As some of you may know, Texas has been plagued recently by wildfires caused by high winds and an extended drought. Yesterday one of these fires broke out northwest of Cross Plains, where the Robert E. Howard House and Museum is located. This fire swept on into town and caused widespread destruction and possibly some fatalities. Cross Plains has been evacuated, and it's estimated that at least 50 buildings have been destroyed or damaged. You can read the Abilene Reporter-News story about the fire here. (You may have to register to read it.)
The Howard House is apparently safe. According to my friend Rusty Burke, who has many contacts in the Cross Plains area, some of the grass around the house burned and the fence was damaged, but the house itself is all right. The houses directly across the street were destroyed, though.
I've been to Cross Plains for the annual Howard Days celebration in June for the past ten or eleven years. It's a wonderful little town, and I hate to hear it described as looking like something out of a war zone. If anyone is interested in helping the residents recover from this disaster, donations can be sent to the Red Cross at:
Brown County Chapter
American Red Cross
600 E. Adams
Brownwood, Texas 76801
Be sure to note on your check that it's for their Cross Plains fund.
If I hear anything else, I'll post updates here.
Braddock’s Gold
6 hours ago
2 comments:
The Brownwood Bulletin says 116 homes were destroyed, James. Sounds like a terrible disaster, and the whole town must be about gone.
Hey, James.
I found your blog by doing a google search about the Howard house. (We've met a few times at the Howard festival.) I'm thankful that the house wasn't destroyed, but heartbroken about the rest of the town. Do you know anything about the downtown buildings, like the old ice house? So much history and culture there; I pray it wasn't all lost. And of course the human loss is worst of all, lives and homes gone. I'm just sick about it. First New Orleans and now this.
Keep us posted if you hear anything.
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