Central Texas and Hill Country
Historic sites, ranches, and watering holes dominate the landscape of Central Texas and the Hill Country.
From Austin to San Antonio and beyond, visitors can immerse themselves in the richly blended history of Texas. San Antonio boasts five World Heritage sites, which relate the early history of Spanish missionaries. One mission, the Alamo, later served as a fortress and site of a momentous battle during the Texas Revolution. Further south in New Braunfels, Europe and Texas combine in this small city founded by German immigrants in the 1800s.
For the western experience of horses, open spaces, and fresh air, the ranches in the Hill Country offer quiet respites from the hustle and bustle of life. In Bandera, there is the Flying L Ranch founded in 1947 by retired Air Corps Colonel Jack Lapham.
Many rivers flow through the area such as the Colorado, the Guadalupe, San Antonio, and Frio, etc. Central Texas is also home to the Highland lakes from Lake Buchanan to Lady Bird Lake. In the springtime, visitors and residents can take a refreshing dip in Barton Springs and Deep Eddy pools boasting a cool 68 degrees all year round.
Items in this Exhibit
The links shown below to the items displayed in this exhibit will open in PDF format in a separate window or tab. The documents are shown here in their entirety so some of the files contain multiple pages.
State Capitol, Austin, Texas, 1907. Rigsbee Postcard collection, 2001/098-5-8.
Songs of Texas, 1936. Texas Centennial Commission, 4-16/117.
Barton’s Spring Bathing Resort, Austin, Texas, undated. Stugard collection, 1963/185-731. [Now known as Barton Springs.]
Pictorial Parade of Texas, 1936. Texas Centennial Commission, 4-16/117.
Texas Centennial Celebration stamps, 1936. Texas Centennial Commission, 4-16/117.
San Antonio: Where Life Is Different, circa 1940. San Antonio Texas Publications, 2-22/838.
The Alamo, San Antonio, Texas, undated. D. E. Williams collection, 1975/127-56.
Concepción De la Acuna Mission, San Antonio, Texas, undated. D. E. Williams collection, 1975/127-60.
Slinkard’s Ostrich Farm, San Antonio, Texas, 1909. D. E. Williams collection, 1975/127-60.
Bridge in Landa Park, New Braunfels, Texas, undated. Rigsbee Postcard collection, 2001/098-33.
Flying L Ranch, Bandera, Texas, undated. L. L. Cook Company collection, 1968/89-159.
Come to Llano the Beautiful Land of Sunshine, undated. Broadsides collection, #654.
A New Industry, Gonzales, Texas, 1908. Rigsbee Postcard collection, 2001/098-26.