Tyler, Texas

March 14th to March 21st
Museums Cotton Belt Rail Line and Rose Garden and Dewberry Plantation Tours. 

On Thursday March 15 I made a picnic lunch and we took off to Tyler to shop at Granary Health Food Store. It was great to shop there, buying the necessary supplements and groceries.

The same day we were tourists touring the Cotton Belt Depot Museum. www.cottonbeltdepotmuseum.com  in the older part of Tyler. The streets were made of red bricks. In April of 1902 construction began on the Cotton Belt Depot, for passenger trains and goods to markets.

Peaches were the main crop to be sent to market, until a blight came through to destroy the trees in early 1900's. In the Depot had segregated waiting rooms until 1960's. The Cotton Belt Museum is in the old baggage section for railroad artifacts, books, pictures, hats, uniforms and model trains collection.

When Randal was researching the museum, he read that there would be 100's of train engines on display. He was surprised to see they were all models!

Later on we took in the Tyler Rose Gardens, famous for the many types of roses.

 Although the rose are not in bloom this time of year we learned more about the importance of the roses in Tyler, Texas.


The property was developed by the City of Tyler for a fairground and park in 1912 and the Rose Garden was constructed in 1938.



The famous Texas Rose Festival www.texasrosefestival.com , has been held in October every year since the end of WWII, with a parade and the Coronation of a Rose Queen. The display of the elegantly designed gowns, all having themes, were on display.

Friday afternoon we took a tour of Dewberry Plantation, www.dewberryplantation.com  just west of Bullard, TX and near Lake Palestine. We arrived without booking a tour so we were able to hook up with a couple who had booked ahead of time. The tour guide lives in the plantation house with his wife. They are the fourth family to own and live there. They purchased the house and five acres  in 2004.

The house was owned by Colonel John Dewberry, (1794-1877)  who came to Texas  in 1835. He had fought in the 1812 War. When he got married he  built the family's dream home in 1852. The area was where the Army of Republic camped in 1839 while they pursued the Cherokee Indians. His cotton plantation covered 30,000 acres. His slaves were well treated and the families never separated or sold.

The main house was named “Myrtle-Vale” because of the Crepe Myrtles http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagerstroemia  a fast growing tree that lined the driveway, which are still growing today.

Until next time: "Discover It and Live It".