Historic Walker County
An illustrated history of the city of Huntsville, Texas, and the Walker County area, paired with the histories of companies, families and organizations that make the region great.
An illustrated history of the city of Huntsville, Texas, and the Walker County area, paired with the histories of companies, families and organizations that make the region great.
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and up to the minute,” reflects the history and<br />
growth of the institution during the past forty<br />
years. The hospital district has received many<br />
upgrades in technology, thus transforming the<br />
medical center into a twenty-first century<br />
complex. The first of these upgrades came in 1983<br />
with the addition of a state of the art $750,000 CT<br />
scanner. This expansion was important in that it<br />
saved at least one patient every day from having to<br />
travel to Montgomery <strong>County</strong> Medical Center in<br />
Conroe. A decade later, Huntsville again joined the<br />
cutting edge with the arrival of a magnetic<br />
resonance imaging machine- an MRI. With a price<br />
tag of $1 million and a weight of ten tons, this new<br />
machine eliminated some of the most dangerous<br />
side effects of traditional screening and prevented<br />
countless residents from traveling to Conroe or<br />
Houston to seek medical treatment. 114<br />
The lives of <strong>Walker</strong> <strong>County</strong> residents have not<br />
only benefited from better healthcare but recently<br />
have been enriched by cultural inspirations of local<br />
residents. Phoenix Commotion, led by Dan<br />
Phillips, is a local building initiative, which<br />
inspires the residents of <strong>Walker</strong> <strong>County</strong>. The<br />
design firm salvages and reuses often overlooked<br />
objects to create inexpensive houses that double as<br />
works of art. Phillips attended Sam Houston State<br />
University and his work helps local residents find<br />
the American dream. Another source of inspiration<br />
for <strong>Walker</strong> <strong>County</strong> citizens is one of its native sons:<br />
Richard Linklater. Linklater began as an<br />
independent filmmaker creating movies such as<br />
the Huntsville-inspired “Dazed and Confused” and<br />
“Slacker.” In 2010, Linklater screened a new<br />
movie, “Me and Orson Welles,” at the Old Town<br />
Theatre in Huntsville. The proceeds benefited the<br />
Huntsville Main Street Program, the <strong>Walker</strong><br />
<strong>County</strong> <strong>Historic</strong>al Commission and the Huntsville<br />
Community Theatre. 115<br />
The diversity of not only <strong>Walker</strong> <strong>County</strong>’s<br />
population but also its culture has increased<br />
greatly over the past forty years. Even while<br />
developing into a twenty-first century city, the<br />
residents of <strong>Walker</strong> <strong>County</strong> have been able to<br />
recognize and preserve their historical treasures<br />
for the generations to come.<br />
❖<br />
The HEARTS Veteran Museum is<br />
dedicated to the heroes of the armed<br />
forces and preserves their memories.<br />
COURTESY OF MEREDITH AUSTIN.<br />
C h a p t e r V I I I ✦ 5 3
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