Kat Howell, author of “Historical Leander, Texas” takes us through Bagdad and Leander history, including moving a church on logs and why you should never call someone a catfish.

Kat Howell has 30 plus years in the consulting engineering and construction industry and is currently a
Senior Electrical Designer with the national MEP engineering firm Wilson & Girgenti. She has decades of
project and executive management in firms ranging from small local companies to multi-national
corporations.
Kat is an 8 th generation Texan and her Leander roots can be traced back to her 4 th great-grandfather,
Colonel C.C. Mason, the man who led the initial wagon train to the area that became known as Bagdad
and later as Leander. She was born January 1, 1969 making her the New Year’s Baby for the city of
Austin and was deemed citizen number 257,509. Her family made sure that Kat grew up in a world
where history was alive and active every day. She tagged along with family as they interviewed people
whose memories stretched back to the cattle drive era. She was also included on trips to archeological
digs exploring the ancient history of Central Texas. This led to a deep understanding of local history and
a passion for sharing it with others.
Kat brings along decades of non-profit leadership roles and has served on numerous non-profit boards
and executive boards. She has also served on various City of Leander’s commissions and boards for over
20 years. She is currently a member of the Leander Historical Preservation Commission where they are
leading the charge to preserve the Bryson Farmstead and Davis House.
Kat is the co-author of 3 books, the most recent, Historical Leander, Texas. Her favorite book, Images of
America Austin Texas is 23 years old and still going strong. Kat can often be found making presentations
about local and state history.

I absolutely love Leander and its rich history. I have a passion to make sure every new person that moves
to Leander has the opportunity to get to know this history too. – Kat Howell