The narrative history of Chambers County, Texas, just got richer, thanks to a new book meticulously compiled by none other than Marie Hughes, the director of the Chambers County Historical Museum at Wallisville and author of “The Age,” a series of monthly columns that are featured on Bluebonnet News.
“The Age” is a 336-page hardcover book that brings to light the exceptional life stories of the men and women who have played pivotal roles in shaping the county’s distinctive history and culture. As you leaf through the pages in this compilation of stories, you discover the lives of Chambers County residents, and some Liberty County residents, too, all of whom were handpicked by Hughes herself.
Since being named director of the Chambers County Museum at Wallisville, Hughes has written 38 articles for “The Age” series. This book, which is being sold for $60 each with proceeds going toward the museum, is a compilation of the articles written between 2021 and 2022 and features photos, maps, and other illustrations used in the articles.
In writing “The Age” columns, Hughes also discovered that she not only has a talent for storytelling, but a knack for detecting visual cues and the reading emotions of her subjects.
“Seeing how they are affected by what they are telling me is important to me. It’s not just about what they say, it’s how they say it. In writing these, I pray, ‘Lord, help me to write in such a way that people can feel what is being said,'” Hughes said. “I have been really touched by how my writing has been received. I would never have dreamed of being a writer, much less a book author. I give the credit to the Lord for Him showing me His favor.”
She began to dabble with writing historical narratives years ago when she compiled heritage books for her mother’s family, her father’s family and her husband’s family. Her interest in local history was further piqued when she began homeschooling three of her six daughters.
“When I came to work for the museum, I really found that I enjoyed sharing the history of people, not just historical artifacts. I wanted to let people know why these people are so important to the area and how they have contributed to its history,” Hughes said.
Hughes said she often is surprised that the interviewee’s story has not been told or recorded previously, not even by their own family members.
“Once I interview them and write their stories, their family members are like, ‘Oh, wow, I had no idea about this part of our family history.’ I love it because it lights a fire under family members who might not have cared about history before. A lot of times, the person has told their story to family members but they might not have truly listened and realized the significance until it was published and made public,” Hughes said.
Chambers and Liberty counties’ history is interwoven, which is why Hughes’ columns have broad appeal. People who impacted Chambers County’s history were often tightly connected to Liberty County through family ties or business.
Only 350 copies of the book were printed in the first run by the publisher, Kemp and Company. Of those, so far 90 have sold. If you are interested in picking up a copy of the book, stop by the Chambers County Museum at Wallisville, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. For an additional fee, Hughes can ship the book to customers. For more information, call 409-389-2252.