True Women Tours in Seguin, Texas

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Just as readers of Gone with the Wind might go looking for Scarlett's home, fans of True Women come to Seguin looking for a peek back into the past. In this community located northeast of San Antonio, book buffs enjoy both docent-led and self-guided tours to sites mentioned in this Texas bestseller that has now been made into a television miniseries.

The book chronicles the story of author Janice Woods Windle's ancestors in the Seguin, a south Texas town located 36 miles east of San Antonio on either US 90 or I-10. Travelers interested in learning more about the sites mentioned in True Women and more about the community in general can take part in guided tours, scheduled through the Seguin Chamber of Commerce.

Led by local docents, the tours take a look at sites that play an important role in the historical novel: the live oak-shaded King Cemetery, the old First Methodist Church (right) where two True Women characters were married, and the river bottom where horses were daringly rescued in the tale.

One of the most memorable stops is the Bettie Moss King Home, near the King Cemetery. With its wraparound porch and shady lawn, the home saw generations of the King family and was also the childhood home of author Janice Woods Windle.

Today the home is inhabited by Windle's mother, Virginia Woods, who often opens her home to tour groups. Woods points out her ancestors' belongings, including the dining room table that played a part in True Women, both in the story and in the writing of the family saga. "Janice came home about once a month and each time I had something from the records and we would sit here and see how it found fit," Virginia Woods recalls.

You can also enjoy a self-guided tour to these sites, which are identified with red, white, and blue markers. Stop by the Seguin Area Chamber of Commerce office at 427 North Austin Street to pick up a free brochure that traces the path of this novel.

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