Glen Rose

Glen Rose is a pretty neat town. I've been going there since I was little - camping at Dinosaur Valley; visits to Glen Lake Camp, a church camp run by the United Methodist Church; and family day trips to Fossil Rim Wildlife Park. However, I don't think I had ever actually spent any time in the town itself.

In the afternoon of our camping trip, we hopped in the car and headed into town to see what Glen Rose's historic town square had to offer.

Somervell County Courthouse

The city center is located in a few blocks built around the historic Somervell County Courthouse. There was a sign near the courthouse marking the Somervell County Museum. The afternoon was growing hot, so we decided to step into the cool aircon of the museum to see what we could see.

The museum was free to visit, and we had arrived just in time for a tour from the man running it! He took us through the museum, explaining all about some of the more fascinating exhibits and telling us and another small group of visitors all about the history of the county.

The museum is home to a tiny wooden cabin which was once a local post office building, as well as one of the largest collections of barbed wire in the state!

Casts of some of the dinosaur tracks were the obvious superstar at the museum, but one of the most interesting exhibits to me was an old moonshine still left over from Prohibition. Back in the 20s, moonshiners used to hide out in the limestone hills and juniper forests above Glen Rose. Eventually, they were caught by the local law, and all of the stills were destroyed, save the one which is now on display in the museum.

the only surviving moonshine still in Somervell County

While admiring a collection of antique glass soda bottles, the museum's operator and I somehow got on the subject of Dr Pepper. I hadn't heard about the dramatic split between Dublin and Dr Pepper, which went down a few years back when Dr Pepper tried to shut down its famous Dublin bottling factory and started producing cane sugar soda directly.

Dublin Dr Pepper, made and bottled in Dublin, TX, was always famous for its special taste. When Dr Pepper began concocting its original recipe again, Dublin ended up buying itself out, and the Dublin Bottling Works Co. was born.

http://www.dublinbottlingworks.com/

the county museum

"Head on over to the Shoo-Fly Soda Shop", he told me, leaning in close as if sharing a great secret. "Ask them for the real original Dr Pepper. It's not called that anymore, but they still have it!"

Down the road to the Shoo-Fly Soda Shop we went, on the hunt for the real original Dr Pepper!

Shoo-Fly Soda Shop

The soda shop had a ton of cane sugar products from Dublin, but we were interested in trying two in specific: 1891 Cola and Red Cola, drinks made very similar to old-fashioned Coca-Cola and Dr Pepper soda recipes. Both were great, using real cane sugar instead of corn syrup. There's a nice, old-fashioned taste, and somehow both taste even better when served in a glass bottle outside an old-fashioned soda fountain.

on the hunt for the original Dr Pepper

Later on, we headed off to explore Paluxy Heritage Park, a city park which features a small collection of historic cabins and buildings from around the area. The buildings were locked up when we arrived, but I imagine they open them for special events and historical tours.

Paluxy Heritage Park

Besides the old homes, one of my favorite buildings was a little one-room schoolhouse, similar, I imagine, to the one my great-grandmother used to teach in about a century ago. 

an old one-room schoolhouse

Finally, as the afternoon grew later and the shadows began to grow longer, we stopped by at Big Rocks Park before heading back to the campsite.

Big Rocks Park

Appropriately named due to its... big rocks, Big Rocks Park is another Glen Rose city park, and it seemed to be a popular place that afternoon.

a few of the "big rocks"

The park is on the river, and several families were out playing in the chilly water. It seemed to be a fantastic way to cool off in a hot afternoon.

locals enjoying the afternoon

Before leaving Glen Rose, there was one last place that I had to stop! Upon a recommendation from my good buddy, James, Pinky and I had lunch at the famous Hammond's Barbecue before heading back to DFW.

Hammond's BB!

Hammonds was opened in 1966, and quickly became a Glen Rose institution (and really, a Texas institution).

ready for a great meal

Here's a tip: order the "child's plate"! Portions are huge, and it comes with two gigantic sides and two meats for less than the full-sized plate. The food was delicious! I was especially fond of the fried okra and the sausage.

sausage, pork rib, Texas toast, fried okra, and green beans

Key lime pie for dessert was also just too tempting to pass up, even though we were already stuffed.

famous key lime pie!

I can see why my friend loves it so much!

Hammond's is James' favorite barbecue joint in Texas. With a review like that, how could I miss it??