Maps are great snapshots of contemporary viewpoints that depict past, present, and potential futures, and this is definitely true for maps that depict the Republic of Texas.

This widely-shared photograph depicts the very fancy mansion in Gainesville, Cooke County, Texas, that once housed members of John and Clara (nee Easley) Belcher. The Belchers didn't live in Gainesville very long, but left some historic traces in North Texas. And because this photograph has been shared but not researched as much, I thought I'd give it a go!

Near the tiny settlement of Dye in Montague County, Texas, stands a 1,294 feet high "mound" called Jim Ned Lookout along Jim Ned Road. So I became curious... who was Jim Ned? Turns out, there were three Jims -- Jim Ned and Jim Shaw, both Delawares navigating their way through Texas, and Jim Ned, a literary figure.

Avery in Red River County, Texas is a bike trail town that still has an intact business district in its downtown, but some (most) of the buildings are no longer in use.

When I came across a photo of Mrs BM Howard 503 Bryan Street, with a date range of 1900 to 1909, I was surprised -- there was a name and an address.

Enjoying the history of Burkburnett's "Oil Pool" using Lidar!

Texarkana started life before 1860 by way of the steam railroad and a steam packet boat.

The history of the house at 301 East Lamar in McKinney includes a murder and a live burial!

William Whitlow's 3-D tombstone at Oakwood Cemetery in Fort Worth is truly an in-your-face kind of memorial, and the story behind it really encapsulates Fort Worth's short but colorful history.

A map from 1835 shows Cameron's Grant and a proposed boundary line, both at the Red River, and both unsuccessful.

Opened in 1931 and promptly unusable, the Red River bridge between Love and Cooke counties looked good, but that's about it.

Steamboat Captain Igo provided testimony in the case, Oklahoma v. Texas about his time traversing the Red River.

Whether you're driving south or north over Interstate 35E to pass by downtown Dallas, poor you, you'll eventually cross the Trinity River.

I'm here to rant that loop highways and bypasses are stupid ideas.

Hickory Creek in Denton County, Texas may be named for Hickory, a much older settlement that history has forgotten.

The Texas & Pacific Railway Depot in Pilot Point, Denton County, Texas was abandoned in 1961 and put up for sale in 1964.

An unpublished and undated engineer's report details a plan to connect McKinney to Paris with an interurban railway.

After the Battle of Village Creek, the Republic of Texas signed the Fort Bird Treaty of 1842.

Discovery of an ancient village at Fish Creek, formerly a channel of the Red River in Cooke County, Texas, explains Cross Timbers people.

Photos by THC in the 1970s depict the Thompson House, Grayson County's oldest, still extant structure. Well, kind of.