One of our own Trustees, Justice Ken Wise of the Fourteenth Court of Appeals, is the host, producer, and writer of the most authoritative Texas legal history podcast available. He debuted his podcast, Wise About Texas, in November 2015 and has already published nine episodes. The topics range from secret, turn-of-the-century boxing matches on sandbars in the Rio Grande to the first capitals of Texas.

 

 

One of the Judge’s most fascinating episodes (and one that he will later explore at more length in the Society's journal) examines the first judges of Texas. The comprehensive detail with which he presents the fascinating explorations of Texas legal history come as little surprise to practitioners familiar with his legal opinions. As a result, Wise About Texas is a must-listen podcast for any Texas history enthusiast.

 

You can listen to Wise About Texas on its homepage at http://wiseabouttexas.com or by subscribing to it on iTunes. You can also follow Wise About Texas on Twitter (@WiseAboutTexas), Facebook, Google, and Pinterest.

Another fantastic Texas history podcast is one that has been churning out entertaining and informative episodes since September 2013. Come and Take It is a self-described “talk show about Texas by Texans.” The Texans who write, produce, and host the podcast are lifelong friends and amateur historians, all born and raised in Texas—Mike Zolkoski, Scott Elfstrom, and Sean McIver. Each shares their views on Texas’s history, culture, and “just what it means to be Texan.”

 

Those episodes now number north of one hundred, and wonderfully range in scope from chronicling Texas’s most famous sons (Sam Houston, William Travis, Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, Deaf Smith, Audie Murphy, and many more) to examining the more modern origin of such cultural icons as Dazed and Confused, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Willie Nelson, Dr. Pepper, and Whataburger. Of particular interest to our readership is their excellent episode on the first and ill-fated Chief Justice of the Republic of Texas—James Collinsworth.

 

You can listen to Come and Take It on iTunes or on its homepage at http://brainstaple.com/comeandtakeit. Follow it as well on Twitter (@texaspodcast).

 

Together these two outstanding Texas history podcasts offer easily accessible and digestible yet highly informative avenues by which Texans can learn more about their storied and shared history.