As part of Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) activities commemorating the 250th anniversary of American independence, our current featured book display and companion reading list offer a selection of titles related to other important milestones connected to Texas history.

The featured book display includes publications from a variety of city, county, state, and national centennial and bicentennial celebrations in Texas. America’s Bicentennial in 1976 is well-represented, as is the centennial of Texas independence in 1936. Search the TSLAC catalog for additional publications on these topics. For more information about access to the titles on display, please contact TSLAC reference services at ref@tsl.texas.gov or call 512-436-5455.

With pine forests, miles of coastline, prairies covered in wildflowers, and red desert mountains, Texas is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Preserving that natural beauty has been a collaborative effort between the Texas state government and the United States federal government. Over the past century, Texas has participated in many federal government programs to preserve Texas lands.

One of the first federal programs to prioritize maintaining Texas natural spaces was the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Not only did this work to protect natural wonders, but also to control flooding and erosion during the Great Depression. Texans can explore the great outdoors in Big Bend, a national park that safeguards thousands of years of human history, including cave paintings and a wild west ghost town. To learn more about it, you can read Big Bend Historic Sites, by G. Hubert Smith. The CCC also worked on state parks, so some of these are also a collaboration between Texas and the federal government. Read Parks for Texas: Enduring Landscapes of the New Deal by James Wright Steely to learn how places like Texas’s Big Bend became national treasures.

Another historical program born from the New Deal was the Federal Farm Board, which worked directly with farmers when it began.  Now known as the Farm Credit Administration (FCA), they work with the banks that help farmers by subsidizing crops to keep prices lower. For a look at how the Federal Farm Board helped Texan farmers at the start of its mission, check out The T. C. C. A. Handbook for 1931: Some Facts Concerning the Federal Farm Board and the Cotton Co-operatives in Texas for those Who are Interested in the Welfare of the Southland.

With all of the different landscapes across Texas, the state can be prone to a variety of natural disasters. Another well-known Federal program that has helped Texans throughout the years is the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). After hurricanes like Celia and Harvey, FEMA was an instrumental part of getting Texans back to regular life. TSLAC holds documents like Hurricane Celia Redevelopment: a Preliminary Catalogue of Priorities and Needs for Possible Federal Assistance in the Seven County Disaster Area, which explains what FEMA did to help people get back to their normal lives. FEMA also plays a part in making sure that even before a disaster happens, people are prepared. One example is the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Planning Project for the City of Gonzales, Texas: 2001 Flood Preparedness and Mitigation plan.

Search the TSLAC catalog for more publications about Texas and the Federal government working together. For more information about access to the titles on display, please contact TSLAC reference services at ref@tsl.texas.gov or call 512-436-5455.

By Robyn Moore, Reference Librarian

Autumn creeps into Texas slowly. First, just a breath of cool air to break the baking heat of the sun, then colorful pumpkins, gourds, and squash sprout up in gardens and farms signaling the harvest season. The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) has plenty of books to accompany the spirit of fall and currently has select titles on display. Follow Hummingbird as he grows his own garden in Hummingbird’s Squash, or check out titles such as Easy Gardening, Squash at TSLAC to start planning your own harvest for next year.

Squash and gardening aside, there are also eerie themes to explore. You can read the story of one of the most feared ghosts in Texas in Maya’s Children: The Story of La Llorona. Or, if you dare, peer inside Ghost Lore: A Collection of Ghost, Phantom and Legendary Mysteries, Chiefly of Texas and of Old Mexico for a tale that will send a shiver down your spine. Immerse yourself in Texas’ unique scary legends and learn about the Goatman’s Bridge up in Denton, but if you don’t want to go cryptid hunting and risk an encounter with the vengeful spirit, you can visit from the comfort of the library by looking at Geography of Denton County to find the bridge yourself.

Another spooky Texas  legend is that of the ghost town; towns that were once booming but are now completely abandoned. If you stand on Main Street, will you hear the whispers of days past? How do these dead places come to be born? Check out one such place in The Birth of a Texas Ghost Town: Thurber, 1886-1933.

Not all Texas ghosts are scary, though. The Mexican celebration of Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is widely celebrated across Texas, too. Families honor those who have already passed on and celebrate their memories. Read more about this tradition in Corridos & Calaveras, a celebration of the music of Día de los Muertos. Or try Mexican American Holidays and Festivities, published by the Benson Latin American Collection at the University of Texas at Austin for a full picture of the celebrations.

Finally, these are some of the last days to observe the famous Congress Avenue Bridge bats in Austin before they fly away to Mexico for the winter. Though many people are spooked by bats, these little creatures are actually our best friends, especially during a buggy summer. Try the Resource Book on Texas Bats: with Special Emphasis on Mexican Free-tailed Bats, Tadarida Brasiliensis to learn more about our seasonal neighbors.

Search the TSLAC catalog for more publications about these and other spooky subjects! more information about access to the titles on display, please contact TSLAC reference services at ref@tsl.texas.gov or call 512-436-5455.

By Robyn Moore, Reference Librarian

Texas played a significant role in the United States’ involvement in World War II. While the war caused great upheaval, it also opened up opportunities for various population groups. Women could train as pilots, for instance. Read their first hand stories in Women pilots of World War II. In addition, World War II and Mexican American Civil Rights illuminates the ways Mexican Americans showed up to help the war effort and simultaneously push for their rights.

Besides uniquely Texan stories, the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) holds government documents and stories from the rest of the country and overseas battlefields during that time. For example, you can watch the documentary France ’44: The Encirclement at Nancy which discusses the XII Corps’ retaking of the French city of Nancy, as well as commentary describing current military tactics. Or, read Hospital at War: the 95th Evacuation Hospital in World War II to learn more about the challenges of evacuation hospitals, where soldiers were taken who were injured on the front before they could make the journey to a safe city for treatment. Many more titles about World War II are available at TSLAC, with a curated selection currently on display in the Reference Reading Room.

For more information about access to the titles on display, please contact TSLAC reference services at ref@tsl.texas.gov or call 512-436-5455.

Texas has many diverse ecosystems, each fed by their own unique waterways. There are the limestone karst systems that supply the state capital and Hill Country with water, the East Texas lakes famous for sport fishing, and the rivers that crisscross the state and bring life wherever they flow. The Texas State Library and Archives Commission has titles to take you on a canoe trip down a lost river, to enjoy bird’s eye views of every Texas lake, or learn about the archaeological discoveries made in a stream near you!

For more information about access to the titles on display, please contact TSLAC reference services at ref@tsl.texas.gov or call 512-463-5455. Search the online library catalog for more titles of interest.

By Robyn Moore, Reference Librarian

The people of Texas are renowned for their can-do attitude, and Texas women are no exception. Across Texas history, they have been part of statewide and nationwide movements. These items from the Texas State Library and Archives Commission’s shelves highlight some of the leadership roles of Texas women, what their goals were, and how citizens and government have interacted over time.

Search the TSLAC catalog for more publications about Texas women. For more information about access to the titles on display, please contact TSLAC reference services at ref@tsl.texas.gov or call 512-436-5455. You can find a list of titles displayed below. Visit our reading room to access even more!

Aly Head, Reference Librarian

Food is the great unifier, a staple of every major occasion from celebration of life to mourning of loss. It reflects culture, socioeconomic status, and history. As such, by looking at the food of a people, researchers may learn more about them. The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) is therefore celebrating Texas food in all its forms with a new featured book display.

TSLAC has a variety of artifacts related to dining throughout Texas history. Many of these artifacts were included as part of our exhibit, “Setting the Texas Table.” Want another taste? Check out our blog post, “Setting the Texas Table: ‘Dishing’ on the Artifacts Collection at the Texas State Archives,” which explores some of the dishes intertwined with Texas history at the Governor’s Mansion in detail.

Whether you believe beans belong in chili or not—a debate for the ages—TSLAC has materials relevant for a variety of diets, historic and modern. Food can be viewed through the lens of genealogy to build a timeline into the past, affected by availability of certain foods and spices through trade, exploration, climate, and times of economic hardship or prosperity.

While food isn’t allowed in the Reference Reading Room, the collections at TSLAC hold a wide variety of materials highlighting Texas cuisine, both historical and modern. Some of these materials are currently on display in the Reference Reading Room through July. Other items, listed below, are available remotely via E-Books. More information about our location and hours can be found on our “Visit Us” webpage. For more information about access to the titles on display, please contact TSLAC reference services at ref@tsl.texas.gov or call 512-463-5455.