This spring Professor James Hallmark will once again be leading Panola College’s “Texas History with a Field Trip” course. This unique class provides participants with the opportunity to earn three semester credit hours while touring historical landmarks of the Lone Star State.
“It’s going to be great – both informative and fun!” said Hallmark. “On the first day we will see Native American burial mounds, Mission San Francisco de la Tejas, the first Spanish mission in East Texas and Fort Parker, site of a famous Comanche massacre and a great example of pioneer stockade architecture. We will have lunch on the fort grounds before continuing on to the world-famous Texas Ranger Museum, the historic Roebling Brothers Suspension Bridge and other historical aspects of Waco and the region. Later we will skirt the largest active military fort in the country, Ft. Hood, as well as numerous other “cavalry” forts from the Texas Indian wars of the 1800’s. We’ll eat dinner at the world famous Cooper’s BBQ in Llano before stopping for the night in Menard.”
The following day students will view the ruins of the San Saba Mission, the site of two Comanche massacres in the 1750s. From there, the class will travel to one of the best preserved cavalry forts in the West, Fort McKavett. Other highlights of the day will include a visit to ‘Alamo Village’ for a discussion of the famous battle on the life-size set built by John Wayne, and a visit to Fort Clark in Bracketville where Robert E. Lee once served. The class is scheduled to stop for the evening in Castroville, an old town rich in French-Alsatian culture.
On the third day students will travel to San Antonio to tour the missions Espada, Capistrano, San Jose and Concepción, the Alamo, the Spanish Governor’s Palace, and San Fernando Cathedral. This will be followed by a drive to ‘Washington-on-the-Brazos’ where they will tour Independence Hall and either the Star of Texas Museum or Barrington, a living plantation museum. The final night on the road will be spent in Huntsville.
On the last day, the group will tour various Sam Houston sites in Huntsville, including his homes, grave, commemorative statue, and the college that bears his name. This will be followed by a visit to the Texas Prison Museum, home of the old electric chair. On the way home the class will stop in Lufkin to tour the Texas Forestry Museum. After this tour, they will drive home arriving back in Carthage early that afternoon.
This course is transferable to other Texas colleges and universities, and may be used to satisfy half of Panola College’s freshman history requirement. It can also serve as an exciting and personally enriching elective for anyone of all ages and backgrounds interested in seeing and knowing more about Texas history and culture. For those seeking professional development opportunities, this course is perfect, especially for education majors or public school teachers. Continuing education credit is also available for public school teachers. High school students who have completed their junior year may take the course for early admissions credit.
The first class meeting will be held in room 104 of the Martha Miller Administration Building on January 23, at 3 pm. Fees and tuition costs are about the same as a regular 3-hour course. Although there is a $90 travel fee, there is no textbook requirement. Students should also expect to spend at least $150 for food, admissions to sites, and lodging on the tour. For information on registering call the admissions office at 903-693-2038. For information about the course, contact Professor Hallmark at 903-693-1132 or jhallmark@panola.edu.