Carnivorous Ducks and Restaurant Review

Fort Worth has an interesting skyline, but what I like best are the old buildings on the south

Texas and Pacific Railroad Station

side of town. The Texas and Pacific Railroad station is a wonderful Art Deco building that is supposed to be restored and turned into apartments and shopping. Next to it is the Post Office, with its wonderful blend of Beaux Arts and Classical architecture. And next to that is Texas and Pacific Railroad Warehouse that is also Art Deco. Someday soon I hope to blog about all of these great old buildings found in Fort Worth ~ and to try out more restaurants in the area!

Aimed at Aledo and Restaurant Review

House on the prairie

From the time I was in junior high school, the Aledo Bearcats athletic teams (football and basketball) were terrifying. This wasn’t because they were so much better than other athletic teams we played, but because those kids were ‘rough’. We dreaded playing away games because we had to ride the bus all the way out to this foreboding town, were likely to lose the game, and might get into some sort of altercation ~ at least that was what we believed when we were kids. In retrospect, both schools were classified as 2A (105 to 219 high school students) with the only difference being that Aledo was a bit more rural than Everman at the time. Now a visit to Aledo is a nice ride into an area of cattle ranches, prairie houses, and historic settings.

Venus in Blue Jeans...and Cowboy Boots and Restaurant Review

Old down town Venus

Another small town about half an hour south of Fort Worth is Venus. Originally named Gossip, it was developed as a township by J.C. Smythe and renamed Venus. This former farming area transformed into a bustling town when two major railroads met at the site. At one time Venus had a post office, a school district and small college, several businesses, and a weekly newspaper (Venus Express). However, the Great Depression caused terrible down swing in the town’s prosperity, leaving the streets nearly vacant with only a drug store in operation. With the coming of industry to the nearby community of Midlothian, Venus began to recover. Plans are underway for the rejuvenation of the town. With its pretty park next to down town, Venus could attract restaurants (beyond the two fast-food establishments that are on the highway), shops, and visitors from the Metroplex.

Maneuvering in Midlothian and Restaurant Review

About half an hour south of Fort Worth is the small town of Midlothian. Small towns in Texas

Cement Capitol Sign

usually have some interesting or quirky story behind them and they just may have a good restaurant or two. Since it was a pretty day, we decided to take a drive in the country. Now known as the Cement Capitol of Texas, Midlothian began its life as Peters Colony in the midst of Indian country. William Alden Hawkins and Larkin Newton were founding members of the colony, building houses by July 1, 1848 and thus meeting the requirements for claiming 640 acres of land, each. But, for the settlement to become a viable town, Sam Houston had to achieve peace between the settlers and the Tonkawa Indians. Once the treaty was established, other tribes that hunted in the area, the Wacos, Kickapoos, Bidias, and Anadarkos, also had to agree to honor the terms. The early residents made their living by trapping and hunting but incoming colonists began to establish cattle ranches and cotton fields. Cattle and cotton production led to the coming of the railroads, linking Dallas, Cleburn, Enis and Fort Worth; this prompted the change of the town’s name from Peters Colony to Midlothian – midpoint of the railways.