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Our Story

How a Fire Saved a City

    A Fire That Forged Venus

    At first, it sounds impossible.

    How could a fire—something that destroys—possibly save a city? Yet for Venus, Texas, fire became the spark that ignited unity, courage, and rebirth. What could have ended this small rural town instead secured its future and preserved its name for generations to come.

    —Kaitlyn Wise, “How a Fire Saved a City

Historical Videos

Gallery

Grave marker for Jabe C. Smyth, reading “Jabe C. Smyth, 1836–1913,” surrounded by grass and trees.
J.C. Smyth Grave Marker
Black-and-white portrait of J.C. Smyth wearing a dark suit, white bow tie, and boutonniere.
J.C. Smyth Portrait
Design Schematics for New VHS
New Venus High School
Burnetta College
Burnetta College
Aerial view of downtown Venus, Texas, showing historic brick storefronts, the downtown square, streets, and the community gazebo.
Downtown Venus
Historic photograph of two children standing among cotton plants in a field, holding large sacks used for picking cotton.
Cotton Field