Highway 190 Livingston to Jasper - part 2

Back to Highway 190 Suzanne and I go. After miles and miles of forest-lined road, we came upon the town of Woodville. Before entering the city limits, we spotted our destination, the Heritage Village, a living museum portraying life in the 1800’s. We left the now familiar road and pulled in to the parking lot. Our first stop was the Pickett House, a remodeled school house now a restaurant. The all-you-can-eat boarding house style lunch was worth the trip in itself. Fried chicken, chicken and dumplings, mash potatoes, lima beans, homemade rolls and peach cobbler hit the spot, while Southern style fresh brewed ice tea quenched our thirst! The walls were covered with a collection of colorful antique Circus Posters, adding to the nostalgic atmosphere.

After recovering from our long drive with a good meal, I was ready to navigate the dirt road of the Texas Heritage Village.  This replica of a pioneer era town has all the usual suspects including a general store, jail house, railroad station, barber shop, newspaper office, doctor’s office, stables and blacksmith shop, saloon, dress shop, etc. Each building appeared authentic with period antiques and décor.  The Justice of the Peace office, the Cherokee Church, the Railroad Depot and the barn are all historical buildings that were moved to the site.  Other buildings are replicas built to look like small town businesses.

One could easily visualize what it might be like to live in the late 1800’s in a small town in Southeast Texas. Kids young and old will enjoy all the different shops. My favorite was the large display of buggies and wagons. The General Store was surprisingly similar to our modern day local hardware stores. Suzanne’s favorite exhibit was the dress shop with its period dresses and sewing equipment.

After our visit to Heritage Village, we moved on to Woodville. Like other small Texas towns it was quaint and historic, we drove around the square and marveled at her old buildings and architecture. Outside the square were numerous beautiful older homes with the stamp of spring imprinted by fabulous flowers on their yards.

One does not have to look far to see beauty as we see Texas Thru My Back Door!

Highway 190 Livingston to Jasper - part 1

Suzanne and I decided to head east for a change of scenery and visit an area of Texas that is less traveled. We chose a trip out Highway 190 starting at Highway 59, as it leaves Livingston, and following the highway all the way to the Louisiana border. As expected, the scenic rolling hills and piney forests provided the perfect backdrop for our smiling faces as we began our journey into deep East Texas.

The town of Livingston marked the starting point of our trek down highway 190, so we decided to make it our first stop. Once called Springfield, Livingston is now the county seat of Polk County and its primary attraction is the beautiful Lake Livingston State Park. The lake was formed in 1968 and provides some of the best fishing and boating opportunities in the state of Texas. Although I might have been tempted to set aside our travel plans in favor of little fishing, learning more about the history of this area remained our goal.

We started our adventure at the Polk County Memorial Museum in Livingston. This former private residence now turned into a high quality museum offered not only a view of the history of the local area, but also housed multiple impressive private collections. Some of the many exhibits included Indian artifacts, early Texas pioneer items, Civil War and World War II memorabilia, ancient fossils, rocks and gems from local to exotic, and other historic items collected by local patrons.

I was particularly impressed with the collection of Indian baskets and arrowheads assembled.  Most of the artifacts came from the Alabama-Coushatta Indians who lived in the area. Suzanne enjoyed examining the pioneer dishes and linens while I gravitated toward the guns and swords. One exhibit that captured both of our attention was the fossil, rock and gem collection. This display included some excellent samples of petrified palmwood, the state stone of Texas.  Looking at the pine covered hills in the area, it’s hard to believe that millions of years ago, this part of Texas was a lush tropical forest.

Outside of the museum, just beyond the lovely landscaped outdoor garden area, is a restored steam locomotive engine, the WT Carter Lumber Company #5, built in 1911. The closer you get to it, the more impressive its size! Next to the locomotive is an old log cabin house, majestic in its own way. The porch was quite inviting with its rocking chairs begging for someone to enjoy their view.

Though the museum is small compared to those found in large urban areas, it is well laid out and the professionally designed exhibits are easy to browse at your own pace. It’s a must see when you are in Livingston, Texas!  We wrapped up our tour and hit the road eastward to see Texas Thru My Back Door.

Jalapeño Beer – A New Texas Favorite

Two of my favorite Texas experiences are local beer and tasty jalapenos! Luckily, I have found the perfect combination of these two, “Don Jalapeño Ale” by No Label Brewing Company of Katy, Texas. Who could resist this temptation? So, I bought a six-pack at our local World Market store and brought it home to chill. The next day, Suzanne fixed one of my favorite meals, fish tacos and beer. This time though, it was my much prized “Don Jalapeño Ale”. I took a big bite out of my fish taco and finished with a swift swig of beer. At first sip, it tasted much like any other beer, and then the jalapeno flavor kicked my taste buds to a new level, leaving the total food/drink experience oh so pleasurable.

No Label Brewing Company of Katy, Texas had caught my attention with this beer. I noticed on the six pack carton that they gave tours of the brewery on most Saturdays between 1pm and 3pm. Glancing through their website, we found out that this brewery tour was considered family and dog friendly, included several food trucks and a live band on site. Plus, they charged only $5 bucks to sample their numerous beers. This sounded like a fun date. So the next Saturday, we headed off to the town of Katy, a few miles west of Houston.

We left home a little early since they claimed that the parking areas filled up fast. When we got there, it was clear that arriving early was a good idea.  The parking lot was about ¾ full and a steady stream of people with folding chairs and accessories were heading into the complex. Apparently, this afternoon tasting party is a popular event in Katy!

Once inside the gate, we found out that for an additional $7 we could buy pint glasses to use for our four tastings. These glasses can be used again if you come back to another one of their tastings! Wandering through the old rice silos on the property, watching the crowds and listening to the music was a perfect way to work up a thirst. The beer lines inside the building moved fast and the No Label Brewing Company had a wide variety of beers to sample. Groups of friends carrying stacks of pizzas, families who brought their own food and balloons for a family party, and owners with their pets all added to the party-like atmosphere. I have been to many other beer tours and tastings, but this company has hit a home run in their marketing efforts with their festival style Saturday tasting excursions.

Our Saturday experience was fantastic! We had so much fun listening to the music and browsing around the facility that we forgot to take the tour of the brewery. Oh well, maybe next time. It’s a good excuse for going back. My advice would be to get there early, bring some folding chairs, many friends and maybe a large sombrero. Why the sombrero?  Not only will it protect you from the Texas heat but your friends can easily find you in the crowd as you taste Texas Thru My Back Door!

The Toilet Seat Art Museum

Standing at the end of a private garage driveway leading to this unusual museum, the only indication that we were in the right place was a small sign on the chain link fence that read “Free Museum”. I wondered how we would signal the owner that we had arrived for our tour. As if on cue, I heard the back door of the adjacent home open followed by the quiet shuffled footsteps leading to the garage. My curiosity about this unique destination was soon satisfied when the huge doors to the barn-like metal garage swung open and Al and I were greeted enthusiastically by none other than Barney Smith, artist and curator of the Toilet Seat Art Museum. 

As the doors to that old garage swung open, you might think that the most memorable sight would be the display of over 1100 toilet seats decorated with distinctive and unusual items waiting to tell their story, but you would be wrong. Looking into the twinkling eyes of the 92 year old artist who created these works of art and hearing his enthusiastic greeting is the memory that stood out most to me.  Dressed neatly with his canvas work apron covering his shirt and pants, Barney Smith is a man with a passion. He was ready to share that passion with us on a gloomy and rainy afternoon that I will never forget.

Upon ushering us into his garage and closing the doors against the elements of weather, Barney guided us through a small break in the rows and rows of floor to ceiling hanging toilet seats. He led us to the far right hand side of the building to begin our tour. Flipping on some lights, the stories began.  Barney transformed himself from a meek old man to an orator of distinctive history. Amazing memories and delightful stories captivated our attention for most of the afternoon!

Barney, a retired master plumber started his collection over 50 years ago when he decided to use a toilet seat lid as the plaque for his hunting trophy mounts. Today he’s still going strong with over 1100 toilet seats in the museum, each one organized and numbered with letters of authenticity and other details attached to the back of each toilet seat he creates. People enamored with his work bring objects from near and far for him to work with. His collection has artifacts from around the world including a piece of insulation from the shuttle Challenger, a piece of the Berlin Wall, volcanic ash from Mount St Helens, and even the flushing device from a toilet found in Saddam Hussein’s palace. Military memorabilia toilet seats are hung with pride alongside toilet seats commemorating family birthdays and anniversaries.

Barney celebrates pop culture and the changes in our society over the past half century with toilet seats commemorating early personal computers, telephones, zippo lighters, tattoo machines, celebrities, and so much more. He supports local groups and events such as San Antonio’s Pooch Parade and the museum is a geocaching site.  He has arrow heads and license plates from every state. There are toilet seats and even some video clips commemorating his television appearances on shows such as Good Morning America, The View, CBS Morning news and The Tonight Show. He’s been featured in numerous magazine and newspaper articles and interviews. You are probably wondering how did you not know about him!

Providing tours to over 1000 visitors a year along with the many hours he spends creating each piece of his art leaves Barney little time to waste. So as the afternoon drew to a close, we said goodbye to our new found friend. His energy, his love of the community and his family, are memories that will stay with me as well as my memories of his unique art. I hope that Al and I are as happy and healthy as Barney when we reach our 90’s and I hope we are still traveling Texas Thru My Back Door!

Note:  The Toilet Seat Art Museum is available by appointment.  Please call Barney at (210) 284-7791 and give him at least 15-30 min notice of your desire for a tour.  Barney does not charge for tours of the museum, but I think he would greatly appreciate a donation of a new white wood composite elongated toilet seat to continue his art endeavor!