There is a story about the conception of Roy Orbison’s song “Pretty Woman” that goes like this… Roy’s wife was leaving the house one day to go shopping and when she was asked by her husband if she needed any money, she quipped “Pretty women don’t need money”. The rest is lyrical history.
Those that know Texas Historian Carole Goble (seen center of photo) say the same about her; it seems no matter where she chooses to dine locally, very often her meal is anonymously paid for by her admirers. She is a beautiful woman with an infectious smile and sweet spirit who brightens everyone’s day with her presence. Sitting down with this historian is like having a private tutorial with your favorite teacher. Not only is the author of Burnet, Texas; Images of America Series, a wealth of Texas History information, but she’s also an expert narrator of history in general. But, given her lineage, that’s only natural.
Photo: quotesgram.com
Carole’s parents were educators to their core; her father, Charles Berkeley Normann was a renowned sculptor, painter, and teacher who had migrated to the U.S. from Norway, eventually meeting and marrying Carole’s mother Fanny Harris Normann; Fanny was a noted artist in her own right; she is best known for her portraits; many that hang in museums in Texas. Then there is the famous collaboration of the husband and wife with “The Reading of the Texas Declaration of Independence” that depicts our states first Congress; the painting now hangs in The Star of the Republic Museum. In addition to her parents’ influence, her grandfather was the community historian in his day, well over 100 years ago, obviously passing down a love of the past to many future generations.
Photo: ihindependent.com
With ease, Carole tells of growing up outside of Bertram, attending Bertram schools, and meeting friends on Saturdays at the movies in the original Globe Theater. Her family traveled into town, as would many families in the area, in order to barter and sell goods, visiting with others for hours before making their way back to their farm. Carole remembers these times fondly as it was here she first laid eyes on her future husband, Billie Joe Goble. Neither child could know, as they ran up and down playing on the sidewalks in Bertram, that years later they would meet again on those same streets. After only one afternoon together, they would become engaged! Carole and Billie Joe would eventually have eight children, four boys and four girls. After several years of living in other places, they made their way back to the Burnet County area, and we are all the richer for it. This family is amazingly talented and civic-minded.
Photo: cityofburnet.com
Carole is passionately focused on bringing history to life and educating the youth of Burnet County about the considerable number of historical events that have happened right in their own backyards. She and three of her children were responsible for the creation and completion of the History Plaza at the Burnet County Courthouse; a project requiring many hours of research and painstaking details, but one that she is very proud of. The Plaza highlights many of the famous and infamous characters and events that made Burnet County what it is today.
Photo: waymarking.com
Following her passion, and like her ancestors before her, Carole has worked many years with the local Historical Society, as well as serving as the Curator to The Ft. Croghan Museum in Burnet, TX, a position she recently stepped down from, stating she wanted “to give the younger people an opportunity”.
But don’t let that remark fool you; Carole has no intention of sitting idly by while others have all the fun! This remarkable woman still has things she’d like to see come to pass. Asked if money or time were not an issue for her, what project would she undertake at this point in her life… she unhesitatingly said she would love to create and execute a historical program for the youth in Burnet County, that incorporates a program at Ft. Croghan to train them to do the tours there. She wants to insure that future generations don’t lose the significance of the past.
Photo: ink361.com
Carole says she has many things in her life that she is proud of… but her children are what make her the proudest; many of them now carry on the legacy in Burnet County that she and Billie Joe, as well as their grandparents set for them. Between the children and grandchildren, as well as a community influenced by Carole Goble, it is certain there will be many future historians in Burnet County to continue the work she’s started.
