Cross Plains Review
Cross Plains, Callahan County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Belmont L. Shields founded the Cross Plains Review in April 1909, when the town was sited on Turkey Creek. He wanted the newspaper established before the railroad came to town, which occurred when the Texas central arrived in 1912 and most businesses and homes moved one mile to the new townsite. After publishing for five years, shields sold the paper to L. P. Henslee, who in 1921 sold the business to three local merchants. The Review has been an important resource for citizens and a unique chronicle, recording community development and such events as the death of writer Robert E. Howard, the 2005 wildfires, and the town’s 100th anniversary. As the oldest business in cross plains, the Review is intertwined with the history of the community.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Belmont L. Shields founded the Cross Plains Review in April 1909, deliberately getting his paper going before the railroad arrived — which it did when the Texas Central reached town in 1912 and most of the community picked up and moved a mile to the new townsite. Passing through a series of owners after 1914, the Review became the town's memory, chronicling everything from local growth to the death of pulp writer Robert E. Howard and the wildfires of 2005. As the oldest business in Cross Plains, it is woven into the town's story.
Why it matters
Small-town newspapers like the Review were the connective tissue of rural America, recording the ordinary and extraordinary alike and preserving a community's history in print.
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Related people
- · Belmont L. Shields
- · Robert E. Howard
- · L. P. Henslee
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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