Since Ann Pamela Cunningham rallied the help of women throughout America to save George Washington’s Mount Vernon from ruin and neglect in the mid-nineteenth century, Americans set about preserving historic homes in their own backyards as windows the nation’s past and bearers of cultural heritage. Waco took part in this fervor and today boasts a number of historic residences. From private residences to homes adapted for business use to four house museums kept and preserved by Historic Waco…

Baylor University has been an integral part of Waco’s development since it moved to Waco from Independence in 1886. Founded in 1845 by R.E.B. Baylor, William Tryon, and James Huckins in Independence, Texas, the university moved to Waco when Independence began to decline due to its lack of a railroad line. Once there, Baylor merged with a local college called Waco University. Baylor University was one of the many institutions of higher learning that earned Waco the nickname "the Athens of Texas.”…

Providing a constant water supply, means of transportation, and fertile farming ground, but also serving as a site of frequent flooding, the Brazos River shaped the story of the communities which grew upon its banks. Throughout history, it has proven a constant thread in the life of Waco. Though it benefited local farmers such as the Waco Indians and subsequent white cotton planters, the river hindered merchants in the late nineteenth century who possessed no means of crossing the often volatile…

The term ‘Bible-Belt’ is sometimes used to describe the religious landscape of Central Texas. However, to characterize Waco as a community full of carbon-copy churches is to do a disservice to the heterogeneous character of the houses of worship present in the city. While Waco’s spiritual past is largely Judeo-Christian, remarkable variation exists within the two faith traditions. For more than one hundred years, multiple Protestant denominations have coexisted with Catholic congregations and…

Once a small frontier town on the banks of the Brazos River, Waco developed into a thriving commercial center of Texas near the end of the nineteenth century. As the population grew, the city became known as a leader in education because of the wealth and diversity of opportunities offered in higher education. This reputation led some to dub the city the “Athens of Texas,” evoking images of the classical civilization often viewed as the pinnacle of art and education. This tour highlights a…