The Story: Saving a Crumbling Texas Freedom Colony

Editors’ note: This segment first appeared on Texas Monthly Presents , a television program airing on Texas PBS stations and on PBS.org .

Hundreds of small, rural communities sprung up in Texas after the Civil War as emancipated African Americans began their new lives as free citizens. Many Texans today can trace their lineages to these “freedom colonies,” but many of the settlements themselves have disappeared. Distinguished writer Michael Hall describes one woman who was not only surprised to discover the place where she came from but also had the rare opportunity to help preserve it. Read more in his story “ Gloria Smith Goes Down Home .”