Chandor Gardens Foundation News

Wayne shared the facts and explored the legends and lore surrounding the Texas cattle trails and Longhorn cattle!

The evening of Saturday, September 23, 2023 , at Chandor Gardens,  historian and author Wayne Ludwig presented “Legends, Longhorns & Life on the Trail” to a full house. Wayne is the author of the book The Old Chisholm Trail: From Cow Path to Tourist Stop.

Wayne’s presentation discussed topics such as life on a cattle drive – the risks and rewards, differences between modern Longhorn cattle and the Longhorns that went up the trails, and explored the legend of the Chisholm Trail and the other major Texas cattle trails.

Wayne Ludwig is a Fort Worth native, cattle trails historian, and author of The Old Chisholm Trail: From Cow Path to Tourist Stop. He created the Texas Cattle Trails History Group on Facebook, and is a member of Western Writers of America and the Academy of Western Artists. The Old Chisholm Trail was awarded the Elmer Kelton Book of the Year award by the Academy of Western Artists, and was named a Finalist for the Robert A. Calvert Book Prize and for the 2018 Most Significant Scholarly Book by the Texas Institute of Letters. His first feature magazine article, “What We Know About the Ol’ Chisholm Trail,” appeared in the February 2019 issue of Wild West magazine.

A book signing immediately followed the presentation.

Of local interest, Tom B. Saunders IV (1934 - 2018) a 5th generation cattle rancher of Parker County and historian wrote the Foreword of Wayne's book The Old Chisholm Trail: From Cow Path to Tourist Stop, and we were honored to have Tom's wife Ann and two daughters Ann Catherine and Amy attend.

Have you ever wondered who might have been guests of Douglas & Ina Chandor?

The Friends of Chandor Gardens Meeting held on Wednesday, July 19 featured the exciting guest speaker presentation; “Revelations: The Chandor Guest Book” presented by Brenda S. McClurkin.

The presentation, "Revelations: The Chandor Guest Book" , provided insights into the social history of the Chandor household via the signed pages of the Chandor's guest book, which Brenda McClurkin serendipitously came into possession of a few years ago. Brenda has researched the background of those who signed this guest book, and shared details about who they were and the significance of these particular individuals having been guests of the Chandor's . 

The guest book undeniably revealed a number of "revelations"!!

Here are a few of the intriguing guests to the Chandor home revealed through the signed pages of their guest book:

For those who would like to watch the full presentation click on the YouTube link below:

Our sincere appreciation and a huge "Thank-you" goes out to Brenda S. McClurkin for all the hours of research she undertook to bring insight and meaning to the signatures on the pages of the Guest Book and for sharing her findings with us. 

Chandor Gardens Foundation Inc. is excited to announce our newest fundraising project. As of May 2023 we are now activily raising funds to purchase a Steinway & Sons Model M Chippendale style piano for the studio/great room at Chandor Gardens. 

Project Details:

Historic Relevance to Chandor Gardens:

Current Relevance to Chandor Gardens:

 

The Foundation is going to purchase a similar Steinway Model M Chippendale grand piano as what Ina once had, to be permanently located in the studio/great room, which will return the room to more closely resemble its original look and feel from when the Chandor's lived in the home.

 

The piano will not be a static display piece as it will be a functional concert performance quality piano, which will allow the Foundation to offer a broader range of music enrichment programs to the public including; performance opportunities for emerging artists, children’s music education classes i.e in partnership with The Cliburn, and other musical ensembles. 

 

Project Budget & Fundraising Progress:

The overall project budget is $50,000 and includes; a used Steinway & Sons Model M Chippendale piano, matching Chippendale piano bench, spider dolly, and establishment of a fund for regular Steinway & Sons certified tuning. 

 

Fundraising Progress:

 

CLICK HERE TO MAKE A DONATION