HISTORY IN PROGRESS

Once home to the Hogg family (Ima Hogg, daughter to James Stephen Hogg who became Governor of Texas, was born here), Mineola offers today’s visitors plenty of history to explore. Mineola has been hard at work restoring and preserving its charming downtown since first joining the Texas Main Street Program in 1989. Efforts have led to its designation as a National Register Commercial Historic District. The Mineola Historical Museum, housed in the 1936 Mineola Post Office building, encapsulates the community’s history in more than thirty exhibits. Nearby, a beautifully restored 1920’s movie house known as The Select Theater continues to screen first-run movies and hosts live theatrical productions courtesy of the Lake Country Playhouse, a non-profit group who purchased and renovated the theater in 1993. Mineola also hosts the annual Music on the Streets, a day-long event featuring musicians playing various venues around town, and the Iron Horse Heritage Day Festival, a celebration of Mineola’s railroad history. In fact, that railroad history is still being made today. Amtrak’s Texas Eagle stops daily at the restored Mineola Depot on its way to parts east and west.