Meet the Staff: Brianna Cochran

Posted on March 29, 2018 by ARIS Staff

Meet the Staff is a Q&A series on Out of the Stacks that highlights the Archives and Information Services staff of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Brianna Cochran

In 50 words or less, describe what you do.

As a new Library Assistant, my day is split between orientations and training, staffing reading rooms, and working on stacks maintenance projects. Eventually, I will be trained to assist patrons with locating research resources, and I will take on more complex stacks maintenance projects.

Why did you choose your profession?

I have always felt at home in libraries. When my single mother could not find a babysitter, she used to take me to the library with her while she studied for her associate’s degree. She studied in the adult reading room while I entertained myself in the children’s reading room. There, the children’s librarian taught me how to use an out marker and I enjoyed the satisfaction of placing a book on the shelf in its correct location. My childhood enthusiasm for libraries carried over to my home life. Enthusiastically, I created library check out cards on scraps of colored construction paper, for my personal collection of books and VHS tapes.

What is your favorite document, photo, or artifact in TSLAC’s collection?

At this point, I have a limited exposure to our vast collection, so I will probably discover new favorites as I work with more materials. However, my current favorite is our collection of newspapers on microfilm. I have selected the Houston Post from November 1, 1919, as an example.

Before working at TSLAC, I needed access to the Houston Post for personal research. The only places I could find that provided access to the out-of-print the Houston Post were Rice University in Houston and paid newspaper subscription sites, so I was not able to access the materials I needed for my project. I was excited to find out the Houston Post is at TSLAC, and I have enjoyed learning how to use microfilm.

The Houston Post. (1919, November 1)

[TSLAC also maintains institutional memberships to the Newspaper Archive and Newspapers.com Texas Collection, both available for free on-site in our Reference Reading Room located in the Lorenzo de Zavala State Library and Archives Building in Austin.]

When you’re not busy what do you like to do for fun?

I like to be in nature. Beaches are my favorite, but in Austin I like to hike nature trails. I am learning to practice mindfulness, which is accepting and noticing the present moment without judgment. Therefore, my hikes look more like walking slowly and marveling at water droplets sparkling in the sun, rather than hiking quickly for exercise. I find mindfulness helps manage stress, because it gives me a sense of power. Instead of dwelling on the past or worrying about the future, I can make decisions about what to do in the present.

Archival Animals

Posted on January 19, 2018 by ARIS Staff

By Caroline Jones, Reference Archivist

Enjoy watching cat videos? Follow any cute pugs on Instagram? It feels like every day we see friends posting selfies with their pets or videos of their pets, and even creating social media accounts for their pets. It is clear we love our animal friends, and based on some finds in our archival collections, it appears that we have always loved them. Here are a few highlights from our collections that are cute, funny, and simply adorable images of some pets in the archives:

Before they ruled the internet, cats stole our hearts in these family albums:

Robert Jasper Hunnicutt, Elizabeth H. Stroud (center), and sitting on a porch holding kittens. Citation: 1968/029-75, J.R. Hunnicutt collection. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Doris Ruth Hunnicutt, crouching holding a cat. Citation: 1968/029-340, J.R. Hunnicutt collection. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Mary Lowry with cat, Black Bess. Citation: 1946/1-38, Reynolds Lowry – Thomas F. McKinney Collection. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission

Man seated on porch in rocking chair with cat. Citation: 1995.112-60, Clyde and Thelma See glass plate negatives collection. Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.]

Man’s best friend has always been like a member of the family:

Unidentified young child with bulldog. Citation: 73.2222.122, Samuel Bell Maxey photograph collection. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Woman posing with dog. Citation: 1964/306-1675, Photographs, Graham (R. Niles) collection. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Dog sleeping on porch. Citation: 1964/306-1676, Photographs, Graham (R. Niles) collection. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

A couple of children with a couple of dogs. Citation: 1976/031-10, William Deming Hornaday photograph collection. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

A little girl and a dog. Citation: 1976/031-16, William Deming Hornaday photograph collection. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Child with dog. Citation: 2011/348-20.95, Miscellaneous photographs, Photographs, Richard Bachman collection. Archives and Information Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

3 puppies in front of the J.T. Young Home

Three puppies in front of the J.T. Young Home. Citation: 1970/101-156, Fannie Ratchford photograph collection. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Couple with small dog. Citation: 2001078_005_70_080_023ac, Fields, Farms, and Landscapes, Texas Department of Agriculture photograph collection. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Even these unlikely animal friends have gotten into the spirit:

Governor O’Daniel and Cuero turkey. Citation: 1976/008-593, Photographic and film media, Texas Department of Public Safety records. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Cowboy with parrot. Citation: 1991077_704_084ac, Attractions, Activities, and Events, Audiovisual material, Texas Tourist Development Agency. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Couple with peacock outside Mission San Jose. Citation: 1991077_105_041ac, Forts, Parks, and Historic Sites, Audiovisual material, Texas Tourist Development Agency. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission

Our photograph collections include original photographs, born digital images, and digitized versions of original photographs. Many of the images included in this post are digitized and accessible through the Texas Digital Archives, the Texas State Archives Flickr, and our online exhibits page. For more information on accessing images currently unavailable through the web, please contact the Reference Desk by phone or email at 512-463-5455 or ref@tsl.texas.gov.

As a bonus, here are some more recent images of a familiar face with some unusual guests at the Texas Capitol!

Governor Perry with penguin. Citation: Penguin2, Photographs, Texas Governor Rick Perry Press Office media files. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.]

Governor Perry with snake. Citation: Snake, Photographs, Texas Governor Rick Perry Press Office media files. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Angelina Fires Her Cannon: The Archives War of 1842-1843

Posted on December 29, 2017 by ARIS Staff

By Anna Reznik, Archivist

In the early hours of December 30, 1842, a group of men lead by Colonel Thomas I. Smith and Captain Eli Chandler began loading Republic of Texas’ government archives into wagons. Smith and Chandler had instructions from President Sam Houston to move the records for safekeeping.

In Houston’s eyes, the advancing Mexican army made Austin unsafe. Earlier in 1842, Houston instructed the government to move to a safer location. Government officials began operating from Washington-on-the-Brazos; however, the archives remained in Austin. In December 1842, the president ordered men to move the archives.

Citation: File No. 1713, “To Arm! To Arms! Texians!!” broadside warning citizens of Austin of the approaching Mexican Army, March 5, 1842, Texas General Land Office incoming correspondence, 2015/087-7. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission

In the eyes of Austin citizens, Houston’s orders were an excuse to move the capital away from a city the president disliked. Many felt that Houston’s peace negotiations with Native American peoples made Austin safer than it had been previously.

Citation: A Texas scrap-book: made up of the history, biography, and miscellany of Texas and its people by Baker, D. W. C., 976.4 B17s 1875. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Under the cover of darkness, Smith, Chandler, and twenty men loaded three wagons before widow Angelina Eberly realized the implications of the archives leaving Austin. To alert other Austinites, Eberly fired a cannon outside her boarding house. Her shot missed the men but hit the General Land Office building. Smith, Chandler, and clerks from the General Land Office fled with three wagons. The vigilantes followed with the cannon. Shortly after, near Brushy Creek, the vigilantes forced Smith and Chandler to surrender. The archives returned to Austin.

This letter, sent to the citizens of Bastrop after the Archives War, states that in the haste of securing the wagons containing the removed records, some archival materials may now be missing. The citizens of Bastrop are urged to search any passing wagons for stolen and missing records. Citation: File No. 1757, Letter to the citizens of Bastrop to search wagons, April 12, 1843, Texas General Land Office incoming correspondence, 2015/180-7. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Both houses of the legislature investigated the matter. The House Select Committee stated that Houston requested that the Congress order the archives be removed from Austin, but Congress had refused. The committee also found that Houston had acted beyond his powers in moving the capital to Washington-on-the-Brazos. The full House rejected the committee’s report by a vote of 19 to 18.

Message of his excellency, the president, in relation to the removal of the archives to the House of Representatives, January 4, 1843, Andrew Jackson Houston collection, 2-22/184. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

On January 13, 1843, the Senate Committee on Public Lands recommended that the government should move back to Austin to save taxpayer money. Despite strong words from the legislature, the Republic government continued operating in Washington-on-the-Brazos for two more years.

Without the government, many Austin businesses closed, and the city almost became a ghost town. But the records created before the 1843 remained in Austin. In 1845, Austin once again became the capital, and the government records were united. Five years later, in 1850, Austin became the permanent capital of Texas.

In the 175 years since Angelina fired her cannon, the Archives War has become symbolic of the importance of government records. Archives allow citizens to monitor government operations, understand actions of all three branches of state government, and assist in determining property rights.

The Archives War is reflected in the following materials at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission:

The Andrew Jackson Houston collection contains correspondence to and from Sam Houston throughout his life. Of special interest is an order to remove the archives from Austin and a draft of Houston’s response to Congress’ investigations of the Archives War.

The materials at the center of the Archives War were the Republic’s land records. Though many of Texas’ land records are preserved and maintained at the Texas General Land Office, TSLAC holds the General Land Office’s incoming correspondence from the 19th century. Included in these records are a warning about the Mexican Army in San Antonio, efforts to recover “lost” records, and the government struggling to operate in Washington-on-the-Brazos while the archives remained in Austin.

Our publications collections include books and articles about the Archives War as well as Angelina Eberly and others who played central roles in the Archives War.

Additional publications can be found by searching the library catalog.

Title	Author	Call number	Collection
The Archive War of Texas	Jewett, Henry J.	976.404 AR25w	Main (non-circulating)
The Archive War in Texas	Yager, Hope	976.404 Y103a OVER-T	Main (non-circulating)
The Houston Story; A Chronicle of the City of Houston and the Texas Frontier from the Battle of San Jacinto to the War Between the States, 1836-1865	Bartholomew, Ed Ellsworth	976.414 B283	Main (circulating)
A Texas scrap-book: made up of the history, biography, and miscellany of Texas and its people	Baker, D. W. C.	976.4 B17s 1875	Main (non-circulating; available online from the Internet Archive)
The Lady Cannoneer: A Biography of Angelina Belle Peyton Eberly, Heroine of the Texas Archives War	King, C. Richard	976.404 K58L	Main (circulating)
Sam Houston: A Biography of the Father of Texas	Williams, John Hoyt	923.273 H818WILJ	Main (noncirculating)
Peg Leg: The Improbable Life of a Texas Hero, Thomas William Ward, 1807-1872	Humphrey, David C.	327.73 H884p	Main (non-circulating)
Journals of the Senate of the Republic of Texas, 7^th Congress	Texas. Congress. Senate.	L1793.6 J826 7TH	Texas Documents (non-circulating; available online from the Legislative Reference Library)
Journals of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Texas, 7^th Congress	Texas. Congress. House of Representatives.	L1791.6 J826 7TH-9TH	Texas Documents (non-circulating; available online from the Legislative Reference Library)
Secret journals of the Senate, Republic of Texas, 1836-1845	Texas. Congress. Senate.	L1793.6 J826sj 1836-45	Texas Documents (non-circulating; available online from the Legislative Reference Library)
Southwestern Historical Quarterly. (Indexes)	Texas State Historical Association	976.406 SO8 INDEX V. 1-107	Reference Reading Room (non-circulating)

For more about the Archives War and its importance to Texas history, check out our website at https://www.tsl.texas.gov/treasures/republic/archwar/archwar.html.

Removing Barriers for All: Disability History at the State Archives

Posted on December 7, 2017 by ARIS Staff

By Rebecca Romanchuk, Archivist

December 3 was International Day of Persons with Disabilities, as proclaimed by the United Nations. Observed since 1992, this day “aims to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development, and to increase awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic, and cultural life.” The theme of this day for 2017 is “Transformation towards a sustainable and resilient society for all.”

The State Archives recently uncovered a piece of disability history from 1970 in its holdings among open reel audiotape recordings created by the state legislature. The tapes are of three public hearings held by the Texas Legislative Council Study Committee on Programs for the Handicapped, which conducted a comprehensive study of services and rehabilitative programs for Texans with disabilities, with a focus on vocational needs. These recordings are just a small portion of the archival records we hold that document state agencies and programs that have served those with disabilities since the early 20^th century.

Senator Criss Cole shaking hands with a guest using a walker at his Governor for a Day ceremony, January 10, 1970

Senator Criss Cole shaking hands with a guest at his Governor for a Day ceremony, January 10, 1970, 1970/151-36. Current Events Photographic Documentation Program collection. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

The story of these recordings was featured earlier this year in the Disability Archives/History Consortium newsletter in two parts (part 1 and part 2) and they are available for listening in TSLAC’s Texas Digital Archive, with a companion finding aid on Texas Archival Resources Online. Among the experts testifying was Dr. William Spencer, founder of the Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR), Texas Medical Center, and a nationally recognized pioneer in rehabilitation, often referred to as the “Father of Modern Rehabilitation.” Senator Barbara Jordan served as the committee’s citizens advisory commission chair and Senator Criss Cole, blinded during World War II, served as a director of the study committee.

The topics discussed are those that continue to be of concern for persons with disabilities today, including structural barriers in and around buildings, educating the public about disabilities, vocational training and opportunities, rehabilitation programs, hospital services, and health care insurance coverage.

In the words of the UN Secretary-General’s message, “On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, let us remove physical and cultural barriers, build resilient societies, and create opportunities that truly leave no one behind.”

Announcing the 2018 TSLAC Research Fellowship in Texas History

Posted on October 31, 2017 by ARIS Staff

TSLAC logo

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission Research Fellowship in Texas History is awarded for the best research proposal utilizing collections of the State Archives in Austin. The fellowship includes a $2,000 stipend.

The application, which should be no longer than two pages, must specify the purpose of the research, collections of interest, need for the money, and a description of the end product (article, book, or exhibition, etc.) that will result from the research. TSLAC may ask the Fellowship Awardee to make a presentation of the results of their research at a TSLAC event. Please include a complete vita with the application. The award will be announced at the Texas State Historical Association’s annual meeting in March 2018. Judges may withhold the award at their discretion.

Individuals should submit an entry form, four (4) copies of a vita in addition to four (4) copies of the proposal to the TSHA Office by December 28, 2017. The entry form can be found here.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission Research Fellowship in Texas History Committee
Texas State Historical Association
3001 Lake Austin Blvd., Ste. 3.116
Austin, TX 78703

The TSLAC Research Fellowship in Texas History is made possible by the Friends of Libraries and Archives of Texas through a generous donation from the Edouard Foundation.

Did You Know in Texas History: Texas outlaw Sam Bass

Posted on July 21, 2017 by ARIS Staff

By Caroline Jones, Library Assistant

On July 19^th 1878, Texas outlaw Sam Bass was mortally wounded in a gun fight against Texas Rangers in Round Rock, TX. He died a few days later in Round Rock on July 21^st, his 27^th birthday.

According to the Handbook of Texas Online, Bass was born on July 21^st, 1851 in Indiana and moved to Denton, TX in the fall of 1870 where he worked for Sheriff William F. Egan as a ranch hand building fences and caring for the livestock. During this time he, also worked for the railroad as a freighter loading goods on to railroad cars between Denton, Dallas, and Sherman. After leaving Egan’s property he began transporting cattle and racing horses, while also accumulating gambling debts he could not afford. It was during this time that Bass began robbing stagecoaches.

Bass used the skills he acquired as a ranch hand and as a railroad freighter to rob stagecoaches and railroad cars in and outside of Texas. By the spring of 1878, Bass and his gang had robbed four trains outside of Dallas- cementing Bass’s reputation as a notorious, Texas outlaw. Part of TSLAC’s collection materials concerning Bass is from a robbery committed in Nebraska. The gang held up a Union Pacific passenger train and stole $60,000 worth of new twenty-dollar gold pieces along with an additional $1,300 and four gold watches from the passengers. The image below is the digitization of a reward for the “Omaha Train Robbers” Bill Heffery, Sam Bass, Jack Davis, James Berry, and Tom Nixon. It can be found here in the Texas Treasures online exhibit.

Lists of fugitives, 1865-1879, 1898-1899, Lists of fugitives, Frontier Battalion records, Ranger records, Texas Adjutant General’s Department. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Before actually robbing the bank in Round Rock, Bass wanted to survey the area to be sure they had an escape route. According to Rangers of Texas, Bass came with three gang members to complete the heist: Frank Jackson, Seaborn Barnes, and Jim Murphy. Unbeknownst to the rest of the gang, Murphy was an informant for the Texas Rangers. So when the gang rode into Round Rock, Commander Major John B. Jones had three Rangers waiting to meet them.

Photo of John B. Jones, Texas Ranger Commander

John B. Jones. 1/102-333, People Collection, Prints and Photographs. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

However, it was local law enforcement officer Morris Murphy, accompanied by Deputy Sheriffs Grimes and Moore, who first approached the bandits. A gun fight broke out in a convenience store, with Barnes killing Grimes, Moore sustaining severe chest wounds, and Bass losing fingers from his right hand. As the gang fled the Rangers appeared, killing Barnes and fatally wounding Bass with a shot to the spine. Jackson rode out of town with a dying Bass, but ultimately had to leave him behind. The next day Bass was found about 3 miles north of Round Rock. He was brought into town and died of his injuries the following day, July 21^st.

Even after his death, Bass’s story lived on through the tales of the Texas Rangers, the ballads of cowboys, and in the remaining members of his former gang. As seen in the image below, three years later, Texas Governor Roberts received messages from those interested in capturing the rest of the outlaw gang for a chance at the reward money.

Note from Toney Heis to Governor Roberts regarding the remaining Bass outlaw gang.

Toney Heis to Roberts, November 23, 1881, Records of Oran Milo Roberts, Texas Office of the Governor, Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

The legend of Bass outlived him and continues to be a point of folklore and historical research in Texas.

Further Reading:

Texas Treasures: Rangers and Outlaws: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/treasures/law/index.html

Texas Governor Oran Milo Roberts, 1861-1883 (bulk 1878-1883): http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/40019/tsl-40019.html

Texas Adjutant General’s Department, Ranger Records: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/30027/tsl-30027.html

State Executive Record Books, 1835-1917: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/30057/tsl-30057.html

Texas Secretary of State, Fugitive Records: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/30088/tsl-30088.html

Title	Call No.
Tracking the Texas Rangers : the nineteenth century	Z N745.8 G463tr
Rangers of Texas	923.9764 R163
Sam Bass & gang	364.1 M617s
The tenderfoot bandits : Sam Bass and Joel Collins, their lives and hard times	923.41 B293R
Sam Bass: 100 years later, 1878-1978	976.406092 B293S
The Black Sheep	364.922 M264B
Tame the restless wind; the life and legends of Sam Bass	920.7 B293G and 923.41 B293GR
A sketch of Sam Bass, the bandit : a graphic narrative : his various train robberies, his death, and accounts of the deaths of his gang and their history	923.41 B293m 1956
Authentic history of Sam Bass and his gang	920.7 B293B 1950
Sam Bass, the train robber; the life of Texas’ most popular bandit	920.7 B293C

Did You Know in Texas History: George T. Ruby

Posted on July 6, 2017 by ARIS Staff

By Caroline Jones, Library Assistant

On April 26, 1870 George T. Ruby signed his oath to serve as a state senator, surpassing racial barriers as one of Texas’s first African-American politicians.

Black and white image of George Thompson Ruby, an African American senator

George Thompson Ruby of Galveston served in the 1868-69 Constitutional Convention and the 12th and 13th Texas Legislature

Born in New York in 1841, Ruby moved to Galveston in 1866 to work for the Freedmen’s Bureau. While in Galveston he established the city’s first Labor Union of Colored Men. With a liberal arts education under his belt and experience as president of the Union League, Ruby quickly made a name for himself in Galveston and was elected as delegate to the Republican national convention in 1868. He served as the only African-American within the Texas delegation. In this same year he served as one of only ten African-American delegates to Texas’s Constitutional Convention. By 1869, Ruby was elected state senator from the Twelfth District representing Galveston, Brazoria, and Matagorda counties. This is particularly noteworthy as this was a predominantly white district at the time.

Ruby served in the 12^th and 13^th Texas Legislatures, from 1870 to 1871 and in 1873 respectively. As state senator Ruby served on the judiciary, militia, education, and state affairs committees. Bills he introduced successfully incorporated the Galveston and El Paso, the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio, and the Galveston, Houston and Tyler railroads, as well as the Harbor Trust Company and several insurance companies. Bills he introduced also provided for geological and agricultural survey of the state. Due to a changing political climate in which the Democratic Party dominated the senate, Ruby chose not to seek reelection and finished his term in 1873. He spent the rest of his life in New Orleans, Louisiana. Despite his brief time as senator, Ruby is remembered by some historians as “the most important black politician in Texas during Reconstruction in terms of his power and ability” (tshaonline). His political passion enabled him to exceed racial expectations and provided opportunities for African-American laborers in Galveston and across the state. Ruby is prominently featured in TSLAC’s own “Forever Free” online exhibit as well as our “Texas Treasures” online exhibit.

Ruby’s oath of office is part of our Secretary of State Bonds and Oaths collection. The records were originally transferred to TSLAC by the Texas Secretary of State on an unknown date and reaccessioned in January of 2012. According to the finding aid, Archivist Tony Black discovered this set of records among unprocessed records of the Texas Adjutant General’s Department in November of 1986 and determined they were actually part of the Secretary of State bonds and oaths. The oaths and physical card catalogs from this collection have also been digitized and are available through Ancestry.com.

George T. Ruby’s Oath of Office.

Did You Know in Texas History: Texas Centennial Exposition

Posted on June 28, 2017 by ARIS Staff

By Caroline Jones, Library Assistant

On June 6^th, 1936 the Texas Centennial Exposition opened at Fair Park in Dallas, TX. The Texas Centennial Commission was created in June 1934 with Dallas outbidding Houston and San Antonio and the exposition grounds and construction to expand Fair Park was underway by October of 1935. The expansion included 180 acres of park grounds and 50 new buildings. In total, the exposition cost 25 million dollars, and an estimated 6,345,385 people attended the Centennial Exposition in Dallas.

Aerial black and white photo of the Texas Centennial.

From “Texas Centennial and Dallas Exposition: over 100 illustrations” from TSLAC-Main Collection.

The exposition was open from June 6 to November 29, 1936. Although centennial celebrations were happening across the state, the Handbook of Texas Online states the event at Fair Park as the “central exposition.” One of the highlights of the Texas Centennial Exposition was the Hall of Negro Life. According to the Handbook of Texas Online, this was the first instance of the recognition of black culture at a world’s fair. It is estimated that over 400,000 people came through the hall, viewing the contributions of thirty-two states, the District of Columbia, and works from individuals like W. E. B. Dubois and Samuel A. Countee. The hall exhibited advances in economics and industry, murals, music, literature, performances, and more.

Continue reading →

Texas Writers’ Project Records

Posted on June 13, 2017 by ARIS Staff

By Susan Floyd, Archivist

1940 Typescript of San Antonio's Fiesta.

San Antonio: Fiesta! typescript, 1940. City and town historical materials, Texas Writers’ Project records, 1962/218-9. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

In February, we published a finding aid for records relating to a New Deal program: the Texas Writers’ Project, an undertaking of the Work Projects Administration. Originally established as the Works Progress Administration on May 6, 1935, the WPA was a federal relief agency created by an executive order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In Texas, the WPA employed 600,000 in a wide variety of projects based on local needs and workforce skills. These projects included construction, vocational training, childcare, garment manufacturing, gardening and food production, healthcare, libraries and archives, recreation, and the arts.

The Texas Historical Records Survey and the Texas Writers’ Project, both organized in 1935, were two major WPA-led archival and literacy programs. The Writers’ Project, directed by author and newspaperman James Francis (J. Frank) Davis, employed researchers and writers to compile guides to the state and its regions focusing on cultural, geographic, and historical points of interest. The Project’s best-known publication was Texas: A Guide to the Lone Star State (1940). Writers also worked on major publications such as America Eats; Hands That Built America (sometimes also referred to as Hands that Built the Nation); and, together with the Texas Historical Records Survey, The Western Range: The Story of the Grasslands.

Continue reading →

On This Day in 1836: Cynthia Ann Parker is captured in a Comanche Raid

Posted on May 19, 2017 by ARIS Staff

By Caroline Jones, Library Assistant

On May 19, 1836, a young Cynthia Ann Parker was taken captive during the Comanche raid of Fort Parker. She lived as a Comanche woman for 25 years, marrying a Comanche warrior and having three children, until she was recaptured by Texas Rangers on December 19, 1860 in the Pease River Battle (also referred to as the Pease River Massacre by some scholars). In researching Parker I not only found her life story compelling, but both the variety and the credibility of the sources of her story intriguing and at times conflicting.

Cynthia Ann Parker was born to Lucy and Silas Parker in Crawford County, Illinois. The Parker clan made the journey to Texas and constructed Fort Parker along the Navasota River around 1835. According to Grace Jackson’s biography Cynthia Ann Parker, three generations of Parker’s lived at Fort Parker, along with several other families who followed them to Texas from Illinois. Having left the fort during the Battle of San Jacinto, all returned on April 25, 1836 after the Texan victory. On May 18^th, Texas Rangers protecting the fort were disbanded and sent home to their families. The next day, Fort Parker was raided by the Comanche, killing many and taking five captive, including Cynthia Ann and her younger brother John.

Continue reading →

Out of the Stacks

A blog from the Archives and Information Services Division at TSLAC

Tag Archives: texas history

Meet the Staff: Brianna Cochran

Archival Animals

Angelina Fires Her Cannon: The Archives War of 1842-1843

Removing Barriers for All: Disability History at the State Archives

Announcing the 2018 TSLAC Research Fellowship in Texas History

Did You Know in Texas History: Texas outlaw Sam Bass

Did You Know in Texas History: George T. Ruby

Did You Know in Texas History: Texas Centennial Exposition

Texas Writers’ Project Records

On This Day in 1836: Cynthia Ann Parker is captured in a Comanche Raid