted a 25-year charter from the state to build a toll bridge. Construction started in 1868 & after much financial difficulty, finished in 1870. Bridge traffic in the 1870s included pedestrians, cattle herds, and wagons; heavy bridge users were offered special rates. In the 1880s, the public challenged the Waco Bridge Company and demanded the removal of the tolls, yet the greedy businessmen would not eliminate their money-making scheme. In 1889, the bridge was sold to McLennan County, which gave it to the City of Waco as a free bridge. Since there are now many bridges that span the Brazos River and connect the city, not many wander across the once-infamous Suspension Bridge. Author's Collections.

I recently returned from a trip to Waco, where I assisted my sister with apartment move-in (she will be attending Baylor University in the fall and pursuing a masters degree in education). Waco is a fascinating place - it was established in the late 1840s and remained primarily a ranching community until the turn of the twentieth century. As depicted in statue form, cowboys and ranchers herded cattle and oxen from South Texas to Dodge City, Kansas along trails that passed through Waco. Industry and large businesses settled in Central Texas in the 1920s and Waco's population soared following WWII. Chip & Joanna Gaines' hit HGTV series Fixer Upper put Waco back on the national map in the 2010s. Author's Collections.

I am a huge Post Malone fan and have been enjoying his new album, Austin. I have stopped by Raising Canes a couple of times in the summer to pick up two collectible Post Malone cups. Author's Collections.

In between my trips to Huntsville & Waco, I was able to see one of my former APUSH students perform in a theatrical production at White Rock Lake Theater - Phoenix is a very talented actor and will be studying theater at a college in New England. I thoroughly enjoyed the play! Author's Collections.

A panoramic photograph I took of the back of Austin Hall. As you can see, the foundations of Austin College's second building (which was an administration building complete with kitchens and a cafeteria) were recently execrated. Austin Hall housed an assembly room and multiple classrooms, and was primarily used for instruction. Go 'Roos!! Author's Collections. 

This photograph depicts what the exterior of Austin Hall looked like between 1882 and 1889. When Austin College moved to Sherman in 1876 (due to a severe yellow fever outbreak in Huntsville), the building was deeded to the state, who gave it to the faculty of the newly-established Sam Houston Normal Institute (now Sam Houston State University). The third floor was later removed. On our visit to Huntsville, my wife and I noticed that former students (from Austin College & Sam Houston State) had carved their names into the building's bricks. Photograph from East Texas History Collections.

I'm proudly standing outside Austin Hall, located on the Sam Houston State University campus in Huntsville. This facility (erected in 1851) was the original home of Austin College, my dear alma mater, prior to its move to Sherman in the 1870s. The Presbyterian Church of Texas and Reverend Daniel Baker created Austin College in 1849 to further Presbyterian education in the Lone Star State. Sam Houston & local attorney and historian Henderson Yoakum were on the college's first Board of Trustees. The Greek revival-era building features a three-bay front facade, two-story portico, and Doric columns. The facility used to have a third floor (added in 1882), yet this was removed in 1926. This building was a structure I have longed to see with my own eyes (ever since I became fascinated by Austin College's history). I felt the ghosts of Sam Houston (seen in statue form) and former AC students when I walked around this facility. Austin Hall is currently used as an alumni center for Sam Houston State. Author's Collections.