Newcomers Guide 2015

Welcome to Huntsville, y’all. Welcome to Walker County everybody. We may need to welcome a few folks to the great state of Texas.

Whatever the case, The Huntsville Item says welcome.

Many Texans take for grant-ed the sites, sounds, smells and tastes that make our state so special. If you’re new to the Lone Star State, your senses are in for a treat. We urge y’all to get out and about and start enjoying all of the things that make Texas great.

We’ve got so much to be grateful for right here in our own backyard. Huntsville is not the sleepy little town it

used to be. There’s something happening in our community

all of the time.The hard-working folks at

The Huntsville Item want to help you find those fun things to do. We want to help you get acquainted with the commu-nity quickly. We want to help you adapt and make you feel at home here in the Piney Woods of East Texas.

That’s why we put this Newcomers Guide together, to help our newest neighbors find swimming pools and parks, point out some of the most in-teresting places to visit and tell you all about the fun stuff peo-ple in our community do every year.

We hope this magazine comes in handy. We hope you’ll refer to it often.

Again, welcome to Huntsville. Stay a while and have a big time.

2 Newcomers Guide summer 2015

Welcome to Huntsville,By Tom Waddill

[email protected]

WE’RE GLAD YOU’RE HERE

ITEM FILE PHOTOThe Walker County Fair and Rodeo — and the annual crowning of the county’s fair queen, is a big deal in Huntsville. New Waverly High School senior Jenna Drane, center, is the current Walker County Fair Queen.

Summer 2015 NewcomerS Guide 3

The city of Huntsville is a special, vi-brant and small East Texas town that is filled with exciting events throughout the year and a slew of unique attractions for everyone in the community and visitors to enjoy together.

Some of the most notable attractions include the Sam Houston Memorial Museum, the giant Sam Houston Statue,

the HEARTS Veterans Museum and the Texas Prison Museum, as well as the many festivals held throughout the year.

What truly makes Huntsville a one-of-a-kind town are the many hidden gems peppered throughout the city.

For new residents, these quirky little treasures can be easily missed, so to help newcomers to the community and visitors get the full Huntsville experience, The Item has put together a list of some of the special stuff our community has to offer.

Tasty treats: Huntsville has plenty of places where folks can fill their bellies

For the foodies in the family, there are plenty of amazing eateries serving up fresh and appetizing cuisine everyday.

Craving some savory, finger-licking barbecue? You won’t have to look long here. Huntsville is home to two or three of the best barbecue joints in the area.

Just off of Montgomery Road is the nationally known New Zion Missionary Baptist Church barbecue, which has been


Hidden GemsBy marissa nunez

[email protected]

can be found all around Huntsville

JOSHUA YATES/THE HUNTSVILLE ITEMHuntsville artist Tamara Chasteen works with rainbow thread and weaves a colorful tapestry at the Eclectic Studio in preparation for the studio’s upcom-ing summer camp classes.

featured on the Travel Channel’s Food Paradise. Customers can choose from their succulent meats, including beef, ribs, sausage and chicken. New Zion, or the Church of the Holy Smoke as longtime locals call it, offer meat by the pound, or by the plate. If desired, plates come with homemade potato salad, beans, bread, onions and pickles. New Zion also serves sweet and delectable buttermilk or sweet potato pie for just $2 a slice.

Down 9th Street, adjacent to the Oakwood Cemetery where Sam Houston himself is buried, sits Bennie J’s Smoke Pit, a quaint restaurant with a down-home atmosphere. Bennie Johnson and his fam-ily serve up some sinfully delicious barbe-cue. Customers can choose from freshly fried shrimp, homemade brisket, jalapeno sausage, barbecued chicken, fall-off-the-bone ribs, potato salad, beans and much more.

McKenzie’s Barbeque is another good stop for folks with an empty belly, peo-ple who want plenty of options. Diners at McKenzie’s can load up on the usual bar-becue fare; they can also try the smoked ham and turkey, or if they prefer, they can try taking down one of McKenzie’s fa-mous (and fat) cheeseburgers. Everything on the menu is delicious, so folks are sure

to come back and try something new the next time.

If you’re in the mood for something from south of the border, be sure to stop by La Mexicana Supermarket, located

on Sam Houston Avenue, for some fresh and tasty tacos and burritos, filled to the brim with your choice of meat, rice and beans. There are tons of tasty Mexican food restaurants in Huntsville, too many


ITEM FILE PHOTOHuntsville restaurant owner Bennie Johnson prepares a plate of barbecue ribs at Bennie J’s Smoke Pit located at 621 9th Street. Bennie J’s is one of the many places where people in Huntsville can sit down for a tasty home-cooked lunch or dinner.


to mention here, but the report-ers, photographers and editors in The Item newsroom urge newcomers to try one or two eateries every week, find your favorites and sample different dishes at all.

There are also a number of amazingly delicious food trucks around town cooking up everything from Cajun seafood, burgers, pretzels and more. On 10th Street, right next to City Hall, sits a clus-ter of food trucks, including Sweet Dough, Fat Boys and Swinter Snow cones, and on Montgomery Road is Arnaud’s Cajun Kitchen.

No matter your craving, one of Huntsville’s many locally owned restaurants are sure to fill you up and leave you satis-fied and coming back for more.

Arts & EntertainmentAfter gorging on yummy

grub, take a stroll through one of Huntsville’s many art gal-leries, studios and museums.

Just off of 11th Street sits one of Huntsville’s most icon-

ic institutions —The Wynne Home Arts Center. This beau-

tiful, restored 19th century mansion offers a wide range

ITEM FILE PHOTOThe Ella Ruth Herb Garden, which was started by the The Texas Thyme Unit of The Herb Society of America, provides a fun learning environment for adults and kids. Inside this bountiful community garden sits a vast array of aromatic and flavorful herbs that everyone can enjoy.


of unique art exhibits, classes, workshops and tours.

Behind the Wynne Home sits the Ella Ruth Herb Garden, which was started by the The Texas Thyme Unit of The Herb Society of America. Inside this beautiful and bountiful garden sits a vast array of aromatic and flavorful herbs that is open for the whole community to enjoy.

For visitors and residents looking to snag some beau-tiful handmade jewelry and crafts, be sure to check out The Eclectic Studio and Art Gallery on 19th Street. This unique art studio is filled with handmade jewelry by the stu-dio’s very own Jennie Allida Dickenson.

The Eclectic Studio also of-fers one-of-a-kind crafts and paintings by area artists, as well as serving up delicious and organic vegan food, which is made fresh every morning by Dickenson. The menu chang-es every day, but the taste and quality stays the same.

The Satellite Gallery, located in downtown Huntsville at 1216 University Ave., is aimed at spotlighting and promoting stu-dent artists from Sam Houston State University. Through its changing exhibitions, the gal-lery features up and coming artists and their masterpieces ranging in mediums, such as in-stallation, painting, drawing and sculpting.

For the music lovers in the bunch, Smokin Jozee’s is the place for you. During the week, the bar and venue hosts their highly popular karaoke nights, which draw in aspiring singers from all over the town. On the weekends, the venue features local musicians who play every-thing from hip-hop to country, folk music to rock ‘n’ roll. The venue is for adults, 21 and up, and is located on the downtown square at 1024 12th Street.

Take a sneak peak at the one-of-a-kind recycled hous-es by local artist Dan Phillips on a tour of his infamous Bone House and Tree House.

Through his company, The Phoenix Commotion, Phillips and his crew of hard-working builders take discarded wood and other recyclables and turn them into masterpieces.

While on the caravan-style tours, Phillips discusses in-depth the philosophy behind building one of these unique homes, and what all it takes to finish one. Tours happen every month and are just $10 a per-son. Visit www.phoenixcom-motion.com to book a tour.

Located on University Avenue is The Ethician Museum of Texas Furniture, The Ethician Museum of Texas Stoneware and Ceramics and The Ethician Library of Texana. The collection was acquired by local citizens George and Sue Russell over a span of 40 years and features a vast collection of Texas books, art, stoneware and furniture. It is an interesting and fun way to travel back in time and see how some of the first Texans lived.

Natural gems & other activities

Some of the most unique

things about Huntsville do not reside in a building. They are some of the most hidden gems in the town, and they are also some of the most special.

One of those gems is the Free Little Libraries placed around town where citizens can go and exchange a book for a new one, absolutely free of charge. Each Little Library is filled with various interest-ing books, such as best-sellers, periodicals, fiction and nonfic-tion novels. They can be found outside residential homes at 1302 20th Street, 2310 Ave. P and just outside the Frank D. “Poncho” Roberts Aquatic Center on 10th Street, at Eastham-Thomason Park.

Visitors to the city’s free splash pad will find a Free Little Library sitting outside the gate. Grab a book and let the kids loose to splash and play.

For hikers and nature lovers, Huntsville is a wonderland of trails. At Eastham-Thomason Park, there are five different trails for hikers to choose from, including the Town Creek East Trail, Town Creek West Trail, Prairie Trail, Top of Hill Trail and Smith Hill Trail.

Inside the Sam Houston National Forest, hikers can choose from four different trails, including the Four C National Trail, Lone Star Hiking Trail, Big Creek Scenic Area Trailhead and the Sam Houston Multiple-use Trails.

Looking to cool off or maybe interested in learning how to scuba dive? Check out Huntsville’s Blue Lagoon, lo-cated at 649 Pinedale Road. The crystal blue lake is open to both divers and non-divers every day of the week, with diving hours being from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday; 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays; and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. Non-diving hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday; and noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

Space is limited, so be sure to get their early to snag a spot. Visit http://www.bluelagoons-cuba.net for more information.

At the end of the day, take in a breathtaking view of the sun setting over the city from the top of the Sam Houston Parking Garage on the SHSU campus.

ITEM FILE PHOTOYoung Sydney Paschal swims some warmup laps at the Frank D. “Poncho” Roberts Aquatic Center. The City of Huntsville’s community swimming pool is a popular place to cool down during the summertime.


There are some things folks new to the Huntsville area can easily figure out on their own.

All it takes is a drive up and down the city’s main thorough-fares — 11th Street and Sam Houston Avenue — to find a vari-ety of retail and grocery stores, tasty restaurants and watering holes. And there is no shortage of friendly faces who would be more than willing to offer their opinion on where to find the best hamburgers, chicken fried steak, Mexican food and shop-ping deals around town.

But as newcomers try to settle into their new surroundings, more important questions begin popping up.

“Where do I renew my driver’s license?”“How do we get the kids registered for school?”“Where is City Hall?”There’s no reason to worry about any of that. Here is a com-

prehensive list of addresses and contact information for all of those need-to-know places:

TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES523 Highway 75 North, Huntsville

(936) 295-1578

VEHICLE AND VOTER REGISTRATIONTax Assessor-Collector’s Office

1301 Sam Houston Ave., Huntsville

(936) 436-4959

SCHOOL REGISTRATIONHuntsville ISD

(936) 435-6300

www.huntsville-isd.org/

New Waverly ISD(936) 344-6751

www.new-waverly.k12.tx.us/

Alpha Omega AcademyKindergarten through 12th grade

(936) 438-8833

www.alphaomegaacademy.org/

Premiere High School of Huntsville9th through 12th grades

(936) 439-5204

premierhighschools.com/campuses/.../premier-high-school-of-huntsville/

Tomorrow’s Promise Montessori SchoolPre Kindergarten through 8th grade

(936) 435-0303

YOU NEED TO KNOWA handy list of addresses and phone numbers for places

JOSHUA YATES/THE HUNTSVILLE ITEMWhether you’re interested in what’s on the docket for City Council, or you just need to pay a utility bill, City Hall is located at 1212 Avenue M. It’s sur-rounded by a beautiful park, delicious food truck vendors and it’s only a short walk form the Huntsville Public Library where there are always excit-ing events happening each week.


www.tomorrowspromise.info/

Vista Academy of HuntsvilleKindergarten through 8th grade

(936) 291-0203

vista-academies.com/campuses/operating-campuses/huntsville/

POST OFFICESHuntsville west side

3109 Highway 30 West

(936) 295-7741

Downtown Huntsville1315 10th St.

(936) 295-3037

New Waverly Post Office9301 Highway 75 South

(936) 344-7741

Riverside Post Office3782B Highway 19

(936) 594-5890

LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIESHuntsville Police Department

1220 11th St.

(936) 291-5480

After-hours nonemergency(936) 435-8001

Department of Public Safety523 Highway 75 North,Huntsville

(936) 295-1576

Walker County Sheriff’s Office717 FM 2821

(936) 435-2400

After hours nonemergency(936) 435-8001

EMERGENCY ROOMSHuntsville Memorial Hospital

110 Memorial Hospital Dr.

Huntsville

(936) 291-3411

Physicians ER540 Interstate 45 South,

Huntsville

(936) 755-3859

GOVERNMENT ENTITIESWalker County Courthouse

1100 University Ave., Huntsville

(936) 436-4900

http://www.co.walker.tx.us/

Huntsville City Hall1212 Avenue M

(936) 291-5400

www.huntsvilletx.gov/

COMMUNITY INFORMATIONHuntsville-Walker County Chamber of Commerce

1327 11th St.

(936) 295-8113

www.chamber.huntsville.tx.us/


Folks in Walker County are a close-knit bunch. They like to make their neighbors and visitors to the community feel like one big happy family. And what better way to do that than warm greetings and smiling faces at the many festivals and programs that take place in the commu-nity throughout the year.

After the winter weather finally breaks, the festivities begin with the Texas Thyme Unit of the Herb Society of America’s annual Herb Festival toward the end of March or early April. The event features a wide variety of locally grown plants and vegetables that are available to purchase.

Festivals bring community together

By Cody [email protected]

Walker County celebrates history and holidays with annual get-togethers that

attract thousands of visitors

ITEM FILE PHOTOVisitors go back in time during the General Sam Houston Folk Festival, held every spring in Huntsville on the gorgeous and historic grounds of the Sam Houston Memorial Museum. Young students from all around Southeast Texas come to Huntsville on the opening day of the Folk Festival every year and learn about life back in the 1800s when Sam Houston and his family lived here.


The festival also features arts and crafts and guest speakers that help promote the world of herbs to those in-terested. The proceeds from the event fund learning proj-ects at the Wynne Home Arts Center such as the new chil-dren’s sensory garden.

“We want to raise money as well as further our mission to educate people about herbs,” said Maryann Readal, a mem-ber of the Texas Thyme Unit. “We want to teach people to appreciate herbs and love them for all they do.”

The good times in Walker County start to heat up in the spring.

People are given the oppor-tunity to step back in time and learn about what life was like in the 1800s during the annu-al General Sam Houston Folk Festival in late April or ear-ly May. The three-day event takes place on the grounds of the Sam Houston Memorial

Museum where Sam and Margaret Houston lived.

Volunteers and artisans wearing authentic 19th cen-tury dress provide life-skill demonstrations such as met-al work, quilting, weaving and pottery with hands-on activities. There is also en-tertainment and Mexican and African-American culture tents.

“We want to celebrate Sam Houston and his fami-ly. They were citizens here and their kids played on the same ground as your kids are playing on,” said Scotty Cherryholmes, marketing and developing director for the festival. “We’ve got some-thing that nobody else has and it’s always good to bring pride into your community, and we’ve got that in spades.”

Around the same time of the Sam Houston Folk Festival, the Tall Pines Quilt Guild drapes the courthouse

ITEM FILE PHOTOEarly in the spring, the Tall Pines Quilt Guild drapes the courthouse square in Huntsville with quilts during the Airing of the Quilts. More than 300 quilts go on display, some are for sale and all are draped around the downtown area.

“We want to celebrate Sam Houston and his family. They were citizens here and their kids played

on the same ground as your kids are playing on. We’ve got something that nobody else has and it’s

always good to bring pride into your community, and we’ve got that in spades.”

SCOTTY CHERRYHOLMES / Marketing and developing director for the General Sam Houston Folk Festival

square with quilts as part of the Airing of the Quilts. More than 300 quilts for display and for sale are draped through downtown. There are also food, games music and vendors.

The League of United Latin American Citizens of Huntsville and the Walker County Unidos host the Cinco de Mayo Festival in the parking lot of the Walker County Courthouse Annex at the in-tersection of 14th Street and University Avenue in early May. The event is free and features fun games and activities for everyone in the family. There is also au-thentic Mexican food from multiple indi-viduals and organizations throughout the community for people to munch on.

“It is a very cultural event and it has been practiced and celebrated through-out the states,” LULAC President John Escobedo said. “It’s a recognition of the Mexican culture, and we need to pass it on to the younger generation to show them the culture and history they come from, such as the food, music and dances, and this is one way to do it.”

The summer brings the Juneteenth Celebration at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center where activities focus on the celebration of emancipation. There


ITEM FILE PHOTOThousands of people, many of whom come from out of town, but also plenty of folks from the Walker County community, come out every fall for Fair on the Square in downtown Huntsville. There’s a ton of stuff to do, lots of things to eat and drink, games to play and items to buy during the daylong festi-val that celebrated its 40th year last fall.


is also the Fourth of July Celebration at Kate Barr Ross Park, which usually features a free fireworks show and food and games.

When the weather begins to turn cooler and the leaves be-gin changing colors, people in Huntsville get geared up for Fair on the Square. For nearly half a century, people have been able to cruise around downtown as they shop for arts, crafts, cloth-ing and other items at hundreds of booths during the first week-end in October.

There is also entertainment, food and drinks and a classic car show.

“This event has been so successful for so long sim-ply because it’s fun and has something for everyone,” Fair on the Square manager Laura Green said. She credits the events’ long standing success to the “community coming together with volunteers cele-brating a great way to kick off the upcoming holiday season.”

Huntsville also provides a safe environment for children on Halloween with Scare on the Square. Youngsters can trick or treat downtown and there are also games and tasty eats.

The year comes to a close with a bang in December.

The city’s Main Street Program hosts the annual Downtown Christmas Fair which provides people with a chance to do some holi-day shopping. There is also Winter in the Park where young people get a chance to play in snow that is brought in and placed on the courthouse lawn.

One holiday event is tru-ly unique to the community and that’s Journey Through Bethlehem.

During the first weekend in December, local churches ban together to transform the Walker County Fairgrounds into old Bethlehem where folks can enjoy the sights and sounds of how life was like the night Jesus was born.

Visitors can see the black-smith, brick masons, Roman soldiers and shepherds and the bread shop. The wise men are there and the stable where Jesus was born.

“We have to remember that on that night, no one knew what was going to hap-pen,” said Robert Williams, co-chairman of the event. “People were just going about their daily lives. This expe-rience allows a person to ex-perience Christ in their own way.”

ITEM FILE PHOTOThe weather is usually picture perfect every fall for Huntsville’s Fair on the Square. On a cool, crisp, sunny Saturday morning, fairgoers can browse around all of the booths that line the downtown streets in Huntsville. There’s something for everyone at Fair on the Square.


ITEM FILE PHOTOEvery year, the community and surrounding areas band together to raise money for cancer research during the Walker County Relay For Life. Countless businesses, student organizations and community members contribute time, donations and manpower to make this fundraiser great.

ITEM FILE PHOTOFolks in Walker County know how to throw one heck of a fair. The Walker County Fair and Rodeo provides a full week of fun and excitement with cowboys, carnival rides, live music and the best livestock around, shown by hardworking youth in our community.

ITEM FILE PHOTODowntown Huntsville really comes alive during the weekend with sea-sonal festivities that are fun for the whole family. Shop the local farmers market or browse the handmade goodies during the Airing of the Quilts Festival. No matter what you like, there’s something for everyone here in Walker County.


ITEM FILE PHOTOSome of the world’s top cowboys and cowgirls come to Huntsville every year for the Walker County Fair and Rodeo. Cowboys like Trevor Brazile, Fred Whitfield and Huntsville’s own Joe Beaver have performed here.

ITEM FILE PHOTOAre you a nature lover? Local organizations like the Audubon Society and the Friends of Huntsville State Park always have interesting excursions and activities planned for folks of all ages.

ITEM FILE PHOTOEvery year, students from Sam Houston State University pitch in at local nonprofit organizations during All Paws In. Students of all grade levels spend the entire day cleaning, organizing and doing anything necessary to help the hardworking folks of Walker County.


It may not be obvious to everyone, but the Huntsville community, nestled among the piney woods of East Texas, has had and currently still holds a rich tradition in both college and high school athletics.

In football, basketball, vol-leyball, baseball, golf, soc-cer, softball and track and field, there have been enough thrills and excitement to make Huntsville-area sports fans hungry for more.

In the fall, there will be plenty of action-packed foot-ball to take in, beginning with the Sam Houston State Bearkats. The Kats, as they

are affectionately known around Huntsville, play in the NCAA’s Division I Football Championship Subdivision.

Where the FCS differs from the Football Bowl Subdivision, in which Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, TCU and Baylor play, is that the FCS is made up of the 123 schools with the smallest Division I bud-gets. While the FBS plays bowl games at the end of the season and the top four teams have kicked off a mini tour-nament to determine the na-tional champion, the FCS has a 24-team playoff system that begins the week following the end of the regular season.

Football is the only NCAA

Rich histoRy, BRight FutuReBy Gene SchallenBerG

[email protected]

fire up Huntsville-area sports fans

ITEM FILE PHOTOMembers of the Sam Houston State football are all smiles as they hoist the 2014 Southland Conference football championship trophy. The Bearkats, who compete in the Football Championship Subdivision, have excelled in the FCS playoffs, advanced to at least the semifinals in three out of the past four seasons and played for two FCS national titles.

Summer 2015 NewcomerS Guide 17Division I sport to have two national champions: Ohio State claimed the FBS title in 2014 and North Dakota State earned its fourth consecutive FCS championship.

All of the FCS playoff games are played on campus-es until the NCAA Division I Football Championship Game, which is played in Frisco.

The top eight teams in the FCS are awarded national seeds and have first-round byes. Those teams have the opportunity to host playoff games as long as they keep winning.

While Sam Houston State is in the FCS and competes for a different national champion-ship in NCAA Division I foot-ball, that’s not the case for all other sports, including basket-ball and baseball in which the Bearkats have often clashed with Texas, TCU and Baylor in NCAA tournaments over the years.

Coming into this season, the Bearkats will be one of a select

few teams in the FCS expected to contend for a national cham-pionship and try to keep North Dakota State from winning a

fifth straight national title.Just a few short years ago,

Sam Houston State football began what has been the most successful run in program his-tory.

In the 2011 season, the Bearkats completed their

first undefeated regular-sea-son campaign since joining the NCAA Division I ranks in 1987. Sam Houston State advanced to the FCS nation-al championship game for the first time in school history. The Kats again played in the

By the Numbers

3 — consecutive baseball state championships won by Alpha Omega Academy from 2004-06

8 — consecutive years an individual or team from Huntsville High School has competed in the state golf tournament.

53 — number of baseball players from Sam Houston State selected in Major League Baseball Draft

61 — number of points New Waverly boys track and field team earned at 2010 state meet, including three championship runs by relay teams

ITEM FILE PHOTONew Waverly guard Joseph Carrington drives past a Ponder defender in the Dogs’ 2009 Class 2A state championship game at the Erwin Center on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin. The Bulldogs made three straight trips to the state tournament in 2007, 2008, and 2009.


ITEM FILE PHOTOThe Huntsville High School girls golf team, pictured from left on front row, of Courtney Tibiletti, Hannah Valentine, Reece Haralson, Paige Weiss and Casey Leatherman won the UIL Class 4A state championship in 2014. It was the first team state championship for Huntsville High School since the football team’s title in 1980. Pictured on back row, from left, are assistant coach Danny Leatherman, HHS principal Beth Burt, golf coach and girls athletic director Marcus Evans, Huntsville Mayor Mac Woodward and Huntsville City Councilwoman Lydia Montgomery.

JOSHUA YATES/THE HUNTSVILLE ITEMFormer Huntsville High School golfer Chandler Phillips eyes his putt at the UIL Golf State Tournament in April of 2015. Phillips, who played in the state tournament all four years of high school, won the state championship as a senior. This fall, Phillips will play collegiately for Texas A&M.

Summer 2015 NewcomerS Guide 19FCS title game in 2012, then advanced to the semifinals — the third time in four years — again last in 2014.

Eighteen Bearkats have been selected in the NFL Draft, plus former SHSU corner-back Dax Swanson earned a Super Bowl ring as a member of the New England Patriots, who won the Super Bowl in February.

In the high school ranks, Huntsville also holds a rich football history, having won state championships in 1953 and 1980.

Legendary player and coach Joe Clements called Huntsville home for most of his life. Not only did he help the Hornets win their first state championship as a quarterback for the 1953 squad, but he returned to Huntsville and led the Hornets as their head coach to a state title in 1980.

In 2010, Clements was inducted to the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame.

Other prominent HHS football alumni who have played professional football are Chuck Clements, Robert Holmes, Derrick Ross and Justin Gilbert, who currently plays for the Cleveland Browns. A star quarterback at Huntsville High, Gilbert was the eighth overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.

New Waverly has also seen plenty of bright years on the gridiron with players

like Paul Donelson, who later became an All-American safety at Sam Houston State, and twin brothers Tyren and Karen Watts.

One of the best seasons in Bulldog football history was in 2008 when New Waverly completed an unblemished 8-0 regular-season campaign and then won a pair of playoff games convincingly to reach the regional semifinals before run-ning into eventual three-time state cham-pion Daingerfield.

Football’s not the only sport that has seen a high level of success in Walker County.

With plenty of former hoopsters who have gone on to play collegiately, the Huntsville area has been a hotspot for bas-ketball talent.

Over the past few years, Huntsville High School has routinely made the state playoffs and often made a lot of noise, ad-vancing to regional tournaments several times. The highlight for Hornet basketball was when the 1977-78 and 1978-79 teams won back-to-back Class 3A state champi-onships.

New Waverly has also found its share of success. Led by the Watts twins, Joseph Carrington and X’Zavious Harrison, the Bulldogs won regional championships in

2008, ’09 and 2010 and played in the state tournament in three consecutive years. In 2009, New Waverly played for a Class 2A state championship against Ponder, but fell short.

Sam Houston State has also had plenty of talented teams over the last dozen years. The Bearkats have routinely been in the mix for Southland Conference champion-ships, finishing in third place or higher in eight of the last 10 years. The Kats have also won the Southland basketball tourna-ment in 2003 and 2010, which advanced them to the NCAA Tournament, or March Madness, as some hardcore hoop fans call it. In 2010, the Bearkats held their own against Baylor in the second round of the Big Dance, but SHSU fell just short of pulling off the upset.

There’s also plenty of talent and history on the Huntsville-area baseball diamonds as well.

The Bearkats have plenty to go around and have for a long while. Like the foot-ball squad, the Sam Houston State base-ball team is enjoying its best string of continued success in the present. The Kats claimed three consecutive confer-ence regular-season titles from 2012-14 and made a strong showing in the NCAA baseball tournament all three years. They

also advanced to the NCAA tournament three straight times from 2007-09.

Sam Houston State was one of the final two teams in regionals in 2007, 2012 and 2014. In the 2014 regional in Fort Worth, the Bearkats played in the second-longest game in NCAA postseason history as they lost 3-2 controversially in 22 innings in a contest that lasted 7 hours and 35 minutes.

The Kats also made a surprising run in the 2007 regional in Oxford, Mississippi, as the regional’s No. 4 seed. Sam Houston State eliminated third-seeded Troy and No. 2 seed Southern Mississippi before falling to Ole Miss in the regional’s cham-pionship round.

The Bearkats had five players select-ed in the Major League Baseball Draft in 2015 and 2014. Twenty-two total Kats have been drafted in the last decade.

New Waverly has also been highly suc-cessful in recent seasons.

This past spring, the Bulldogs won three playoff series to advance to the Class 3A regional semifinals, two series victories short of the state tournament. New Waverly also reached the baseball regional finals in 2010 and regional semi-finals in 2009.

Alpha Omega Academy, a private school located on the west side of Huntsville, has

also seen plenty of achievements in base-ball.

The Lions reeled off three consecutive state championships in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

Besides excelling in football, baseball and basketball, Walker County is also home to a high level of excellence in golf, bowling, track and field.

Whether it’s been with its boys or girls teams, and both on a few occasions, Huntsville has regularly made its presence known at the UIL state golf tournament, especially in recent memory.

Since 2008, Huntsville High School has had either a team or individual in the state tournament every year.

Huntsville senior Caleb LeNorman fin-ished as the state runner-up in 2008. In 2014, the Huntsville girls golf team won the state championship. The following year, senior Chandler Phillips won the boys Class 5A state title.

Additionally, the Sam Houston State golf team won a pair of Southland Conference championships and advanced to NCAA postseason tournaments in 2014 and 2015.

Alpha Omega Academy’s boys golf team, after a runner-up finish in 2014, re-turned to the state tournament this past spring and came away with its elusive

state championship.In track and field, there have been plen-

ty of athletes from Sam Houston State, Huntsville and New Waverly who have shined on the biggest stage.

Winning state championships for Huntsville are Audie Wyatt in the pole vault in 2014, Justin Gilbert in the 200-meter run in 2010, Lane Dennis in the 300 hurdles in 2004 and Cleo Tyson in the 100-meter dash and 200 meters in 2003 and ‘04.

In 2010, the Bulldogs didn’t bring many athletes to the track and field state meet, but they made the most of it. All three relay teams won their races and New Waverly nearly won a state championship.

Sam Houston State’s bowling team also won a national championship in 2014, the first in school history, in the program’s fourth year of existence.

Just as there’s plenty of history of ath-letic success, there’s also a lot to look for-ward to in the Huntsville area as well, no matter what kind of sports you like.

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Huntsville offers residents and visitors an array of discoveries — history, nature, prominent

state institutions, antiques — all mixed with hometown hospitality. The small-town, historic flair of Huntsville brings new meaning to Texas charm.

Huntsville had its beginning in about 1836, when Pleasant and Ephraim Gray opened a trading post on the site. Ephraim Gray became first postmaster in 1837, naming it after his former hometown, Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama.

Huntsville became the home of Sam Houston, who served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas, governor of the state of Texas, governor of Tennessee, U.S. senator and Tennessee congressman. Houston led the Texas Army in the Battle of San Jacinto — the decisive victory of the Texas Revolution.

Located in Huntsville are two of Houston’s homes, his grave and the Sam Houston Memorial Museum. Houston’s life in Huntsville is also commemorated by his namesake Sam Houston State University, and by a 77-foot statue. (The towering statue, “Tribute to Courage” by artist David Adickes, has been described as the world’s largest statue of an American hero, and is easily viewed by travelers on Interstate 45.)

Huntsville was also the home of Samuel Walker Houston (1864-1945), a prominent African-American pioneer in the field of education. He was born into slavery on Feb. 12, 1864 to Joshua Houston, a slave owned by Sam Houston. Samuel W. Houston founded the Galilee Community School in 1907, which later became known as the Houstonian Normal and Industrial Institute, in Walker County.

Huntsville, the proud home of Sam Houston

Newcomers don’t have to look around Huntsville long to figure out this is a city that is quickly growing. There’s con-struction everywhere — on the highways and byways, on new retail outlets and grocery stores, and in the housing busi-ness, too.

Huntsville is rapidly chang-ing, but while new buildings go up and new roads are con-structed, people here are pre-serving the past and embracing the rich history that has hap-pened here, and to the people who call Walker County home.

There are a number of mu-seums in the Huntsville area that have plenty of interesting stories to tell and valuable arti-facts to show.

The Sam Houston Memorial Museum is located on the site of Sam Houston’s former home at 1402 19th St. in Huntsville.

Since 1936, the museum has offered hands-on tours and the opportunity to expe-rience the life and times of one of the most colorful fig-ures in American history. As a great warrior and statesman, Houston fought in two wars, served as a U.S. congressman, U.S. senator, governor of both Tennessee and Texas and was twice elected president of the Republic of Texas.

Houston also lived at one time as a member of the Cherokee Indian Nation and was given the Indian name of “The Raven.”

Admission to the museum is $4 for adults, $2 for children and $3 for senior citizens. The museum is open daily, exclud-ing Mondays and holidays, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Sunday from noon to 4:30 p.m.

For more information call


Preserving the pastThe hunTsville iTem

in a city that’s rapidly growing in the 21st century

ITEM FILE PHOTOThe city of Huntsville is rich in Texas history and culture and the folks over at the Sam Houston Memorial Museum have archived some of the best exhibits and displays that chronicle our storied past. Take a day or two and check out the museum grounds with its historic buildings, educational displays and ongoing presentations.


(936) 294-1832 or visit www.samhouston-memorialmuseum.com.

Military history comes alive as real combat veterans help everyone who enter its doors remember the service of all those who stepped up to answer the call of duty.

The HEARTS Museum offers visitors the chance to see up close vehicles and air-crafts in its outdoor exhibits. The indoor exhibits display uniforms, photographs and supplies from most of America’s wars and conflicts in which the U.S. military was deployed.

The HEARTS Veterans Museum of Texas is a one-of-a-kind, hands-on facility dedicated in honor of American veterans.

The HEARTS Museum is located at 463 State Highway 75 North in Huntsville. The museum is open for “duty” Monday through Saturday form 1000 hrs to 1700 hrs (that’s 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Adult tickets are $7, seniors $5, students (kindergarten through college) $2.

For more information, call (936) 295-5959 or visit www.heartsmuseum.com.

The Samuel Walker Houston Museum and Cultural Center located at 1604 10th St. is dedicated to the perpetuation of the legacy of black contributions in the field

of science, academics, athletics, music, medicine and mathematics to Huntsville, in particular, and America, in general.

Samuel Walker Houston was named after Gen. Sam Houston by his father, Joshua Houston, the trusted, one-time slave of the Houston family.

The exhibits at the HEARTS Veterans Museum display uniforms, photographs and supplies from most of America’s wars and conflicts in which the U.S. military was deployed. The HEARTS Museum of Texas is a one-of-a-kind, hands-on facility dedicated in honor of American veterans. The HEARTS Museum is located at 463 State Highway 75 North in Huntsville.


Mrs. Houston suggested the education of Samuel Houston at the finest schools. He was a contemporary of Booker T. Washington and studied at Hampton Institute, Howard University and Atlanta University. He was best-known for establishing Samuel Houston Industrial Training School for Negros prior to de-segregation.

The Samuel Walker Houston Museum and Cultural Center is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., except holidays. Admission is free.

For more information, call (936) 295-2119.

The Texas Prison Museum located at 491 Highway 75 North (exit 118 off Interstate 45) is home to the Texas elec-tric chair, “Old Sparky,” and many other interesting displays from the 150-plus-year history of the state prison system.

Among the items displayed are a replica cell, items from the famous Texas Prison

Rodeo, illegal weapons made by inmates, inmate artwork, famous inmates and more.

The Texas Prison Museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is $4 for

adults and $2 for children.For more information, call

(936) 295-2155 or visit www.txprisonmuseum.org.

Don’t forget about the Gibbs-Powell House and County Museum, located at 1228 11th St. on the corner of Avenue M.

The year was 1862 and the Civil War was raging in the east. The war had left Texas relatively untouched, except for the thousands of sons who were sent east to fight in the Confederate Army.

Despite the turmoil else-where and uncertainty of the times, Thomas Gibbs, one of Huntsville’s earliest business-men, was confident enough to build this Greek Revival-style home popular in Texas from 1840 to 1870.

The recently restored home, once occupied by generations of Gibbs and Powell families, also served as a boarding house for female students at the Sam Houston Normal Institute.

Tours of the home are avail-able by appointment by call-ing (936) 291-3581 or (936) 577-4267. Admission is $3 for adults; children are free.

For more information, visit www.walkercountyhistory.org.

ITEM FILE PHOTOCollege students from Sam Houston State University enjoy hanging out at the duck pond on the Sam Houston Memorial Museum grounds. Visitors to the park can picnic next to the pond and feed the resident ducks and geese at the same time.


At times, Huntsville still feels like a magical place where adults can be kids again.

Couples can sit at an old-fashioned downtown soda fountain and share a chocolate malt. Older folks can watch their grandkids soak in newfound knowl-edge during one of the public library’s special programs. And college students can go for a short walk along the banks of Town Creek.

Young children still enjoy stuff like this, too. They love their video games, cellphones and tablets, but nothing beats the simplicity of a summertime dip in the

My favorite placesBy Jack, Emily

and Violet Tuttle

ITEM FILE PHOTO Eastham-Thomason Park has a lot to offer folks of all ages. Children will enjoy the park area and the colorful playground while the adults can enjoy the shady trees or take the family pet for a romp in the dog park. The aquatic center has slides, a sparkling pool and a pretty neat splash pad for the whole family to enjoy when the weather gets hot, as well.

in Huntsville

Children of all ages love the special programs held at the Huntsville Public Library. The library hosts Story Time for preschoolers on weekday mornings throughout the year. There are also plenty of education presentations, art contests and science exper-iments at the library. “I love the Huntsville Public Library,” 9-year-old Emily Tuttle says.

ITEM FILE PHOTO


ITEM FILE PHOTO When the weather gets too hot, take the family over to the Frank D. “Poncho” Roberts Aquatic Center for a dip in the pool or a splash around the water park area. There are plenty of slides and exciting water features to keep the entire family entertained and cool for hours this summer.


swimming pool, a couple of hours on the playground at the city park and a good game of basketball between neighborhood boys.

Those kind of things couldn’t be beat back in the 1950s, and the same is true today.

Just ask the trio of Tuttle kids, 10-year-old Jack, 9-year-old Emily and 6-year-old Violet. Active children all, the Tuttles love Huntsville and all it has to offer for young people, and those who are still young at heart.

Here are the Tuttles’ favorite things to do in Huntsville:

JACK TUTTLEAge 10My favorite place to go in

Huntsville is the Eastham-Thomason Park. I like that park because it is really qui-et there and the playground structures are huge. I always make new friends there. Also, I am interested in wa-

terways, and I like to look at Town Creek while I am there. If you ever have time to waste, I suggest going to

ITEM FILE PHOTOGirls and boys of all ages love taking a dip in the Poncho Roberts Aquatic Center, which is located in downtown Huntsville at the popular Eastham-Thomason Park. The fees to get into the city pool are $2.50 for children ages 3 to 11 and $4 for ages 12 and up. Kids 2 and under are free. A summer family pass for up to four people is $100.


Eastham-Thomason Park for a while.

EMILY TUTTLEAge 9

My favorite thing to do in Huntsville is go to the library. I like to go to the library because there are a lot of interesting books. There are many fun things to do there, too.

There are free events just for kids, and my favorite one was Christmas Around the World. I love the Huntsville Public Library.

VIOLET TUTTLEAge 6 1/2

My favorite thing to do in Huntsville is go to the city pool. What I like to do at the pool is swim and go down the cool slide. The pool is the best place to go on a hot summer day.

ITEM FILE PHOTOThe big playground at Eastham-Thomason Park, or Dinosaur Park as some kids like to call it, has plenty of fun stuff for kids of all ages to do. With picnic tables next to the playground, Eastham-Thomason is a perfect place for a birthday party or a large family get-together on a sunny day.



Documents

Newcomers Guide 2015