Texas Tragedies That Inspired Innovation

Posted on February 28, 2024 by ARIS Staff

Stephanie Brown, Reference Archivist

Extra! Extra! Eyes of the World on Texas, the new exhibit now on display in the Texas State Library Commission (TSLAC) lobby, features major news events of the past that made headlines beyond the state’s borders. The historic events were sometimes triumphant, such as the legendary moon landing in 1969, but many were tragic. After such devastating occurrences as the New London school explosion in 1937 and the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, there were some positive outcomes meant to help prevent future tragedies. From legislation to technical innovations, this exhibit includes some of the results still in use today. For instance, Texans built a seawall to protect citizens from coastal flooding, created a network of radar stations to improve storm detection, and passed laws regulating the dispensing and odorization of natural gas. These innovations made an impact that laid the groundwork for changes on a national level.

colorized postcard of a scene at the Galveston sea wall. The text reads, The Sea Wall Boulevard, Beach and Murdock Bath House, Galveston, Texas. Pedestrians walk along a boardwalk atop the sea wall and others on the sand below. — Sea Wall Boulevard in Galveston, 1915. Postcards of Texas collection, AC61/8-152, PP105.

The Great Storm of 1900

The 1900 Galveston Hurricane, the deadliest natural disaster in United States history, killed an estimated 8,000 people and damaged or destroyed more than 3,500 homes and buildings. At the time of the great storm, the highest point of elevation on the island was 8.7 feet above sea level. The 15-foot storm surge easily inundated the island, causing widespread erosion and destruction of property.

As Galvestonians began the slow process of recovery and rebuilding following the devasting storm, leaders looked for ways to prevent future catastrophes and loss of life. The Texas Legislature passed a resolution signed by Governor Joseph D. Sayers on September 7, 1901, allowing for the construction of a seawall to protect the island from deadly storm surge. Legislation also authorized Galveston County to issue bonds to raise funds to build the seawall.

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Reading About Libraries, Archives, and Museums: SHC Kicks Off New Quarterly Book Club

Posted on February 14, 2024 by ARIS Staff

The Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center (SHC) in Liberty has announced a new quarterly book club starting February 27.

Featuring fictional works with a connection to the world of museums, archives, and libraries, the Sam Houston Center book club is open to all and will take place from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday in February, May, August, and November 2024, meeting in the Center’s main building at 650 FM 1011 in Liberty. Home to extensive archival holdings documenting Southeast Texas, a library collection, and a museum, the Center offers an ideal setting for discussions about novels tied to these fields. Each meeting will be led by SHC staff.

The first book club on February 27 will focus on The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. Based on a true story, this novel focuses on financier J. P. Morgan’s personal librarian, Belle da Costa Greene, who curated the collections for his library in New York City in the early twentieth century. Greene was keeping her identity, and the fact that she was African American, a secret as she operated in New York’s intellectual and artistic circles. This work of historical fiction has been a popular book club selection and fits nicely with the theme of libraries, archives, and museums.

Future quarterly book club titles include:

The Giver of Stars by JoJo Moyes
May 28, 2024, 6:00 pm

The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis
August 27, 2024, 6:00 pm

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles
November 26, 2024, 6:00 pm

Interested participants may obtain a copy of the novels through their local library or favorite bookstore to prepare for the conversation. For more information, contact SHC staff at (936) 336-8821 or via email at SamHoustonCenter@tsl.texas.gov.

The Sam Houston Center is a component of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and serves as the official regional historical resource depository for the 10 Southeast Texas counties of Chambers, Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Newton, Orange, Polk, San Jacinto and Tyler.

The Center’s primary mission is to collect, preserve and provide access to historically significant state and local government records and publications of the designated region and secondarily to serve as a library of Texana and genealogical resources.

Featured Titles on Display: African American History

Posted on January 31, 2024 by ARIS Staff

Aly Head, Reference Librarian

In honor of Black History Month, the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) is featuring materials related to African American history. These materials range from historical accounts to genealogical guides and can be useful to researchers exploring the history of their own family or African American history as a whole.

Resources described in our guide, “African American Genealogy at the Texas State Library and Archives” may be helpful when researching family histories. The guide includes a mixture of resources available on-site and those digitized and available online and serves as a great starting point for a genealogical research adventure. We additionally have a variety of guidebooks for genealogy on display in our Reference Reading Room, with more information listed below.

Nell Plants a Tree, by Anne Wynter, 2023. TSLAC- Main 813.6 W993n.

This year, TSLAC’s Center for the Book named Nell Plants a Tree as their Texas Great Read Youth Selection. Exploring themes of family across generations through the lens of a pecan tree growing alongside Nell’s family, this beautifully illustrated book is perfect for introducing younger readers to genealogy. For those who wish to plant a genealogical seed of their own, this flier includes online resources that can be paired with the book to further familial research for all ages.

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Based in Texas: World War II Military Sites

Posted on January 24, 2024 by ARIS Staff

Stephanie Brown, Reference Archivist

black and white photo of about 136 military officers in uniform sitting in elevated rows posing for the picture. In the background, there is one long, one-story building on the left. — Photograph of Officer’s Communication Class #14 at Camp Hood (now Fort Cavazos), January 1943. Military Places collection 2019/053-8. *Click image for larger version*.

After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the United States officially entered World War II and the size and number of military posts in Texas grew in support the war effort. The state’s central location and temperate climate made Texas an ideal place for airfields, training facilities, and naval stations. There were more than 150 installations across the state, and more than 1.5 million military personnel came to Texas during the war. (More than 750,000 Texans served in World War II.)

black and white photo spread of soldiers training on various military equipment. — Photo spread from *Picture Parade of Fort Bliss, Texas*, showing anti-aircraft training at Fort Bliss during World War II. Military Places collection 2019/053-6. *Click image for larger version.*

Military installations in the state included 65 Army airfields, 35 Army forts and camps, and seven naval air stations and bases. Built in 1848, El Paso’s Fort Bliss expanded to one million acres during WWII and became an artillery training facility. Sheppard Field (Sheppard Air Force Base) near Wichita Falls trained glider mechanics and B-29 Superfortress flight engineers while Pampa Airfield in the Texas panhandle trained more than 6,000 aviation cadets and 3,500 mechanics in just three years. Beginning in 1942, up to 100,000 troops learned anti-tank, field artillery, and infantry tactics at Camp Hood (now called Fort Cavazos) in Killeen.

Cover of booklet titled Camp Hood, Texas with orange background behind image of soldiers on the ground in a village with the name Gestapo on one building.

Cover of booklet titled Sheppard field, Texas and a black and white image of a mechanic posing in front an airplane propeller.

Cover of booklet featuring a the cartoon face of a man peering down at a card with the text in a written font that reads, Strictly G.I. is intended to give you an idea of what Pampa Army Air Field looks like to enlisted men and incidentally, G.I. stands for government issue. At the bottom is the sketch of barracks and a tower.

Booklets published for new soldiers arriving for training in Texas at what was then Camp Hood (Fort Cavazos), Sheppard Field (Sheppard Air Force Base), and Pampa Airfield. Military Places collection, 2019/053-6. Click image for larger version.

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Declaration of Independence Broadside

Posted on March 1, 2023 by ARIS Staff

After delegates gathered at Washington-on-the-Brazos in March of 1836 to form the new government of the Republic of Texas, they sent a handwritten copy of the Texas Declaration of Independence to the town of San Felipe de Austin for printers there to produce a broadside version for wider distribution. The printers were Baker & Bordens, a small company that handled other orders from the Texas government and published the newspaper, the Telegraph and Texas Register. Baker & Bordens took the order to publish 1,000 broadsides of the Declaration of Independence from Mexico. They also printed the text in the March 12, 1836, edition of their newspaper, where they apologized for neglecting to add the names of two signers of the document, including the author of the declaration, George Childress.