Kerr County Stories by Lanza Teague

Letters from the frontline Published in the Kerrville Daily Times on May 23, 2025 Memorial Day Weekend is a time we should take a moment to pause and remember those who served our country during times of conflict, especially those who gave their life while serving. “Wartime Letters Home – Sharing Stories of Service” is an exhibit currently on display at the Kerr Arts and Cultural Center). The exhibit pays a beautiful tribute to the local men and women who served in the United States military from World War I to Operation Iraqi Freedom. The exhibit is presented by the Kerr County Historical Commission and the Heart of the Hills Heritage Center. I watched the committee of local historians work for the last several months, collecting letters, stories, photos and artifacts from families and former service men and women in the community to build the display. The countless hours of work resulted in a profound testament to the Kerr County men and women from all walks of life, who served d...

  Local writer makes history with his best-selling books Published in the Kerrville Daily Times on May 9, 2025 Ed Syers' First Book Those of you who know me personally will know that I love tales of the supernatural, especially when it comes to ghost stories. Along with my collection of books involving Texas history, I have a small library of books involving Texas ghost tales and legends. One book I’ve read more than once and that I’ve owned since my teenaged years, “Ghost Stories of Texas” by Ed Syers, was recently damaged in a tragic accident involving my cat, Shreddy McBitey, and an unattended cup of coffee. After accepting that the treasured book was a complete and horrific loss, I went online to see if I could find a replacement for the book, even though it was published several decades ago. To my surprise and excitement, I discovered the book was written by a man who lived in Kerrville and shared a lot of my own interests, including history, road trips and dogs....

  Crenshaw brothers ran away from home in search of their own adventures Published in the Kerrville Daily Times on April 25, 2025 Undated Photo of the Pleasant Crenshaw farm on Indian Creek near Ingram As I write this story, I am reminded of my favorite John Wayne movie, “The Cowboys” and epic Greek tales from ancient times. Today I am going to tell you the story of three young boys, between the ages of 11-19, who left their family home and the adventures that led to them settling in Kerr County, where they led prolific, industrious lives. In 1867, Cornelius “Doc”, age 19, Pleasant “Pleas”, age 17, and Hugh “Carey” Crenshaw, age 11, were living in Newton County Texas and struggling with a problem.    Their father, a widowed doctor, had a new wife and the boys, the youngest of ten children, did not like their new stepmother.   The Crenshaw brothers, fascinated by stories coming from the Texas frontier, decided they could no longer live with the step mother and decided...

  Famed cowboy cartoonist called Kerrville home Published in the Kerrville Daily Times on April12, 2025 Original Drawing of the Cowpokes by Ace Reid Advice is often given to aspiring writers that, to be successful, it’s best to write about what you know and what’s in your heart. The same can be said to aspiring artists. In my role as executive director of an art center, I often encounter artists who try to paint an image to be provocative, to illicit a strong emotional response from the viewer or just simply to attract a buyer. These artists often ignore their internal artistic voice or what’s in their heart, not realizing they are selling both themselves and the would-be art appreciator short.  Today I am writing about an artist who based a successful career on what he knew — what he saw growing up and what he felt was the truth of the American cowboy. That artist was Ace Reid, the creator of the successful Cowpokes comic and Western humorist. Asa Elmer "Ace" R...

  Local woodcarver created his own museum Published in the Kerrville Daily Times on March 29, 2025 Captain L.P. Betty in the museum room he built in his home Many of the stories I enjoy learning about are the stories of everyday people who lived in Kerr County. While men like Capt. Charles Schreiner or Joshua Brown were profoundly shaping our beautiful patch of Texas, there were many men and women going about their daily lives in the area. The lives of some of those people are interesting in their own right and help paint a vivid image of what a community was like during a particular moment in time. Next week’s Texas Woodcarvers Guild Spring Round Up at the Youth Event Center reminded me of a man who was a patriot, accomplished artist and Kerrville resident. His name was Capt. Lemuel Parker Betty. Betty was born in Smith County, Tennessee, in 1875. When he was in his early 20s, Betty’s family moved to North Texas, where they grew cotton. In 1899, while he and his fat...

  What’s cookin’? 100-year-old recipes offer look at daily life in Kerrville Published in the Kerrville Daily Times on March 22, 2025 Between 1924 and 1925, recipes were submitted to the Kerrville Mountain Sun by women in Kerr County. These women were married to prominent men and were well-known in the community in their own right, but none of them were identified by their own names. They were identified by the men they were married to: Mrs. L.W. McCoy, Mrs. G.M. Doyle, Mrs. W.M. Wheless, Mrs. John Burney, etc.   Among the recipes submitted and faithfully published on page two of the Sunday paper were chocolate-potato cake, hot tamales, layer cake with lemon-jelly and banana filling and fruit salad. Recipes 100 years ago read a lot like current-day recipes, but there are a few differences. The first thing I noticed about these recipes is there were no oven temperatures given for baked goods. Most ovens in Kerr County at the time were heated with wood fires ...