Annotation. In 1916, seventeen-year-old Jesse Washington, a retarded black boy, was publicly tortured, lynched, and burned on the town square of Waco, Texas, Drawing on extensive research in the national files of the NAACP, local newspapers and archives, and interviews with the descendants of participants in the events of that day, Patricia Bernstein has reconstructed the details of not only the crime but also how it influenced the NAACP's antilynching campaign.

Ten Dollars to Hate tells the story of the massive Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s—by far the most “successful” incarnation since its inception in the ashes of the Civil War—and the first prosecutor in the nation to successfully convict and jail Klan members. Dan Moody, a twenty-nine-year-old Texas district attorney, demonstrated that Klansmen could be punished for taking the law into their own hands. “Bernstein’s offering is a must-read for those interested in Texas history and for those seeking to better understand the tenor of our own times.”—Southwestern Historical Quarterly “Bernstein has done Texas and the country a favor by documenting Moody’s bravado and vanquishing of the Klan”—Corpus Christi Caller-Times

On April 19 1993, on a remote property called Mount Carmel in Waco, Texas, 76 people who were part of the Branch Davidian cult died when their compound caught fire after a 51 day stand off with the FBI. Among the dead was one New Zealander. How did she come to join the group and what events led her to her tragic end?Hearken O Daughter is written by Grace Adams and Poia Alpha, who were former members of the Branch Davidians and sisters to the New Zealander who died. This is their personal story of their journey in and out of the Branch Davidian cult. Their story begins with a detailed description of the early days with the group, to the dropping of a 'bomb-shell' teaching four years later, and culminating into one man's excessive power and control over the minds of the people. This narrative is unlike other Branch Davidian accounts. It is highly transparent and intentional in purpose with a recovery section that provides help, hope and healing to individuals, families and communities who have been connected or affected by spiritually abusive groups.

It was 1905 when the man destined to become Waco's photographer first opened his shop. Fred Gildersleeve documented the city he loved, establishing his legacy through iconic images that have become Waco's visual memory. The 186 Gildersleeve images within capture the spirit of early Waco. Born in 1880 in Boulder, Colorado, Gildersleeve spent most of his childhood in Kirksville, Missouri. Throughout his early years, Gildersleeve sold his pictures for 25 cents apiece to pay for his education, working his way through photography school in Effingham, Illinois before launching his career in Waco. An adventurer, Gildersleeve was known for speeding through town on an Excelsior motorbike--and later in a Model T Ford--with his assistant in the sidecar. He avidly took pictures of everyday life in Waco, becoming the official photographer for Baylor and the State Fair of Texas. From special occasions to sporting events, from construction projects to key figures, Gildersleeve documented Waco's growth as a thriving industrial city during the early days of the twentieth century. Gildersleeve's photos are not just history; they are art. He pioneered panoramas and aerial shots using Waco as his subject. Gildersleeve's photos are now known for their clarity and detail that resemble and surpass modern-day digital photography. The photos in this book take viewers back in time to their favorite Waco landmarks and do so with timeless creativity.

On May 15, 1916, a crowd of 15,000 witnessed the lynching of an 18-year-old black farm worker. Most central Texans of the time failed to call for the punishment of the mob's leaders. This work seeks to explain how a culture of violence that nourished this practice could form and endure for so long among ordinary people.

In this book, the author catalogues 375 black congregations, each at least one hundred years old, in the parts of Texas where most blacks were likely to have settled -- east of Interstate Highway 35 and from the Red River to the Gulf of Mexico. Ninety-nine counties are divided into five regions: Central Texas, East Texas, the Gulf Coast, North Texas, and South Texas.

A reporter who interviewed cult leader Vernon Howell/David Koresh in 1992, and a former cult member who was second-in-command of the Branch Davidians for many years, describe and explain what led up to the horrifying end of the cult in the Waco fire of April 1993. It is the story of a deluded maniac who exerted a hypnotic influence over his followers and committed many crimes without any legal constraints being brought to bear on him or his sect.