Old Texas Now

As anyone who has lived in Texas for more than five minutes will tell you, the Lone Star State used to be an independent country, which explains why our state flag is often flown side by side with Old Glory. It also explains why we have our own identity, culture...

By Matt Pulle

November 1, 2007

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As anyone who has lived in Texas for more than five minutes will tell you, the Lone Star State used to be an independent country, which explains why our state flag is often flown side by side with Old Glory. It also explains why we have our own identity, culture and mythology that we can never seem to leave behind. This is largely a good thing. It's much more interesting to say you’re from Texas than, say, Delaware. Even still, the collective self-image of Texans has long been outdated. We're far from a state of cowboys, ranchers and oil roughnecks—considering that nearly 90 percent of the population lives in the triangle between San Antonio, Houston and Dallas, we're basically just like the rest of the country: innocuous office workers just looking to make it to the weekend. At the 6th Annual Republic of Texas Exhibit, you'll see early artifacts of our state's richer past, including its brief history as an independent country. The exhibit runs through November 9 at Sterling Bank's Greenville Banking Center during normal business hours. For more information, e-mail [email protected].
Oct. 25-Nov. 9, 2007

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