Chris Restores: Texas man restores forgotten historical markers across the state

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - More than 17,000 historical markers tell the story of Texas, but time has a way of quieting even the loudest history.

As years pass, rust, rain, sun, bullet holes, and neglect can dim the details and with them, the history they’re meant to preserve. Now, one Texas man is giving those stories a second life, restoring Texas history one marker at a time.

Chris Woolsey, known online as Chris Restores, spends his time on a statewide mission to clean, repaint, and revive the cast-iron markers many Texans pass every day without a second glance.

“The first inspiration I had for it was actually a complete accident. I was on the Texas Historical Commission’s website, looking up some information about a specific marker. I found that as a volunteer, you can go out and work on these with their blessing, and it’s not only with their blessing, it’s encouraged,” Woolsey said.

With a truck bed full of spray paint, patience, and a deep love for history, Woolsey travels across the state restoring everything from century-old cemetery markers to plaques outside historic dance halls, churches, and schools.

One of his favorite projects took him to the iconic Gruene Hall.

“Getting invited from the folks in Gruene, Texas, to come out and work on the marker in Gruene Hall was so cool, and I knocked out all seven while I was in Gruene, and I learned a ton, and it was such a fun experience for me,” Woolsey said. “The people in Gruene, Texas? They’re my people. Everybody was so into what was going on.”

Now, his work brings him to Waco, a place where local history runs deep. Here, markers sit outside old cemeteries, former school sites, and churches that shaped the early fabric of Central Texas.

As he sands away the dark paint, letter by silver letter is revealed. Lost details reappear: names, dates, stories, often for the first time in decades.

“Somebody went through the effort at some point to go through the application process, and it was important enough to them. And if it was important enough to them, it’s important enough to me, and it’s probably important enough to somebody else,” Woolsey said. “None are too small.”

Online, thousands watch his transformations, the before-and-after shots, and the history lessons he posts alongside every restoration. What started as a hobby has become a national conversation about preserving local history.

“There’s actually thousands of people that care and not just Texans but people all across the U.S. I have people from Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Alabama messaging me asking how they can do the same thing in their own state,” Woolsey said. “It has been so cool to see how many people have been inspired to not just pay attention to the markers around them, but I even have a couple people online send me markers they’ve restored themselves.”

His impact goes beyond comments and likes. Many followers say they’ve started noticing markers they used to pass without a thought. Some now report damaged signs or restore ones in their towns, helping lighten the load on the small team overseeing the statewide program.

“They only have two and a half employees that take care of the entire marker program as far as the application process, the vetting process, the registration, the facilitation of the markers,” Woolsey said. “They depend a lot on people to get the information out there. They don’t have the resources to send two people around the state to do this.”

For Woolsey, it’s not about the recognition, it’s about connection. He hopes each restoration reminds someone to slow down, look around, and connect with the place they call home.

“I try to make it as engaging as possible. For me, it’s already interesting, and my hope is that by telling the story and trying to connect it to the community around it, that that will engage more people to kind of slow down a little bit,” Woolsey said. “The world’s so fast-paced. I’d love to bring back that sense of community and slow down.”

From courthouse lawns to forgotten backroads, each restored marker becomes a revived chapter, a piece of Texas history saved from being lost to time.

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