Featuring recent selections from our “Throwback Thursday” and other posts on TSLAC’s social media platforms. No subscription required.
July 2024

#TBT from the State Archives: No bridge? No problem! Ferry crossings over Texas rivers and other waterways have been a transportation feature for centuries. Governments and communities regulated the ferries and ferrymen had certain responsibilities, such as ensuring the inclines for entry and exit were sufficiently graded. This flat wooden ferry was attached to a cable above the river and the ferryman pulled ropes through pulleys to cross to the other side. View more historical photos from the Texas Department of Public Safety online at https://bit.ly/TDA_DPS.
August 2024

#TBT from the State Archives: On April 22, 1915, a devastating flood swept through downtown Austin destroying homes and lives. Heavy rain caused both Waller and Shoal Creeks to rise high enough to demolish surrounding structures and leave more than 1000 people without homes. An estimated 57 lives were lost. This photo captured the aftermath of the flooding along Waller Creek. The dome of the State Capitol Building is visible in the background over the trees.
September 2024

#OTD September 12, 1844, French baker and businessman Henri Castro established the town of Castroville on the Medina River. Castro contracted with the Republic of Texas government to attract settlers to the area in exchange for land. He brought families from Europe, notably the Alsace region of France, who built homes, shops, a mill, and other features of rural nineteenth-century living. The Laurent Quintle House and Store in Castroville was built around 1850 and photographed as part of the Historic America Buildings Survey, evidenced by the number TEX-3-62 in the bottom right corner. Find more images of architecture in Texas towns in the 1930s and 1940s in the Fannie Ratchford photograph collection online: https://tsl.access.preservica.com/tda/prints-and-photographs/#ratchford
October 2024

#TBT Texas Archives Month continues as we recognize the importance of newspapers in the archive. This undated photo of the Statesman (now Austin American Statesman) office in Austin captures early methods of printing newspapers using ink on individual metal plates. View in the TDA: https://tsl.access.preservica.com/…/IO_2e9a3654-bf99…/
November 2024

#TBT Admiring the changing colors of the leaves each autumn is a popular tradition across the country and is currently the perfect time for the activity in Texas. This undated image from the Texas Tourist Development Agency’s slide collection captures a lovely drive in East Texas during the fall foliage season.
December 2024

Texas Constitutional Convention of 1974 audiovisual recordings are now online in the Texas Digital Archive (TDA). The Texas Constitutional Convention of 1974 was the culmination of a three-part process to revise and simplify the 1876 Texas constitution, which had been amended 218 times. The State Archives has digitized recordings documenting the convention (convened on January 8 and closed on July 30), including original film footage and audio recordings regarding the convention, and film productions about the convention. Ultimately, the convention did not succeed in producing a new constitution for Texas. Explore the audiovisual materials online here: https://tsl.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/SO_6da8e784-45af-4282-97f9-00b37e36a362/