Screenwriter Jenny Wingfield Authors Debut Novel
By Tom Geddie For Jenny Wingfield, country life is the life. It shows in the Gilmer resident’s work, from her first published screenplay, the bittersweet coming-of-age movie "The Man in the Moon," to her upcoming debut novel, tentatively titled "Moses Never Closes."...
Music is a Full-Time Job for blacktopGYPSY
By Tom Geddie The name blacktopGYPSY says something, as any good band name should, something about the people in it. Black top is what the back roads are made of; a gypsy, in this example, is someone who travels a lot and makes music. The way the words are put...
Author Joe Lansdale Brings Depth and Entertainment to His Readers
By Tom Geddie Imagine an Egyptian mummy on its way from one museum to another falls off the back of the truck into a chemically-induced swamp in East Texas. The mummy comes to life and begins to quietly knock off residents of a nearby, rural nursing home. Two...
Celebrating Two Great Milestones with DJ Tom Perryman
By Tom Geddie Forgive Tom Perryman if he gets a little picky sometimes. The long-time East Texas radio personality celebrates his 80th birthday on July 16, and "picky" is just about all he knows. "All I’ve ever done is pick cotton and pick records on radio," Tom said....
Texas Women of Strong Will
By Elvis Allen The mores of our ancestors dictated a far more restricted role for women than for men, incomparable to those of today. For some reason it seems that more men of adventurous spirit and independent mind succumbed to the mystic and lure of Texas than any...
Community Salutes World War II Veterans
The Tribute to Van Zandt County World War II veterans held on the 60th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor December 7, 2001, was an evening many will treasure for years to come. Canton Civic Center facilitators estimated more than 1100 in attendance with guests coming in from...
Teens Interview Local Veterans
The next few pages contain a representation of the many men and women who were willing to sacrifice their lives to protect America’s freedom. Their bravery, determination and love for this country and the people who are its heart make them heroes to all who call this...
Women’s Roles in World War II
Patriotism was at its utmost during WWII and women were equally struck with their sense of duty. The difficulty, no branches of the service allowed women to serve. A woman’s place was in the home if she were married. Only a few proper jobs were available for single...
Headlines of the Day
Local papers kept the public informed of neighbors and friends For those of us not old enough to have been a part of the Second World War, it’s relatively easy to sit in the air-conditioned comfort of our armchair and write of the events occurring 60 years ago. We can...
United We Stand
By P.A. Geddie Most Americans on the home front during World War II fully supported the war effort. Nearly all Americans despised Nazism and wished to defeat it and also sought to avenge the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The war placed great demands and a great deal of...
Americans Fight for Freedom: World War II
By P.A. Geddie The United States of America was officially created in 1776 by men and woman from different parts of the world who broke free from cruel, oppressive tyranny to create a land where they were free to make their own life choices. They wrote the Declaration...
Culture Shock
By P.A. Geddie Walking through the fields and trees alongside the Neches River in the southeast corner of Van Zandt County you can almost hear the battle cries, the gunshots, the horses’ hoofs pounding on the grass and dirt, sloshing through the river, and women and...
Coming Summer 2025
County Line Magazine archives are going to The Portal to Texas History, a gateway to rare, historical, and primary source materials from or about Texas. Look for the County Line issues there soon.