Weekend Fun in East Texas - Corsicana

 Good Monday Morning.  Why is it good?  Well, because we're still out roaming around Texas and not working today.  Woot woot.  We do have to be home this evening, but today is still all ours.  We're off to Corsicana for our first stop.  I LOVE towns like this and wish it wasn't a Monday.  We will have to return for a closer visit, but until then, we'll soak up as much as we can.  In front of the courthouse is a bronze statue.  Since 1936, he has stood watch in front of the county courthouse that bears his name, and it was in honor of his father that the county seat came to be named.  Jose Antonio Navarro was born near San Antonio in 1795.  His place in Texas history includes a distinction of bein gone of the founding fathers of the Lone Star State.  He was a rancher, a businessman and would go on to be a participant in the Texas revolution.  Navarro was one of the signer of both the Texas Declaration of Independence from Mexico in 1836 and the Constitution of the State of Texas in 1845,  The statue was erected by the State of Texas in 1936.

Once we hit the downtown area, I discover a ton of statues and can't wait to learn more.  First up is at the corner of 6th Avenue and Beaton Street and it was the first in a series of bronze statues to come to the area, depicting a hardworking oil field worker making his way home after a long day of drilling.  Oil was discovered by mistake in 1894 when city officials hired a contractor to drill for water.  Corsicana became the birthplace of Texas oil and the first commercial refinery west of the Mississippi River.  It was named Magnolia Oil and today, the world knows it as the Mobil Corporation.

Onto Lt. Col W.W. Green.  The store he is standing in front of is where Wesley and his wife Lucille operated a western wear store and it was THE place to shop, from fitting a child with their first pair of shoes all the way to boots and jeans.  He was an avid supporter of youth and served others all his life.  Green was a Purple Heart veteran and remained active in the U.S. Army reserves until 1987.  The bronze likeness shows him in a familiar pose - repairing a boot.

Next is a statue of a farmer casting seeds into the soil.  He is Lutzen Veldman, a farmer and dairyman in the Netherlands.  His son Obe Veldman, after seeing the statue of the oil field worker here, thought about the importance farming played in Navarro County's history and commissioned the statue.  The bag of seeds Lutzen is holding is inscribed with the biblical passage "Parable of the Sower," found in the Book of Luke, likening sowing seeds in good soil to the word of God, and the soil to the heart of those receiving the Gospel.

Coach Jim Acree's name is synonymous with Texas football.  He served as Head Coach of the Corsicana High School football program during a six-year span from 1960-1966 that included the historic 1963 season that brought a state championship to Corsicana and recorded an undefeated season in the record books.  But victory on the field only tells part of the story.  Those who played for Coach Acree say he not only taught them football, but helped shape their lives in the years that followed their high school days.  One of those young men in Don Denbow, Mayor.

Corsicana is called the "fruitcake capital of the world" for good reason.  The Collin Street Bakery history dates back to 1896 when a German baker brought a fruit and nut cake recipe to town.  The original "Deluxe Fruitcake" gained worldwide fame and an impressive list of customers, including celebrities, business and world leaders, and even royalty.  The bakery moved its headquarters from this corner to Seventh Avenue and still operated today.  The bronze statue is that of one of its longest tenured employees - Jerry Grimmett, who has served the bakery for more than 60 years.

Brent Thompson, a Corsicana native was working as an officer with the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Police Department, on duty the night of a rally in downtown Dallas on July 7, 2016, when shots rang out following the event.  A sniper firing on the crowd was reported to be targeting police officers.  Brent Thompson charged the gunman and wounded him, saving many lives by doing so.  But Thompson and four other Dallas Police Department officers would be killed in the hail of gunfire, and a dozen other officers wounded before the attack ended with the death of the gunman.  Brent lived to serve others.  He died doing just that on that tragic night.  All who knew Brent Thompson remembered him as a brace and honorable man who loved his family and loved his work.  In 2019, Thompson was posthumously awarded the national Public Safety Medal of Valor, presented to his parents by President Donald Trump in a White House ceremony.

This statue represents to Corsican institutions - KAND Radio and a longtime voice on that station, Rich "Dick" Aldama, and its location was the home of KAND's studios for many years.  KAND Radio first signed on the air in 1937, while Aldama's radio career spanned over four decades.  He may be best known as the voice of the Corsicana Tiger and Navarro County Bulldog sports broadcasts, and remains active in the community serving in a variety of volunteer capacities.  The skimmer-style hat and striped vest that Aldama is shown wearing is a tribute to the ownership of Richard Parker, who operated under the corporate name of KAN-D LAND.

From his work in private practice and public health, to his decades of volunteer work on the sidelines of Corsicana Tiger football games, Dr. Rogers has been a constant in the changing face of medicine in Navarro County.  He was affiliated with the Medical Arts Clinic in Corsicana for 29 years, and among other staff and board positions, was chief of staff at Navarro Regional Hospital and medical director of the hospital's Intensive Care Unit.  He served on the Corsicana ISD Board of Trustees from 1992-2010, and joined again in 2014.  "Educating the children," Rogers said, "makes us a better country, a better democracy . . . it makes life better in this community."  He has been called the Dr. Marcus Welby of Corsicana.

The last statue that we find today is unique.  Wolf Brand Chili got its start in Corsicana in 1895 when 12-year-old Lyman Davis sold his bubbling recipe from the back of a wagon next to the Blue Front Saloon, exactly where the bronze tribute is located.  In the 1920's, Davis began selling the chili in cans with "Wolf Brand Chili" on the label, which still exists today.  Wolf Brand Chili remained locally owned until 1957.  Conagra Brands now owns Wolf Brand Chili and produces several varieties of its "bowl of Texas."  The bronze and steel tribute is a likeness of Kaiser Bill, Lyman Davis' pet wolf.  Visitors who rub his paw will receive good luck.  

The building next to the statue above and shown below, is the current home of Across The Street Diner and we are hungry so in we go.  This building is the 1905 site of Hashop's Drug Store, one of the oldest continuously operating soda fountains in the state.  Psst - it was yummy food.

Returning to our car we pass Roy's Cafe with signs in the window sharing its history.  I guess it didn't make it through the pandemic and the doors were just closed with things as is.  Note the items still on tables.  Crazy.

A lovely little sitting area to take a break, if desired and an interesting staircase.

Check out the Old State National Bank building.  Still in use today.  Well, that's it for today.  We are on the way home for some relaxing before the work week begins tomorrow.  It's a short week, but still not play days.  There are many  more statues here in Corsicana for us to discover another time - and we will.