PHOTOS BY DAVID LOWE The historic Dr. J.N. Adkins home, a native limestone structure built in 1866, served as the site of a recent meeting of the Lampasas County Historical Commission. C.M. Crawford and his wife, Nelda Fortune-Crawford, opened their residence, located on Taylor Street east of the downtown square, to commission members and guests. Lampasas County Historical Commission members plan to assist with Christmas festival events scheduled for the first weekend in December.

During a recent meeting at the historic Dr. J.N. Adkins home -- the residence of C.M. Crawford and his wife, Nelda Fortune-Crawford -- the commission voted to volunteer for a number of activities Vision Downtown Lampasas! is planning as part of an effort to expand Carol of Lights and Keystone Square Museum activities into a three-day Christmas celebration.

An official schedule has not been set yet, but commission members may conduct tours of the Lampasas County Courthouse and organize a historical skit or short film showing on Dec. 5. The courthouse tentatively is scheduled to be open that day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Janie Potts, left, Lampasas County Historical Commission chairman, talks with Amber Nunez, program specialist for the Texas Historical Commission's County Historical Commission Outreach Program, after a recent gathering of the local commission. Also at the recent meeting, commission members agreed to reimburse Jeff Jackson, assistant chairman for the commission, for materials and labor involved in the repair of the McAnelly Bend historical marker near Bend.

In addition, member Robert Oliver reported that a letter from the county historical commission has been prepared to send to Oncor Electric Delivery to request the re-routing of a possible path for 345-kilovolt electric transmission lines. One preliminary route would pass directly over the Senterfitt community west of Lometa, Oliver said.

Platted in 1881, Senterfitt was a bustling trading post and stagecoach stop until railroad tracks bypassed the location in 1885.

Oncor officials have said they will try to re-route lines to avoid disrupting historically or geologically significant sites, Oliver said.

Also at the recent gathering, the county historical commission welcomed Amber Nunez, program specialist for the Texas Historical Commission's County Historical Commission Outreach Program. Ms. Nunez, a liaison between the state organization and county commissions, is observing a number of county commissions' meetings.

In other business, the Lampasas County Historical Commission officially accepted a new brochure, titled "Historic Sites & Places of Lampasas County." The brochure is available at the Lampasas County Chamber of Commerce and at a number of businesses across the county. The brochure also will be sent to neighboring counties' historical commissions, as well as to highway "gateways" into Texas, said Crawford, chairman of the brochure committee.