Thursday, November 30, 2006

Ennis, Texas



Ennis, Texas is famous for the bluebonnets that blanket the hills around the town every spring, drawing about 50,000 visitors each year to an annual festival during the third weekend of April. The Ennis Garden Club has laid out 42 miles of trails that the Texas Legislature named "The Official Bluebonnet Trail of Texas." The club provides free maps of trails through fertile farmlands and rolling hills where bluebonnets cover miles of grasslands. The club members provide information on the best areas for viewing the bluebonnets and other wildflowers. The bluebonnet was named for its striking resemblance to the sunbonnets of pioneer women.

Bluebonnets are not the only source of pride in Ennis, which celebrates its Czech heritage each Memorial Day with the National Polka Festival. It is the state flower of Texas for which Ennis is best known. The sweet-smelling blooms were beloved by the American Indians long before the Czech settlers arrived. A Comanche legend about the origin of the bluebonnets tells of the tribe’s struggle with starvation, cold, and disease. The Great Spirit told the chieftains that their most valued and cherished possessions should be burned and scattered to the four winds as an offering. A little American Indian princess overheard the council and sacrificed her beautiful doll with a headdress from a blue jay. The next morning, where the ashes had fallen, there was a beautiful spread of blue flowers the same shade as the blue jay’s feather. Regardless of how the flowers came to Texas, the bonnet-shaped blooms are a state treasure, especially in Ennis.

To see how a Village Prints artist has preserved the historical heritage of Ennis, click on the Ennis, TX page. These prints make excellent gifts for all occasions--Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, retirements, etc.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Marshall, Texas


Marshall, Texas has several famous sons and daughters. Lady Bird Johnson, wife of President Lyndon Baines Johnson, graduated from Marshall High School. Lady Bird got her nickname from a family maid who said she was as cute as a "Lady Bird." Lady Bird became famous for her work to encourage the planting of wildflowers along our nation's highways (see www.wildflower.org). George Edward Foreman, a former boxer, who was a world Heavyweight champion and an ordained Christian minister, was born in Marshall, Texas. George is probably most famous today for his "George Foreman Lean Mean Grilling Machine." Another famous son of Marshall is Huddie Ledbetter, a guitarist who wrote such famous songs as "Goodnight Irene"and “The Midnight Special." Journalist and television commentator, Bill Moyers, and football great, Y. A. Tittle, are two more famous sons of Marshall. To purchase this print of Marshall, TX, click here

Monday, October 09, 2006

Corsicana, Texas



 Is anyone reading this blog who grew up in Corsicana, Texas? Did you know that your hometown was named by Jose Antonio Navarro, a famous Texas statesman, who was one of the signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence . The county is named for Navarro. When he was asked to name the town, his response was "Call it Corsicana in honor of the island of Corsica, the birthplace of my father." The Corsicana/Navarro County Chamber of Commerce reveals more interesting tidbits about their famous town. Anyone looking for Corsicana art can see a beautiful pencil drawing of the town by clicking on this link: www.villageprints.com/drawings/texas/corsicana-tx. These limited-edition prints make excellent gifts for any occasion. Many people purchase one for each of their children and grandchildren. Anyone who grew up in Corsicana, TX and later moved away will treasure one because it brings a little bit of home back to them.

If you are from Corsicana, TX, you surely know about the town's famous fruit cake. Corsicana is best known for its Corsicana fruit cake, baked by the famous Collin Street Bakery and marketed under the name "Deluxe." The cake is possibly the world´s most famous and is shipped each year to every state in the nation and more than 290 foreign countries. I have visited the Collin Street Bakery several times and enjoyed their delicious cakes.

Corsicana is also famous because oil was first discovered west of the Mississippi River in this Texas town by a drilling firm that was searching for water for the growing town. Thus, Corsicana became the first Texas oil boom town. Corsicana was the site of the first use of crude oil as fuel for locomotives. The state's first oil refinery--known today as Mobil Oil was built in Corsicana. The Texas Company, Texaco also traces its origin to Corsicana. Russell Stover Candy Company built its largest plant in Corsicana. Russell Stover is the nation's largest handmade candy company.

Corsicana, Texas is just one of the towns that the Village Prints artists have captured on paper. Village Prints has completed pencil drawings of more than 300 towns in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas and has produced limited-edition prints of these drawings. The originals are pencil drawings, featuring composites of outstanding landmarks and historical buildings such as those in Corsicana, Texas.

Art prints, which portray the historical and architectural heritage of Corsicana,Texas, quickly become collectors' items. Each print is signed and numbered. The prints are especially appropriate for professional offices. Some professional people have collected all of the prints of their particular regions.