East Texas Stories
Personal stories, memories, and traditions from across the Piney Woods.
The Great Runaway
I have deep roots in Texas, thanks to the five generations (on both sides of my family) that came before me. My earliest ancestors came from Kentucky to Texas by
My Great Grandfather
My great grandfather, Jefferson Yarbrough was shot and subsequently killed while defending a woman from her abusive husband in Jasper Tx, in 1918. But he didn’t go down without a
Hello Electricity: Welcome To The Farm
Most people today would agree that I was raised in a large family. I came into this world in 1940,the seventh of ten children, and never heard my parents complain
The Time J. Frank Dobie Came To Henderson
I have to say that I am exceedingly proud that on both my mother’s and father’s sides of the family—we are East Texas pioneers. My mother’s ancestors arrived in Henderson
Stories About My East Texas Family
Why didn’t I ask questions as I listened to the stories being told at our family reunions? Perhaps my great grandmother, Margaret Henrietta (Stanley) Welch, could have told me about
Fishing With A Trotline
One of the stories told at night to us kids by our dad Ernest OJ Vaughn while we were camping alone along the river. This is the story as told
The Life & Times Of Thomas Earl Gentry
A Conroe Leader With A Servant’s Heart Story Submitted By Larry Foerster It was December 8, 1941. Conroe businessman and mayor, Thomas Earle Gentry, wept as he read the headlines
The Wind
There is an old dirt road hidden within the piney woods of East Texas…. It’s near the farmhouse I grew up in as a child… It’s lined with fallen brush
Share Your East Texas Story
East Texas is built on stories — family memories, small-town traditions, and the people who shaped our communities.
The Texas Forest Trail invites people to share stories inspired by the people and places of East Texas through the Texas Forest Trail Story Contest. Selected stories are featured on We Are East Texas and published in the annual anthology.
Texas Forest Trail Story Contest
Share your story and become part of the growing record of East Texas history and culture.