Trip to Heritage Village in Woodville, Texas

The Courthouse Whistle Stop Cafe in Livingston, Texas

Had a great two day excursion to Woodville for a photoshoot at Heritage Village in Woodville. I have a project in the planning stages (where most of my projects stay) that this works into. On the way up I stopped in Livingston for lunch at the Courthouse Whistle Stop Café. My first choice in a small town is eating on the courthouse square or in the “downtown” area. Denny’s only wins for coffee and only then if there is not alternative.

United Methodist Church, Woodville, Texas

Windows and Bench, Tyler County Courthouse, Woodville, Texas

First Baptist Church, Woodville, Texas

Columns, First Baptist Church, Woodville, Texas

The Robert A Cruse Home, now the Allan Shives Library and Museum

Captain Bob's Seafood Restaurant

Tyler County Fine Art Centre and Gallery

Captain Bob's Seafood Restaurant

Looking West on West Bluff Street From the Courthouse Square

Tyler County Courthouse at Sunrise

Small Town Waking Up to a Weekend

I arrived in Woodville shortly after noon. I had already done my research and knew most of what I wanted to photograph—in retrospect I need to upgrade my list. It was much smaller than I had expected. Janet and I had visited there a few times back when we were working on genealogy and it seemed bigger in my memory. Her 2G Grandfather Blackshear is buried in Magnolia Cemetery. Almost everything that I wanted to photograph was within two blocks of the courthouse as was the motel. It gave me time to make four separate walks in different light. The only problem was the sky was not good until Saturday morning and I had to be at Heritage Village by 8am.

I didn't get a single good photograph of the J E Wheat house so I will be going back to Woodville. When I do I will stop in at Captain Rob's for another fish sandwich.

Saturday the Meetup group met at Heritage Village for a half day of photographing. I probably should have gone back to Woodville and spent another night but Saturday had started a little early. I had left a wake up call with the front desk for 5:45am. I was showered, shaved and dressed before I realized that they had called me at 4:45am. Which worked out well because it gave me an extra hour for the morning shots. But I was pretty well bushed so when I pulled up to the highway that went left to Woodville or right to Houston, right seemed the way to go. I’m sure I realized that I had gone the wrong way before I got back to Livingston but by then it was too late.

The Group Met Up in the Parking Lot at Heritage Village

This was supposed to be the "retro" shoot. Photographs were supposed to look like they were taken a long time ago, viola, the deckled edge black and white.

In our trips I had driven by Heritage Village a number of time and had written it off as the typical roadside tourista trap. I was wrong. It was a great place for a photoshoot. Actually, now I want to go back and do an even better job. The Pickett House Restaurant serves all you can eat family style but only do one main dish--fried chicken. In all it was fifteen bucks well spent.

I am a little disappointed in some of my photographs of Woodville but it was good practice. Now to do Port Arthur, Beaumont, Crockett, Palestine, Ennis, Waxahachie and the rest of the towns on the list.

The Pickett House Restaurant