“Saving the Oldest Town in Texas” is the story of a woman who restores a historic mansion in Nacogdoches. Peggy Jensen discovers it was built for Col. Benjamin Wettermark, the mayor who robbed his own bank and left his wife, his children and his mansion behind.
This book is for you:
If you love a true story about a real-life scoundrel
If you’ve dreamed of restoring a historic home
If you’ve ever left everything and started over
Or if you’ve worried you’re “too far gone”
You’ll learn about the most famous man of 1903 as he went down the road to ruin and you’ll follow the challenging road to renovation.
A tale that starts “Based on a true story” grabs me from the beginning. Nacogdoches is a beautiful East Texas town and I love its old, rich stories. When I heard about Col. Wettermark, I wondered how the most trusted man in town became the most hunted. Luckily he was a headline in every newspaper in the United States in 1903, which made my research easy.
In 2018 I won two national Telly Awards for a historical documentary I wrote and produced. So after writing and producing 20 historic plays, I wanted to tackle a historic novel. It was fun to write on two levels—the current day story of a woman who falls in love with a crumbling mansion, and the historic story of the family who left the house behind.
Stephen F. Austin State University Press published “Saving the Oldest Town in Texas.”
In print or audiobook at amazon.com/author/lindathorsenbond.com
In Nacogdoches at the Charles Bright Visitors Center or the Bosslight Book Store
In San Angelo at Cactus Book Store and San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts
You had me from "based on a true story." Author Linda Thorsen Bond