Just off I-35, right between Dallas and Austin, is a region filled with a rich history and a vibrant present. With a population of 153,000, the Heart of Texas has maintained its small town friendliness, with the amenities of a metropolitan area. Or as we like to say, all the convenience, none of the congestion, and a lot of charm thrown in for good measure.
Visitors are always surprised at the town beyond the highway. Just a few short blocks beyond the interstate gas stations and fast-food restaurants, you’ll discover leafy-green parks, ice-cold Dr Peppers, historic homes, a pedestrian bridge stretched across the Brazos River, a restored warehouse district, and a world-class natural-habitat zoo. And that’s all within a mile of I-35. Come take a look for yourself. In the meantime, check out these story ideas. If you can’t make it for a visit, maybe your readers can.
There are so many interesting stories in Waco & the Heart of Texas we couldn’t provide it all here, but we are happy to provide you with whatever you might need! If you are looking for something specific, or would just like additional story ideas please contact Lori Kasparian at lorik@wacoheartoftexas.com or 254-750-5804.
In 1978, hikers noticed a large bone sticking out of an embankment near the Bosque River in Waco. They alerted the Strecker Museum, now part of the Mayborn Museum Complex, to their find. Scientists from Baylor University and the museum studied the bone and determined that it dated back 65,000 years ago during the Pleistocene Epoch.
As the scientists began excavation, they were shocked to find an entire herd of Columbian Mammoths—24 to date and more expected—trapped and buried in the muddy banks of the Bosque. With this discovery, Waco became one of the most important paleontological sites in the world, drawing researchers from all over to study what the National Park Service refers to as “The nation's first and only recorded discovery of a nursery herd of Pleistocene mammoths”.
The exact cause of death remains a mystery, but they are believed to have perished in a series of events. One event was believed to have occurred approximately 68,000 years ago when rapidly rising waters from the Bosque River flooded the site, trapping 19 mammoths. The second and third events also appear to be flood-related. Relatives of both Woolly Mammoths and Mastodons, Columbian Mammoths most closely resembled modern-day African and Asian elephants. These enormous creatures consumed about 50 gallons of water a day, so this would certainly explain why they were all in the riverbed.
The Waco Mammoth Site, which opened in December 2009, is nestled on 100 acres of woodlands on the banks of the Bosque River. Mammoth Site visitors take a step back in time as they stroll along the suspended walkway overlooking the skeletal remains. Although there is not any excavation currently taking place, the Site is an active dig site. The Dig Shelter provides the necessary protection from humidity and additional natural elements to preserve the specimens for future excavation.
For those wishing to get a little more up close and personal with the bones, the Mayborn Museum Complex offers a Waco Mammoth Site exhibit featuring the matriarch and young mammoth’s remains. It was cast in situ, placed in the floor of the exhibit space, and covered with a high-pressure glass. Visitors can walk directly over the skeleton, getting a sense of both the scale of the mammoths and the tragedy of the event.
Dr. A. J. Browning, the founder of the Armstrong Browning Library and the Chair of the English Department at Baylor University for 40 years, long loved the work of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. He began collecting their original works and personal items in 1912 and donated his entire collection to Baylor in 1918. By 1925, it was recognized as the largest concentration of Browning pieces, and in 1948, Baylor broke ground on this exquisite jewel of a museum know as the Armstrong Browning Library.
Beyond the original, hand-written poems of the Brownings, beyond the array of Wedgwood pieces, the period furniture, the leather-bound books, the 30 paintings illustrating Robert Browning from birth to death, the personal love notes between Robert and Elizabeth. Beyond this world-class collection recognized by scholars around the globe, there is the building itself.
For those unfamiliar with the Brownings’ poetry, they will find the building alone worth the visit. The architecture of the library does not fall into any one category. Visitors will see hints of Italianate and Beaux-Art influence with a classical symmetry throughout. Inside, walls of black walnut, hand-painted wood ceilings, and Gothic Oak parquet floors form a rich backdrop to the breathtaking stained-glass windows.
With 62 stained glass windows throughout the library—most commissioned especially for the museum—light filters through the great halls in a multitude of brilliant colors. The striking cathedral windows in the foyer move from shades of deep amber to pale lavender, casting warmth on the surroundings. Forty of the windows represent themes from Robert Browning's poems, while twelve are based on Elizabeth Barrett Browning's well-known Sonnets from the Portuguese. The windows are considered the largest collection of secular stained glass in the world.
The back of the library houses the Foyer of Meditation, a 40 x 40-foot room with a recessed dome decorated in 23-karat gold leaf and a terrazzo floor made of marble. The Cloister of Clasped Hands, set in the very heart of the building, illustrates in gold leaf Robert and Elizabeth’s best-known love poems to each other. The Baylor Chamber Singers, recognized as the crème de la crème of Baylor choral groups and respected throughout the entire state of Texas, perform Renaissance and contemporary works from the Cloister twice a year. Their clear voices combine with the beautiful setting to create a transcendental experience.
With or without the concert, visitors leave the library in awe of the stained glass and rich wood, enriched by the poetry on display throughout, and touched by the timeless love between these two great poets.
Many great people and things have been birthed in Waco and the Heart of Texas including Steve Martin, Dr Pepper, Big Red, Jennifer Love Hewitt and a world-class whisky distillery!
Balcones Distilling began as a passion of a transplanted Texan and has quickly grown into a Texas whisky tradition.
It all started with an old welding shop under a bridge. They hammered and welded their own stills, and sawed and nailed on the structure to build the distillery that is used to this day. Since 2008, Balcones has released seven unique spirits and won 40 national and international awards from the world's top judges and critics. They don't just make whisky in Texas. They make Texas whisky.
Their commitment to hand crafting spirits extends into the design and layout of the distillery and the engineering and construction of equipment. The benefits of building and installing their own equipment became clear as they put together the distillery. By building their own condensers, wash stills, heat exchangers, hot liquor tank, etc. they were able to build exactly the equipment they wanted to use to make spirits. They became extremely familiar with the tools of their trade. The equipment itself is one more level of the distilling process that they get to craft with their own hands.
“Balcones are unquestionably the masters of big whisky in the USA outside of Kentucky and Tennessee.”
- Jim Murray Whisky Bible 2013
For those interested in the opposite spectrum of the spirits world, Waco & the Heart of Texas has many great wineries, including Valley Mills Vineyards.