National History Day / Texas History Day Research Resources
The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) offers this annual National History Day guide for educators and students seeking information and primary sources at the State Archives.
The Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) coordinates the Texas History Day educational program each year as part of National History Day, with a state-level contest held in April and culminating in a national fair for winners from state affiliates. Throughout the school year, students work individually or in groups on a project requiring historical research on a topic related to the theme. As they write papers, produce documentaries, or construct exhibits, students acquire essential research skills and a more in-depth understanding of what primary sources are and where to find them.
Libraries and archives provide the essential building blocks participants need to achieve their goals, and we are pleased to support students’ efforts. In addition, we are associated with the Texas Historical Records Advisory Board (THRAB), which offers a competitive award for both junior and senior divisions.
The next Texas History Day is scheduled for TBD.
For more information on the state and national contests:
Texas History Day: https://texashistoryday.com (Texas State Historical Association)
National History Day: https://www.nhd.org
Sample Topics and Collections Related to the 2027 Theme
Innovation in History: Impact, Influence, Change
Our curated list of topics connected to the current National History Day theme offers a starting point for delving into the extensive collections at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. As the central repository for the archives of the Texas government, our materials naturally support researchers interested in the history of the state. (Note: Texas History Day topics do not necessarily have to relate to Texas history, but students researching Texas history should find our collections worth investigating.) Many of our original documents are already available for viewing online and available to download for research purposes.
Check with our reference staff for details on how to find out more about your topics of interest.
Online Exhibits and Digital Collections:
- Ruffini Brothers, Pioneer Texas Architects
- From Pioneer Paths to Superhighways - The Texas Highway Department Blazes Texas Trails 1917-1968
- Hazardous Business: Industry, Regulation, and the Texas Railroad Commission
- Texas in Transition: Railroads, Oil, and the Rise of Urban Texas
- Civilian Conservation Corps Plans and Drawings on Flickr
- To Love the Beautiful: The Story of Texas State Parks
Research Guides
- Texas Business and Company Research
- Who Was Known as the…?
- Texas Education Records and Research Resources
Finding Aids
Texas State Archives Collections:
State Government
- Railroad Commission of Texas records
- Texas Department of Transportation Highway Department historical records
- Texas State Parks Board records
- Texas Planning Board Works Progress Administration studies
- Texas Youth Commission Morales case files
Texas Department of Corrections Ruiz litigation administrative files and court records
Historical Manuscripts
- Samuel Hamilton Walker papers (Colt-Walker pistol)
- Jessie Daniel Ames papers (Texas League of Women Voters and Association of Southern Women for the Prevention of Lynching)
- Daniel Brady papers (patents for cotton work)
- Texas Chisos Mining Company records (influence and impact on Terlingua, Texas)
- Everett T. Dawson papers (influence/impact on environmental conservation education)
- Maurice H. Dowell family papers (medical innovation)
- Erminia Thompson Folsom papers (suffrage and temperance movements)
- Ingram family papers (Farmer’s Alliance agrarian movement)
- Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar papers (“Father of Texas Education”)
- W. Lee O'Daniel collection (western music)
- Ruffini collection (architecture)
- Texas Brewers' Institute records (anti-prohibition work)
Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center (Liberty):
- Martin Dies papers (House Committee on Un-American Activities, McCarthyism)
- R.D. (Bob) Evans rice production slides (pioneer in the rice industry in Liberty and Chambers Counties)
- John Henry Kirby papers (lumber and oil)
- Christine Moor Sanders collection (Spindletop oil)
Reference and Research Assistance
- Texas State Archives in Austin contact ref@tsl.texas.gov or 512-463-5455.
- Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center in Liberty contact SamHoustonCenter@tsl.texas.gov or (936) 336-8821.
- Download a flyer with key tools for research at TSLAC: Tools for Texas History Research
Help with Research Methods and Primary Sources
- National History Day and Archives Toolkit
(Society of American Archivists/National History Day) - National History Day Resources (National Archives)
- Getting Started with Primary Sources (Library of Congress)
- Texas History Day Special Award (THRAB)
Established in 2016, the purpose of the Texas Historical Records Advisory Board's (THRAB) Best Use of Texas Archival Collections award is to encourage the use of historical records as primary sources created in Texas or held in a Texas repository in support of National History Day in Texas. The awards are intended to recognize junior and senior division projects that utilize archival collections in a substantive way.