Episode 89 After Sundown: The Hidden Geography of Fear in Texas
From The Hidden History of Texas by Hank Wilson
May 13, 2026 · 13 min
About this episode
This episode explores the hidden geography of fear in Texas, focusing on Sundown Towns and the experiences of Black travelers during the Jim Crow era.
Welcome to Episode 89 of The Hidden History of Texas. After Sundown: The Hidden Geography of Fear in Texas Tonight, we’re stepping onto a highway most history books barely mention. A road traveled in silence…A road traveled with caution…And sometimes, a road traveled in fear. This episode is called: “After Sundown: The Hidden Geography of Fear in Texas.” We’re going to talk about Sundown Towns…The Green Book…And the hidden map Black Texans and Black travelers carried in their minds during the Jim Crow era. Now imagine this with me. The year is 1952. You’ve just crossed the Sabine River leaving Louisiana and entering Texas. The sun is beginning to sink low across the horizon. Your children are asleep in the back seat. Your gas gauge is dropping toward empty. And suddenly… you’re nervous. Not because of bandits.Not because of weather.Not because of the road itself. You’re afraid of where you might accidentally stop. Because there are towns ahead where being Black after dark could get you threatened… beaten… arrested… or worse. So before you ever left home, you packed something almost as important as gasoline. A small green book. Texas has always carried a larger-than-life image in…
People in this episode
Host: Hank Wilson
Topics covered
- Sundown Towns
- The Green Book
- Black Texans
- Fear in Texas
- Jim Crow era
- Hidden geography
Keywords
- Sundown Towns
- The Green Book
- Black Texans
- fear
- Jim Crow
- Texas history
- hidden geography
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: The Green Book
Places: Texas, Louisiana
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