Texas Man Leads by Example and Shows Pride in His Heritage
Restoring fading, damaged Texas historical markers becomes man’s mission
Restoring fading, damaged Texas historical markers becomes man’s mission
(Southern Partisan) - What started as childhood resentment for his dad’s mandatory roadside history stops on family vacations has evolved into a full-blown passion for Chris Woolsey. Woolsey is now on a heartfelt mission to breathe new life into Texas’ fading historical markers. On a mild Tuesday afternoon just before Christmas, Woolsey set up his camera and tripod near a weather-worn historical marker outside First Christian Church in Longview. Sandpaper in hand, he began transforming the sun-faded marker back to its past glory.
“So each marker takes like 30 minutes to an hour,” Woolsey said. “You know, I try to gauge about an hour for each one.” The restoration itself is methodical: sanding, repainting, touching up letters dulled by sun and rain. But Woolsey’s process always extends beyond the marker. He circles the site, filming details, absorbing context and preparing to tell the story online under his social media handle @ChrisRestores. “You factor in like the walking around and getting video of stuff and trying to create a scene for it,” he said.
The goal is never just the plaque – it’s helping people understand where they are and why it matters.
Woolsey’s wife, Allyson, a Longview High School alum, grew up here, and her parents still attend First Christian, making this restoration fee…