The Ghost Town of Indianola Texas
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.ย. 2024
- Some of the ideas for this video came from:
The Vanished Texas Coast
Marks Lardas
2021 The History Press
TSHA
www.tshaonline...
#Texas #gulfcoast #hurricane #texashistory #historical #historic #texascoast #indianola #german #immigrants #ghosttown
My great-great-great grandfather arrived in Indianola in the fall of 1846, along with three small sons, one small daughter, his wife, and his mother. Conditions were horrible, and he, two of his sons, his daughter and his mother all died of cholera while traveling from Indianola to New Braunfels. Only his wife, my great-great-great grandmother, and one of his sons, my great-great grandfather, survived the trip.
My German ancestors came into Indianola in the early 1850’s and then settled in New Braunfels and Fredericksburg!
Ain't it wild..
Tough times
My 4×grandfather landed there and ended up in great town of Fredericksburg Texas.
Mine came and settled in Castroville !!!
Hello Secrets of Texas. I’m back from my weeklong visit to central Texas that you inspired. I went to Washington-on-the-Brazos, Independence, Brenham, Huntsville, La Grange, Navasota … and I toured the painted churches. Had a wonderful time. I ate at two of the Czech bakeries you featured … delicious! When I was at the Wendish Museum in Serbin, the ladies asked me how I found them. I told them I found them by watching your videos, and they remembered you fondly. Thanks for the inspiration. It was a great adventure. Looks like I’ll be planning another … I love a good ghost town. Thanks!
If you’re a Texan you need to there and read all the markers. It’s like the Alamo, it’s a Texan thing. Go see it!🇺🇸🤠
I have strong memories of visiting my mom’s aunt when I was maybe 7 yrs old in port Lavaca & her taking us out to Indianola beach to see the ruins at the waters edge. The story about the lives lost really left an impact on me. Thank you for this wonderful and concise presentation.
I was able to visit an 1859 house from Indianola this weekend. It was an 1875 storm survivor and dismantled, and moved to Cuero. It was surreal
Great video. My great,great, great grandfather James L Allen was mayor of Indianola. He was also the last messenger of the battle of the Alamo. Lots of history there. And great food at the Indianola fishing marina.
WOW 😲
A ghost town that is a true ghost town. So sad that it's nothing more than a name in history. Thank you for the tour.
I hope it stays that way.....shhhhhhhh
As kids my Dad nearly backed a pop up trailer into the bar ditch to read the historical marker there. We camped on the beach and I found lots of bits of blue and white pottery as I collected shells. It looks like the past few storms have eroded the beach alot since the 1960s when we were there.
What lovely memories your video brought back. I recalled my favorite things about Indianola, which were the small beach that wasn't sand but instead very small shells, that were not sharp, which we could walk barefoot on; and I will always recall the monument to LaSalle. Thanks again.
Back in the 1990's there was an honest to God "Hole in the Wall" bar named Bill's. It had the first digital dart boards (two of them) my buddies and I had encountered. This place was a gem that
only the locals knew about. People were super friendly and a hoot to be around. We stumbled upon this place by accident. As this video indicates; nothing is more than feet from the Gulf including the statue of LaSalle. I am proud to say, I spent two days having a blast and socializing with some people (one guy called "Sparky") that are (?) Texas Treasures!
One of my ancestors came through there. I didn't know the story but I kind of knew a hurricane was going to figure prominently. We have some surviving letter from Dad's side, unfortunately written in archaic German or what my mom thinks is Czech, so we only have a rough translation written by a long dead descendant of theirs. But they talk about fierce storms off the sea and twisters, none of which they'd ever seen before.
If you think about it, every Texan descending from those immigrants from the Black Sea area is a miracle, considering how alien and hostile the new country was.
Thank you so much for such a fascinating video. I live in Aransas Pass, which is only 73 miles from Indianola, and yet I've never been there. I love your history lesson, and read a little more online after watching your video. The history about Prince Carl is truly awesome! So very sad that the city only survived 40 years. I am so ready for a road trip now so I can visit Indianola. Thanks again.
My family is from Indianola, Iowa. We moved to Texas in ‘87, and I remember going to the beach one day and seeing the signs to Indianola. Such a unique name, I’ve always wondered if there was anything that connected them.
There’s an Indianola, MS, too. When I first heard of the Texas Indianola, I wondered the same.
Oustanding video.
I apreciated very much that you made the markers and stones readable in your video.
Once again, excellent Texas history content... I can imagine the challenges my ancestors encountered crossing the ocean arriving to this land. It's amazing what history can be learned from visiting a cemetery. Came across a group of headstones once that all had the same date of deceased; Googled it and it was a family murder suicide more than a century ago, committed by the mother.
amazing history of a long ago Texas town...sad, but interesting
Loved the sound of the crashing waves. Great all around video. Thanks for sharing it. You've got a new subscriber.
Went to highschool in port lavaca. Never knew about indianola. thank you
I have always thought of visiting Indianola, and Velasco. I collect old docs. I have some RT issued from Velasco. My German ancestors came to Texas starting 1845. They came through Galveston. Can you imagine a trip on a Bark (sailing ship) from Bremerhaven to Galveston ? What a rough trip.
Near where I live is the only remaining RT/US border marker. It is southeast of Deadwood.
I was born in Victoria Texas but grew up mostly in Anderson county up in East Texas. As far as I can remember this is the first time I've heard of this town and I thought I was pretty up on my Texas facts for the most part. I don't remember ever being taught fish in school in Texas history or it being mentioned on any of the travel shows. All the way it was only around for a few years, it seems it should have been mentioned at least since it was considered the capital of Texas for a little while. Leave me feeling a little frustrated of what is put into books and what is left out of books. 😟
The Capital of Texas is a reference to Velasco, at the mouth of the Brazos; up the coast quite a ways from Indianola. The only reason I can imagine it got in this story of Indianola is that it too was destroyed by hurricane. It's "out of the blue" and out of place.
I was born in Victoria too!
Indianola and Olivia (right down the road) are two of my favorite fishing spots in the state. The bay/river inlets make for some great fishing
This area of the texas coast has tons of spots where you can just feel isolated on the beach somewhere. Port o Connor is amazing, magnolia beach is a hot spot for rv'ers and van lifers, sea drift is pretty, etc. Great part of the coast to cruise around and explore all the little towns
@C H if you catch em right when they are starting to come into the bay you'll have a great day
Good to hear. I thought this might be good for fishing. Will definitely visit. I live in New Braunfels.
@@nomaderic this is so true. My favorite little hidden fishing pier and deck. We caught more than 75 fish in an hour one night. I love seeing the trout and red jumping through. The water literally pops of population as they come through
@@RPMUnderground yea sometimes we would be out there not getting anything then it would be 2am or so they'd start rolling in and we'd start catching them left and right. Trout, red, huge black drum, you name it. It's crazy because most the time you'll be one of if not the only people out there. Especially in Olivia I can be fishing all day and nobody else comes by. Great little hidden gems
Thanks for doing a video on Indanola! My Nana grew up telling me about it and her and my Uncle Dusty claim at one time you could still see some of the train tracks under the water at low tide. She gave me a book on it which I'm working on reading; the absolute cruelty to the German settlers, in this area, is appalling.
We have a photo of my grandparents, who lived in Victoria, sitting on 2 of the giant rectangular stones used to build the court house. They were gone by the time I was 8-9 years old. You could still see some of the old cisterns.
The absolute cruelty to the Indigenous People was worse.
@@Joelsellers29 Okay? 👌
Anyone remember Charlie Robison’s song, “Indianola”? A long gone friend played it for me decades ago. It’s a good one!
This is a cool place has a great bar/restaurant and fishing pier. Has the good ole historical markers and even a nice beach, watch out for the oyster beds they'll get you! 7 stiches later and 1 shot later! Would go again.
From Victoria TX, we go about every other weekend to the marina, love it
Hurricane Carla shifted LeSalle's statue several inches on it's base. 1961
My Great great Grandfather hauled freight by 8 mule teams between Indianola, San Antonio and Chihuahua soon after arriving in Texas from Düsseldorf. I would love to find out how long that trip took
My old relatives used oxen... so the story goes.
You could always recreate the journey, do a Kickstarter or Gofundme.
I live 25 minutes from there, been going there since I was a child. Still have people living there and the fishing is decent. Beautiful memories of a beautiful place.
🦅♥️🇺🇸♥️🇩🇪 God Bless these immigrants from Germany that helped found in the United States of America, my great-grandfather George Staudohar the 1st settled in the midwestern plains of Illinois, he was a farmer, and had several children , St George Illinois was named after my great grandfather, ‼️
Always fun to see other Indianola’s! I grew up in a small Indianola Washington.
I live in Port Lavaca. Born and raised
Very fascinating video; thanks for sharing your journey with us.
Thank you for your video!-Our family came over from Germany through the port of Indianola in the 1850s..... They settled around Fredericksburg. I appreciate your Texas history, informative, entertaining. New Subscriber to your channel! BTW-Charlie Robison song... "Indianola", good one!
@@huns12345 Hi Tom, my understanding is they landed from Germany, I will look in my family's history books for that info. You've sparked my interest now... TBC
Hello It’s funny. I was just there Thursday checking it out. Didn’t spend much time there since I was driving to Longview from Corpus Christi. The demise of Indianola is sad. I hope to spend more time there next time. Thank you for all the time and work on your videos for us to enjoy
Nice! Thanks for the history, it was very interesting! I enjoy the Magnolia Beach and the Port Lavaca area.
I really enjoy your videos on the history of Texas. As a fairly new resident, there's much I need to learn. Thanks again
NO FLOWERS @ GRAVE SITES , THESE BRAVE SOULS ARE LONG FORGOTTEN...
That's why cemeteries are a waste of Land.
@@Joelsellers29 And expensive modern funerals a waste of money hitting a family at one of its hardest times.
Hey man, just watched your video.
Outstanding little documentary brother!
In fact I'm going to plan a small road trip down there and check that cemetary out.
I'm in Old Town Spring Tx.
Look forwards to seeing more of your work. Liked your music and the way you did your editing. Great sounds.
Thanks for this video. My maternal great-grandparents came into Indianola, I believe, probably in the 1870's-80's. They were German, Austrian and Polish.
WOW I used to fish the hell outa that pier a decade ago. Granted I did more fishn on the one it replaced. Great upload and take on Indianola! P.S. That fishery has great live music on the weekends, my dads band plays there every now and again. The Crossroads Troubadours
Wow just found your channel. My great grandfather immigrated thru Indianola and settled Between Llano and Fredericksburg. The land and original cabin are still standing to this day and still owned by the family.
I went to school in Imperial Beach, California in the late 1950's and early '60's with William (Bill) Billbray, not a common name, and not sure of the spelling,. They were all enrolled mid semester and I think we're Navy arrivals from Corpus, common for the time
Just curious if you have info about family.
Visited site several times with my late husbands folks. Her parents immigrated to Indianola then moved to Cuero.Rven as a history buff It always gave me goosebumps.
My great-great-great grandpa came from Germany and settled in High Island. From there we have multiplied. When I was a kid, at family reunions, we could basically map out ever generation from a single ancestor, now there are way too many Kahlas.
I enjoyed the video. I try to imagine what it was like for my Great grandfather, Joe Klar, his wife and their sons . Who traveled from Germany in 1880., The hardships they saw and endured
In hopes of a better life for their family.
I was always told that German settlers wanted to settle in the Hill country as it reminded them of where they had come from.
Thank you for sharing this amazing piece of our greats states history!!!
Thank you so much for this. Part of my family heritage!
My family book starts out with the arrival of my great grandmother Agnes Zimmermann, who arrived by ship in Indianola in 1867. She then traveled by foot and oxcart to Comfort, Texas near Kerrville.
It's amazing how many German and Czech immigrants settled in Texas. Their music had an influence on the music of Northern Mexico and South Texas with the introduction of the accordion.
Well,, well , well all imagrants. Look in the mirror.
@@cruzvarela9254 What are you talking about? Can you learn how to write clearly like an adult?
Very interesting! Something I don't recall hearing about before. I'm glad TH-cam suggested it to me a year later.
Family on my mother’s side immigrated to Indianola in the early 1800s. Most of which had settled in New Braunfels by the 1870s. My Grandmother was the last generation that still spoke fluent German, And still had a thick German accent.
Great video. I've been watching the TV 1883 with a large amount of German immigrants on the Oregon trail. I was like "why are there so many Germans in Texas?" This video explains it well.
Wonderful video!! I love this kind of history tied into modern day Texas.
amazing to me ,,history is our legacy ,,seeing the graveyard reminds me of something that happened to me and my friend , we were driving to lake sam rayburn were we lived coming home from work in Houston TX ,we had a we had few beers and had to stop for a pee break ,,we turned off onto an old country road and went a ways and got out to do our thing ,i noticed we had stopped beside an old cemetery ,we were curious ,it was all grown up but u could read the head stones ,some of them were from folks born in the 1700s ,,it was the oldest graves id ever seen ,,all grown up and forgotten ,,made me want to clean it up
Great post, very historic, I knew nothing of the city, thanks for posting.
Thaank you for this virtual tour. More pls.
You should listen to Charlie Robison's indianola. Great song.
Indianola is so isolated, but that's nice
The isolation is key to Indianola's charm, but am glad to see a marina nearby.
While studying serious Texas history, it's always nice to be able to grab a PayDay bar and a Dr Pepper.! 😋
There is a letter at the library of the University of Incarnate Word, from a Doctor who survived one of the hurricanes that hit Indianola. He and his wife were blown 20 miles inland in a row boat. Their clothes were almost gone from the wind. He also wrote the Karankawa left the area for Mexico right before the hurricane hit.
Didn't see any Bunkers or Wilkinsons on the grave markers, so now I need to go there myself to find them. In the fall. When it's cooler and less humid.
I grew up in Angleton..also low lying..thank you for the history.
Thanks for sharing!
TH-cam search Brian Burns Indianola. Great song, historically accurate, fantastic music.
So is the storm close to you now? Enjoy all your town tours. I'ma 5th generation Texan and a worldly person been around the world I'm 65 now reside in Shepherd with the national forest borders my home
Yes that footage was from "Invest 98L"
The late, great Charlie Robison wrote a great song that takes place in Indianola.
Grew up in Calhoun county just down the road, a serious railroad nerd and model all of Calhoun county railroads in the 1910-1930 era, one day, I plan to add a fourth level deck perfectly as I can model the indianola railroad in the 1855-1865 era, just before the first of two storms that ultimately wiped indianola off the map forever it’s just crazy to think, had that not happened, Galveston would be indianola and indianola would be modern day Galveston
My multi-great grandmother arrived in indianola in the 1850/60’s I think, weeks at sea, that’s how one part of my family arrived to America, most don’t know this, but maybe not until the last few years, two steam locomotives have been sitting just outside indianola in the bay, slowly rusting away absolutely covered in shrimp nets.
My mother was born in Velasco tx- Ive lived about 8 miles from Indianola for 35 years
Lived 1 year 3 days. 146 years later we look at her memorial stone. Kinda strange. Amelia.
Thank you. I love going to indianola
My wife's great+ grandpa Pustejovsky (Czech) came though here and went all the way up past Waco and settled in Abbott, Texas.
I've been there a few times. It's sad how devastating a hurricane can be. Having two in a short time I couldn't imagine. There is another ghost town in Goliad county called Weesatche.
Between 2008 & 2013, I smoked so much green there( magnolia Beach also)
I saw the pic in the thumbnail before reading video title and AUTOMATICALLY knew that was a Texas beach.
George Armstrong born 1831 in Scotland died 1885 in Texas. He must of had an interesting life traveling. Especially since all this was new back then.
Really cool video. May I suggest you not move your camera so fast? The old gravestones are historically interesting, but you move the cam before the inscriptions could be read.
Charlie Robison has a great song called Indianola
It is a good song, but he's talking about Indianola in Oklahoma.
My Mother's family came through Indianola a little before 1850.
Quite a few towns on the Texas coast that showed a lot of promise until a hurricane changed their plans.
Come check out Sargent. The way the crow flies, we're not too from Indianola
This is awesome Texas history! Just know that others have lived here way before, others who never logged anything down.
50 years ago was my first time there, gosh it has changed.
Drove by there about 1980 or so. Nothing but sticks and little more coming out of Matagorda bay.
charlie robison taught me about indianola
Home is Port Lavaca. Indianola is great stop to hang out!
If you ever get a chance to explore texas ,out in west texas theres a town called Breckenridge, i saw a lot of the area ..... unfortunately i was in the prison unit there 13 years ago but i was low risk so i worked on a crew that went to Ranger college in ranger texas ,and other small towns doing maintenance work ,i grew up in southeast texas so west texas was new to me and getting out of tgat terrible place everyday was amazing but i fell in love with the area and that was the last time i ever got in trouble but ive always wanted to go see those towns again without having to be strip searched
My father had either lived in Ranger or near there. I also remember hearing the name Star Texas. That would have been about 1925 to 1945.
Good video, I was just down there in Port Aransas, I wish I had seen this video before I went down there, I would have definitely visited that area
My ancestors lived there in Indianola too. I guess there are no records left . I found a few things on ancestry but would really come there and go thru that graveyard for anything interesting. I'm always looking and want to come there.
Wow, very interesting. I’m from Texas, and never heard of this.
I find it interesting that, as a Californian, I always hear how we’re going to get swallowed by the sea, it doesn’t happen here, but clearly it does in the south and east coasts.
Not being a Texan but only visiting the state and reading about it I just assumed Indianola was still there. Thanks.
Charlie Robison made a song memorializing the town called not surprisingly." Indianola".
Mr. Depression should have told people is how peaceful and kind Indianola Beach is. How the community helps and everybody knows each other on a first name basis. How people stood up for one another and came together when outside help stayed limited. Even to go as far as to get a innocent man who they barely know, out of jail. How people came together and rebuild after tragities hit. Mr. Depression should have been here after hurricane Harvey where he would have seen the local people at their best.
Very interesting n informative. Thanks
I was there a couple years ago. I think it was the start of the path thru San Antonio to the mining in Chihuahua.
I could imagine all that, it is written so it must be true.
Good citizens are real, once upon a time.
Make the world like your dream again.
Cities come and cities go.
And after a city is gone, it is soon forgotten.
Just as with person's death,
all that is left is a placard in the ground. 😢
Visited once on a drive from Corpus Christi to Houston.
I need to compare Corpus' growth history with Port Lav/Indianola times and see the correlation. One thing - there's always another storm comin'!
I grew up in Edna we used to go to Indianola to fish and swim. My dad told me the story of what happened there
Love you work, keep it up! 👍
Enjoy your videos of Texas