On the Road

Trace Texas' Wendish history at museums and more in Giddings

The Lee County Museum is located in the historic Schubert-Fletcher House.

Photo courtesy of Giddings Chamber of Commerce

About 60 miles due east of Austin lies the town of Giddings, which is home to lovely parks and quaint boutiques along with a number of historical sites.

Check out these four attractions that pay homage to the town’s history and important events that define it.

Lee County Museum
Located in the historic 1879 Schubert-Fletcher House, originally built by Wendish settler August Schubert for his wife and 10 children, the Lee County Museum displays the county’s history from the first Wendish settlers to the modern day. Not familiar with Wendish history? You might be, and just not know it.

"Wend" is a historic name for Slavs living near German settlements, and in 1854, Wends living in Lusatia in Europe sought greater liberty in Central Texas. Today, thousands of Texans and other Americans (many of whom are unaware of their background) can lay claim to the heritage of the Wends.

At the museum, you'll also learn about the history of the two namesake families who occupied the Schubert-Fletcher House. In the Military Room, interesting war artifacts from Lee County veterans, including a German water-cooled machine gun, are on display.

Another highlight is a historic cistern, which was part of a water system created by town founders J.D. Giddings and Dewitt Giddings.

And don’t miss the tiny cottage onsite that was originally built by Roy Fletcher. It’s now a research library operated by the Lee County Historical Commission, with all kinds of documents, books, and references available for history buffs.

Find the Lee County Museum in Giddings’s Courthouse Square, across the street from the Lee County Courthouse that was built by famed courthouse designer J. Riely Gordon in 1899.

Giddings Public Library and Cultural Center
Book nerds, you’ll love this historic library that celebrated 100 years in 2020 and boasts an impressive 38,000-book collection across 19,000 square feet.

And it’s not just books to browse, either. It also houses the largest permanent public display of Native American artifacts (2,400-plus!) in the state along with baseball memorabilia from “hometown hero” Hilton Smith.

The library even hosts a Texas Word Wrangler Book Festival every November, honoring Texas authors.

Veterans Honor Park at Veterans Park
A special part of Giddings’s Veterans Park serves as a memorial for Lee County vets from all four branches of the military, as well as POWs and MIAs.

In addition, there are four tracked military vehicles on display: an M110 Tracked Howitzer; an M728/M60 tank; and two M113 Armored Personnel Carriers.

911 Memorial at Giddings Fire Station
Pieces of two steel beams from the World Trade Center in New York were painstakingly procured by the Giddings Volunteer Fire Department after the incident and driven to Giddings, "draped in an American Flag for the entire journey." You can find them on display outside the fire station.

For maps and more things to do in Giddings, make sure to swing by the Giddings Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center while at the Lee County Museum — it’s located in the Schubert-Fletcher House, too.

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Holiday News

American Airlines expects record-setting travel on Thanksgiving 2024

Photo courtesy of American Airlines

American Airlines ready for takeoff.

The holidays are looming and American Airlines is ramping up. Over the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend, the Fort Worth-based airline expects to process nearly 8.3 million customers across more than 77,000 flights.

According to a statement from American's COO David Seymour, the airline is having a good fall season and canceled fewer flights than its peers during October.

“Thanks to the hard work of our 130,000 team members, we canceled fewer flights than any of our major competitors this October and beat our own records for on-time departures and arrivals,” Seymour says.

That's surely good news. One hates to rain on their parade, but in June 2024, the only flight I booked this year, my flight was canceled less than 24 hours before take-off. I had made hotel reservations, scheduled a pet sitter, planned events, and arranged for a friend to pick me up at the destination airport. One employee speculated that it may have been "insufficient crew." Their only solution offered was: Feel free to reschedule your flight.

Thanksgiving facts and figures
The travel window runs from November 21 to December 3, and the airline expects to carry more than 500,000 more customers than it did last year.

The most-traveled day will be Sunday, December 1. The second most-traveled day will be Monday, December 2.

The peak of peak: 1,035 mainline and regional aircraft will be enroute at 10:45 am on Sunday, December 1 — the highest number of flights handled at any given time during American’s travel period.

The airline expects to serve more than 6.8 million Biscoff cookies on board from November 21 to December 3.

Travel tips
Download the American Airlines app and check in for your flight, noting added any bags to your trip. This will save you time at the airport.

If traveling internationally, download the Mobile Passport Control app, which can speed up your entry into the U.S. Global Entry members can download the Global Entry app, which allows you to submit your entry and go straight to the officer.

Upon arrival at the airport lobby, scan your mobile boarding pass to print bag tags quickly at a kiosk. If you’re not checking bags, go straight to TSA security with your mobile boarding pass.

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