Waco’s former premier sporting venue hosted professional baseball teams, historic integration games and even the town’s first presidential visit. Its legacy, though tainted, tells the story of the town it called home.
Browsing: Waco history
Expanding beyond just the app, Dr. Stephen Sloan, director of the Institute for History at Baylor, has taken other media paths to educate people about Waco’s history. Through his podcast, “Waco History,” he started a series called “Waco 175” that he co-hosts with Rick Tullis, a Baylor graduate and current member of the Office of the Vice Provost for Research.
Urban renewal has since demolished many homes and buildings in Calle Dos and Sandtown, another Hispanic neighborhood, but the inaugural Hispanic History Month Walking Tour aimed to bring them back through storytelling.
Native American History Month is about much more than saying sorry for what those before did wrong. It’s about acknowledging and celebrating a group of people who loved and cared for the lands that we now live on.
“With the the images of Austin Avenue, it made Waco realize that Austin Avenue has so much great potential and because it was the main thoroughfare in the city of Waco at one time, it could be that again,” Hunt said.
There’s a good variety of events in this week’s list of things to do in Waco! From hiking, to painting to free live music, this week is sure to be a blast.
More commonly referred to as the ALICO building, the Amicable Life Insurance Company building is one of Waco’s most famous landmarks. While it is well-known for being the city’s only skyscraper, many are unaware of the historical significance it has had on the local community for over a century.
“You know, it’s not every day that we get a chance to rededicate a street,” Cooper III said. “And our prayer is that of the hundreds of people who will drive this way, pass by this sign, will look up and say, ‘Who was this man?'”
Through a fundraising event called Wildtorch, local nonprofit Jesus Said Love is fighting to free women from a history of sexual exploitation in Waco that dates back to 1889.
Students across Baylor’s campus were able to join the ceremony to watch history unfold. Some walking between classes stopped to watch the event and see the unveiling of the statues first-hand.