HISTORIC TEXAS GYMS
A TRIBUTE TO VANISHING TRADITIONS
Welcome to the Legacies of Historic Texas Gyms
Legacies of Historic Texas Gyms
There is nothing sadder than an empty school. Schools are built for children, and when the noise, excitement and energy are gone, the old building feels especially silent. Empty gyms are cavernous vaults of sadness. The laughs, the squeals and squeaks and dribbles and thuds are no longer there; only in our memories can we recall these warm snapshots from our past.
Author Jackie McBroom
As a basketball dad and former coach, I've been in many gymnasiums over the years. While some are forgettable, many more are impressive. What I particularly enjoy are old, historic and beautiful gyms that are still in use by schools and communities across our great state. They are part of the history of the people they served. I spent years traveling across Texas to photograph and record the stories of those old gyms. I decided those memories need to be preserved.
Once they're gone, they will be gone forever.
The Journey Continues
I've recorded some of those photos and stories in my book, Historic Texas Gyms. I am sharing more on this website as I continue my quest to preserve the memories of those gyms. Over the past 10 years and thousands of Texas miles, I've traveled most of it with my best buddy and photographer par excellence, Randy James.
Historic Texas Gyms - the Book
The Book
I first recorded my journeys across Texas photographing and researching the histories of these wonderful old gyms in my book, Historic Texas Gyms.
For generations of small-town Texans, the school gymnasium was the hub of the community. If it was a Tuesday night in Texline, most folks could be found in the old tin barn of a gym, rooting for their Tornadoes against the arch-rival Adrian Matadors. Transcending the role of a sports arena, the gym also provided a place to gather in celebration or shelter in crisis. Sadly, with the dramatic reduction of school districts around the state, many of the polished floorboards that once hosted graduations and beauty pageants now splinter beneath the weight of storage, farm equipment and guano-covered junk. From the pickup basketball game Elvis played in Hawkins to the tragic account of four Ennis war heroes, I recounted stories from these beloved halls.
Historic Texas Gyms can be purchased from these sellers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, and Arcadia Publishers. See the BUY THE BOOK link in the navigation menu.