The Start of Something Historic

My first steps in a new "Journey Through History"

This month, I took a meaningful step toward the next chapter of my life. Very soon, I will slip out of the familiar patterns of corporate life and step into a role I have quietly hoped for almost all my years. It feels less like a change and more like a return, as if I am finally walking toward something that has been calling to me since childhood.

My fascination with the past began long before I had words for it. As a kid, I would stop at the Marsh Family Cemetery in Farmers Branch, the small one at Rockmartin and Chaparral, every time I walked to and from school. I stood among those weathered headstones and wondered who the people were, how they lived, and what stories they carried with them. I visited that cemetery more times than any reasonable person should admit, and one day, in 3rd grade, I even knocked on the door of the Marsh family homestead just to ask about the cemetery and whether they were related to the names carved in stone. To their great credit, they were incredibly kind to a curious little kid.

Seven years later, I included that same homestead in an extra credit presentation for my history class. The place stayed with me, and I will take you there one day, but that is a rabbit hole for another time.

What Matters is This

My greatest passion is for history that can be seen, touched, and experienced. Even when a building no longer stands, I can visit the spot, feel the ground beneath my feet, and picture the world as it once was. Something about being physically present makes the past feel almost alive.

I have spent my entire life trying to understand this beautiful, complicated, heartbreaking, inspiring place called Dallas. And now, I feel ready to begin sharing its stories.

Dallas is a city of motion, always shifting, always reinventing itself. Not every change has been kind, not every step has been graceful, but the city has never stopped moving. And within that constant motion are the stories that matter most to me, the ones that belong to everyday people whose ordinary lives shaped an extraordinary, imperfect city.

Nothing brings me more joy than finding a small artifact from Dallas history, something humble and overlooked, and tracing its path through time. I follow each clue as far as it will go and let the object reveal the people, places, and moments connected to it. These items become windows into lives that deserve to be remembered.

My plan is simple. I will keep collecting pieces of Dallas history, researching them, and telling the stories they uncover. But once a story is told, I do not need to hold onto the item forever. Its purpose will have been fulfilled, and I want to make room for the next discovery waiting to speak.

Retail Space

So, I have secured space at the North Dallas Antique Mall where I can display and sell these collections that I have conserved and curated. , ready to face another century and ready to become part of someone else’s personal museum. I will include notes about their conservation and the story each item carries.

Journey Through History:
Where Dallas Becomes a Collection

My aim is to provide curated collections of at least 2-3 pieces that each augment the other to help bring a narrative to the items you are viewing. I lean heavily on our arts scene, local artist works, Dallasana, Texana & Americana. The airlines and railroads that helped shape us are also primary targets for the display. Primary targets are Braniff, American Airlines, TWA, Pan-am & Southwest. My hope is to provide a sounding board to provoke discussion through each item on display.

This is a vision that is just now coming into view, and you can say you saw it here first. There are still gaps in the collection and on the shelves, and I’m striving to keep them stocked. I have so much more to show you as we move forward and I couldn’t be more excited about it.

I don’t want to take over this blog by making it into QVC, So, I’ll only post once every week or so and I’ll share the items I’m working on and work to tell their stories. They will eventually end up at the antique mall, if they are not pre-claimed by one of our followers. If you see something you can’t live without, please message me directly

Visit my booth on “Avenue D at Boardwalk” in the North Dallas Antique Mall. I’m including photos of many of the items that are already on display to give you an idea of what to expect.