Railroad hospitals set health, safety standards in 1890s tdtnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from tdtnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
If only we could eavesdrop.
Dotted throughout the county are still-standing trees, some hundreds of years old, proudly serving as silent bystanders to the important events taking place under their branches â what foresters call âwitness trees.â
Trees, especially substantial hardwoods, were scarce on the blackland prairie; so, a sturdy oak along a creek line was a rare and pleasant discovery and too precious to chop down for homebuilding.
Which is why Bell Countyâs âmidwife and godfatherâ is a tree. In April 1850, Judge Isaac Standefer (1801-1855), Milam Countyâs chief justice and county commissioner, following legislative action the previous January, ordered an election to organize Bell County to be carved out of a chuck of Milam County.
Tucked away inside Baylor Scott & Whiteâs Richard D. Haines Medical Library are the remains of a massive collection of wax body parts and food items created by staff artists.
At one time, the collection numbered more than 3,000 pieces, which were frequently used in teaching and in traveling exhibits, said Jeff Swindoll, facility librarian.
âItâs still one of the largest collections of wax medical models in the United States,â Swindoll said. âWe still have about 1,300 pieces.â
The collection was created between 1932 and 1955 by husband-and-wife artists Kenneth and Margaret Phillips. The models â commonly known as moulages â won numerous awards at exhibitions and medical conferences around the county.
This February marks the 130th anniversary of a momentous event in Bell County history that would greatly affect the county’s history, economy and well-being well into the 21st century.