Hello again, More on the new TXGenWeb Project: "Texas Landmarks and Vanished Communities." Answers to FAQ: What Is The Objective Of The Texas Landmark Project: The objective of the landmark and vanished communities web pages is to highlight and give focus to the geographical locations of historical landmarks and communities. The prime focus is the actual location on a map. The prime vehicle for accomplishing this is the US Census TIGER map System. Submitters should include a brief description of the feature and may also include a link to another web page for more detailed information. What is Texas Landmark Project Motto? "If grandpa talked or wrote about it then it should be listed in the Texas Landmarks and Vanished Communities Index." What Land Marks Should Be Included? River bends, Valleys, grist mills, cotton gins, river crossings, bridges ferries, battles, hangings, cemeteries, churches, schools, colleges, pioneer ranches and farms, communities, blacksmith shops, stage stands, forts, hills, mountains, homesteads, trading posts, oil camps, ice works, bottling works,etc,etc. This includes information on who various landmarks such as as valleys, rivers and creeks were named after. What Are Some Consideration Concerning Names Of Llandmarks? River bends and Crossings: The USGS map makers only have the option of placing one name for a feature on their map. They use what they deemed the most generally used name. Consider the names of river bends - we have a number of them in Hood County. Most of the bends went by several names in the 1880's. The names of prominent landowners were usually used but there usually were several prominent land owners in the bend, hence several names. The maps today name one Brazos river bend, Walters Bend but you will find historical documents that call it Chicken Gristle Bend as well as Chicken Bristle bend. Our local historian says "the feature names on maps are nothing but gossip and the map maker only talked to a few gossips." People on one side of the river called river crossings by one name where people on the other side gave it another name. Some river bends on USGS maps do not have a name at all but the locals have a name for it. We want to preserve all of these names. Naming variations are also common for other type features as well. To Whom Do These TxGenWeb Texas Landmark Project County Web Pages Belong.?? They belong to the TxGenWeb county coordinator and other county researchers, Genealogical and Historical organizations who submit landmark data. The Moderator, Wayne Moyers and General Administrator, Frank Saffarrans are the caretakers with the main task of providing continuity. What Do You Mean By "Belongs To"? Each landmark submitted is "branded" in the submitters column with the name and address of the individual or organization that submitted the data. In a sense if you "brand" it then it belongs to you and therefore you "own" a piece of Texas. Remember Maverick? - Or is it like the homestead law? This "branded" business is just a game to give credit to those deserving people and organizations that submit data. You may find your county listed in the Landmark & Vanished Communities Index at: http://www.hcnews.com/~landmark. TxGenWeb County Coordinators, Genealogical Societies, Historical Societies and individual researchers are encouraged to submit landmark data on those places they are familiar with. With your help the Texas landmark Page will soon be a valuable Texas data source for genealogical and historical researchers world wide. How to Submit data: Do you have some landmark information but don't remember how to use latitude and longitude or don't remember how to determine Latitude and longitude? Check out our Map Blast Instructions at: http://www.hcnews.com/~landmark/mapblast.htm Or Tiger Map Service at: http://www.hcnews.com/~landmark/tiger.htm What is coming up next? We will be adding a web page where you may post queries on Vanished Communities and Landmarks. If you have a landmark with an unknown location you may post a query here and maybe someone will see it and give us the correct location. To those organizations and individuals who are presently submitting landmark data - WE THANK YOU, Keep up the good work!!!. Frank Saffarrans General Coordinator TxGenWeb Landmark and Vanished Community Project