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Literary Landmarks are special places located across the country that attract tourists, book lovers, and history buffs to educate the public about important literary works and history. With only five Literary Landmark sites designated in our great and vast state, the Texas Center for the Book (TCFB) launched the 2021 Literary Landmarks Roundup to double the number of landmarks in Texas. We sought nominations from libraries, historical associations, Chambers of Commerce, educational institutions, museums, and literary societies, among others.
In all, five new Texas sites were approved by United for Libraries, the national organization that administers the program, and all were made possible by funding from the Summerlee Foundation of Dallas. This special push for more Texas Literary Landmarks was organized by the TCFB and covered application fees, foundry-made Literary Landmark plaques, and programming led by local institutions to create awareness of the sites’ importance to the state’s literary heritage.
In partnership with local organizers, TSLAC unveiled plaques at the new Texas Literary Landmark sites in 2021 and 2022:
• Dr. Theodis "Ted" Shine, Jr. Literary Landmark, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Dallas, Texas
• John Avery Lomax Literary Landmark, John A. Lomax Amphitheater, Meridian, Texas
• Dr. Gloria E. Anzaldúa Literary Landmark, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Library, Edinburg, Texas
• Lonn Wood Taylor Literary Landmark, Jeff Davis County Library, Fort Davis, Texas
• Larry McMurtry Literary Landmark, Archer Public Library, Archer City, Texas
Videos from each ceremony are available on the TSLAC YouTube channel Literary Landmarks playlist.
The Lorenzo de Zavala State Archives and Library Building, home to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) on the Texas Capitol grounds is a Literary Landmark. December 3, 2009, was TSLAC’s 100th anniversary. In commemoration, a Landmark designation event honored TSLAC's place in the state's history, recognizing how its library resources and archives provided research and inspiration to prominent Texas authors and scholars. Speakers included then-State Librarian Peggy Rudd and former First Lady of the United States Laura Bush. Read about TSLAC's own Literary Landmark. Access historical records related to the event in the Texas Digital Archive.
Very special thanks to the Summerlee Foundation for making the 2021 Literary Landmark Roundup possible by providing funds for the application fees, educational program, and designation support.
We hope to offer the Literary Landmark Roundup again in the future. For more information about this project and the selection process, please visit the Literary Landmarks Roundup page. If you have questions, need more information, or if you would like to discuss the prospect of a potential literary landmark, please contact the Texas Center for the Book at 512-463-5460 or tcfb@tsl.texas.gov.
Check out Literary Landmarks across the country listed by state at the United for Libraries website.
The Texas Library and Archives Foundation makes initiatives like this possible. Visit their Bookshop page for titles from Texas authors.
About the Summerlee Foundation
Founded in 1988, the Summerlee Foundation is a mission-driven, proactive organization dedicated to animal protection and the preservation of Texas history.