Bankhead Highway Meetings

The Texas Historical Commission is starting work on a historic highways project, beginning with a survey of the Bankhead Highway through the state.

The Bankhead was one of the first transcontinental roadways, with its beginnings in 1916.  It stretched from Washington DC to San Diego, by way of Alabama, home of Senator John H. Bankhead, a supporter of the roadway.  Through Texas, it passed through Texarkana, Mount Vernon, Dallas, Fort Worth, Abilene,  Midland, and in our Texas Mountain Trail region, Van Horn and El Paso.

To begin their survey, the Texas Historical Commission is holding public meetings in key communities across the route, and in our region, that means Van Horn and El Paso. The historic highways project will be introduced at these public meetings--everyone is invited--where there will be time for questions and answers, displays of historic Bankhead materials.  The public is invited to bring maps, postcards, photos and other materials about the Bankhead and communities along the route, and with owner consent, the materials can be scanned and included in the survey.

The Van Horn meeting, scheduled for November 7, will be at the Hotel El Capitan.  Click here for more information.

The El Paso meeting, scheduled for December 3, will be held at the El Paso Community Foundation.  Click here for more information.

Please bring your historical photos, postcards, maps, and other Bankhead-related items to the meeting. With your consent, staff will scan or photograph materials so they may be included in the project if appropriate. - See more at: http://texasmountaintrail.com/events/van-horn-trip-through-time-bankhead-highway-across-texas#sthash.HcjpDsVA.dpuf

HHM with THC staff will be hosting public meetings in towns along the Bankhead Highway to gather information and visual items related to the  Bankhead Highway for use in the project.  These meetings are scheduled for August through December 2013.  HHM and THC staff will introduce the projects at the meetings and involve community members through discussion, question-and-answer sessions, and displays of historical Bankhead images.  The public is encouraged to attend the public meetings and bring historical images, postcards, maps, and other Bankhead-related items.  With owner consent, HHM will scan or photograph such materials so they may be included in the project.
- See more at: http://www.thc.state.tx.us/preserve/projects-and-programs/historic-texas-highways/bankhead-highway#sthash.02Ts7h12.dpuf

Want to learn more?

Here's a link to an open facebook group celebrating the Bankhead Highway through Texas.

Here's a link to a Flickr group on the Bankhead, administered by the Texas Historical Commission.

The Bankhead Highway was one of the nation's earliest transcontinental highways.  Its beginnings can be traced back to 1916 when the Bankhead Highway Association was organized to promote the highway's development.  The roadway extended from Washington, DC to San Diego, California, by way of Alabama, home of US Senator John H. Bankhead and a major supporter of the highway.  Its path crossed approximately 850 miles of Texas, passing through Texarkana, Mt. Vernon, Dallas, Fort Worth, Abilene, Midland, Van Horn, and El Paso, among other communities, and roughly followed US 67 and US 80. - See more at: http://www.thc.state.tx.us/preserve/projects-and-programs/historic-texas-highways/bankhead-highway#sthash.02Ts7h12.dpuf

The Bankhead Highway was one of the nation's earliest transcontinental highways.  Its beginnings can be traced back to 1916 when the Bankhead Highway Association was organized to promote the highway's development.  The roadway extended from Washington, DC to San Diego, California, by way of Alabama, home of US Senator John H. Bankhead and a major supporter of the highway.  Its path crossed approximately 850 miles of Texas, passing through Texarkana, Mt. Vernon, Dallas, Fort Worth, Abilene, Midland, Van Horn, and El Paso, among other communities, and roughly followed US 67 and US 80. - See more at: http://www.thc.state.tx.us/preserve/projects-and-programs/historic-texas-highways/bankhead-highway#sthash.02Ts7h12.dpuf

The Bankhead Highway was one of the nation's earliest transcontinental highways.  Its beginnings can be traced back to 1916 when the Bankhead Highway Association was organized to promote the highway's development.  The roadway extended from Washington, DC to San Diego, California, by way of Alabama, home of US Senator John H. Bankhead and a major supporter of the highway.  Its path crossed approximately 850 miles of Texas, passing through Texarkana, Mt. Vernon, Dallas, Fort Worth, Abilene, Midland, Van Horn, and El Paso, among other communities, and roughly followed US 67 and US 80.
With special funding allocated by the Texas Legislature and with a grant from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the Texas Historical Commission (THC) is undertaking a two-year study to document the history of this nationally important roadway.  The THC has awarded a contract to the Austin-based historic preservation planning and management firm of Hardy-Heck-Moore, Inc. (HHM) to complete the study.  The project will result in a history of the Texas section of the Bankhead Highway, and will also survey the Texas Bankhead route and associated historic resources including auto repair garages, gas stations, diners, tourist camps, auto courts, motels, road markers, paving, traffic signs, and bridges.
HHM with THC staff will be hosting public meetings in towns along the Bankhead Highway to gather information and visual items related to the  Bankhead Highway for use in the project.  These meetings are scheduled for August through December 2013.  HHM and THC staff will introduce the projects at the meetings and involve community members through discussion, question-and-answer sessions, and displays of historical Bankhead images.  The public is encouraged to attend the public meetings and bring historical images, postcards, maps, and other Bankhead-related items.  With owner consent, HHM will scan or photograph such materials so they may be included in the project.
- See more at: http://www.thc.state.tx.us/preserve/projects-and-programs/historic-texas-highways/bankhead-highway#sthash.02Ts7h12.dpuf

The Bankhead Highway was one of the nation's earliest transcontinental highways.  Its beginnings can be traced back to 1916 when the Bankhead Highway Association was organized to promote the highway's development.  The roadway extended from Washington, DC to San Diego, California, by way of Alabama, home of US Senator John H. Bankhead and a major supporter of the highway.  Its path crossed approximately 850 miles of Texas, passing through Texarkana, Mt. Vernon, Dallas, Fort Worth, Abilene, Midland, Van Horn, and El Paso, among other communities, and roughly followed US 67 and US 80.
With special funding allocated by the Texas Legislature and with a grant from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the Texas Historical Commission (THC) is undertaking a two-year study to document the history of this nationally important roadway.  The THC has awarded a contract to the Austin-based historic preservation planning and management firm of Hardy-Heck-Moore, Inc. (HHM) to complete the study.  The project will result in a history of the Texas section of the Bankhead Highway, and will also survey the Texas Bankhead route and associated historic resources including auto repair garages, gas stations, diners, tourist camps, auto courts, motels, road markers, paving, traffic signs, and bridges.
HHM with THC staff will be hosting public meetings in towns along the Bankhead Highway to gather information and visual items related to the  Bankhead Highway for use in the project.  These meetings are scheduled for August through December 2013.  HHM and THC staff will introduce the projects at the meetings and involve community members through discussion, question-and-answer sessions, and displays of historical Bankhead images.  The public is encouraged to attend the public meetings and bring historical images, postcards, maps, and other Bankhead-related items.  With owner consent, HHM will scan or photograph such materials so they may be included in the project.
- See more at: http://www.thc.state.tx.us/preserve/projects-and-programs/historic-texas-highways/bankhead-highway#sthash.02Ts7h12.dpuf