“Armstrong and Aldrin Walk on Moon After Dusty Landing,” July 21, 1969, Beaumont Enterprise. Sam Houston Center, TSLAC.
Looking for a free (and air-conditioned) outing this summer? Visit the Texas State Library and Archives (TSLAC) in downtown Austin and explore the current exhibit on display in our lobby. Extra! Extra! Eyes of the World on Texas at the Lorenzo de Zavala State Archives and Library building features seven cases on significant episodes in Texas history that brought national and international attention to our state. Our team curated documents, images, artifacts, and publications related to the JFK assassination, Spindletop and the oil boom, the Galveston storm of 1900, the New London School explosion and other major events that made headlines in the twentieth century.
The quote on the screen in this image of Mission Control Center at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston reads, “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth…” John F. Kennedy to Congress, May 1961. Texas Tourism Development Agency photographs and audiovisual materials,1991077_114_ 011. TSLAC.
By the time of the Apollo II Mission in 1969, televisions were in most American homes and offered a new medium for the simultaneous sharing of experiences. The selection of the Houston area for the site of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) facility focused on sending astronauts to the moon connected Texas to the most-watched event in television history, the moon landing on July 20, 1969. Texas Governor Preston Smith would later present astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin with the Medal of Valor. Dies used to create the medals are housed in the State Archives.
Torchbearer Mable McKnight addresses the crowd at the Liberty Relay Event, with Mayor Paul Henry (left) and other Liberty County and Southeast Texas torchbearers behind her. Olympic Torch Relay Collection, Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, TSLAC.
The Olympic Torch Relay begins at a ceremony in the city of Olympia, Greece, the site of the ancient Olympic Games, at the ruins of the temple of the goddess Hera. An actress playing the temple’s high priestess lights the flame using a parabolic mirror that concentrates the sun’s rays. She then passes it to the first torchbearer, and the relay begins, carrying the flame to its final destination, the Olympic stadium in the host city of the Games. When the flame arrives, the final torchbearer lights the Olympic cauldron, which remains lit for the duration of the Games and is extinguished at the closing ceremony.
In 1996, the city of Atlanta, Georgia, hosted the Summer Olympics. The Olympic flame arrived in Los Angeles, California (site of the 1932 and 1984 Summer Games) from Athens, Greece, on April 27. During its journey across the continental United States, the relay passed for the first time through Southeast Texas, on May 22. In Liberty, a ceremony was held on the grounds of the Geraldine D. Humphreys Cultural Center, and the city provided lunch to all the relay participants. Liberty was one of only five cities in Texas where the relay stopped for such an event.
Map of Olympic Torch Relay route through Southeast Texas on May 22, 1996. Olympic Torch Relay Collection, Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, TSLAC.
The Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center’s Olympic Torch Relay Collection documents the Olympic Torch Relay event in Liberty and the relay’s passage through Southeast Texas. The collection includes photographs of the Liberty event and local relay participants, clippings from various Southeast Texas newspapers pertaining to the relay as it passed through the area, event maps, meeting minutes and notes documenting the planning and organizing of the Liberty event by a local committee, posters and other publicity materials, and the torch carried by torchbearer Don Kelly of Beaumont in the Liberty area.
Liberty Relay Event Poster. Olympic Torch Relay Collection, Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, TSLAC.
Event map for the Liberty Relay Event. Arrows show the torch route into and out of the event. Olympic Torch Relay Collection, Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, TSLAC.
At the Liberty ceremony, a small Olympic cauldron was lit by incoming torchbearer Sharon Davis, a message from the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games was read, and the four Liberty County torchbearers (Larry Wadzeck, Mable McKnight, Sharon Davis, and Timothy Daniel) were introduced and spoke to the crowd. Combined bands from Liberty, Barbers Hill, and Huffman-Hargraves high schools provided Olympic-themed music, including “Olympic Fanfare” and “Bugler’s Dream.” The flame resumed its journey when torchbearer Tim Daniel lit his torch from the cauldron and carried it out of the Humphreys Cultural Center and back to its U.S. Highway 90 route. The city’s Liberty Bell replica was rung during the arrival and departure of the flame.
Torchbearer Sharon Davis lights the cauldron at the Liberty Relay Event. Olympic Torch Relay Collection, Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, TSLAC.
Torchbearer Tim Daniel and his escort runner (unidentified). Olympic Torch Relay Collection, Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, TSLAC.
From Liberty the relay passed through the communities of Ames, Raywood, Devers, Nome, China, Beaumont, Vidor, and Orange before continuing into Louisiana.
Many of the torchbearers had been nominated as “community heroes.” Criteria included volunteer work and service as a community leader, role model, or mentor. The Olympic Organizing Committee selected 5,500 community heroes out of 40,000 candidates. Thirty-eight were from Southeast Texas, representing Dayton, Liberty, Devers, Orange, Beaumont, Port Arthur, Port Neches, Bridge City, and Vidor.
Commemorative photo of torchbearer Don Kelly of Beaumont, who ran his leg of the Relay in Liberty. Olympic Torch Relay Collection, Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, TSLAC.Torch carried by Don Kelly during the Olympic Torch Relay in Liberty on May 22, 1996. Made of aluminum reeds and Georgia pecan wood. Wide gold-plated band on lower half is engraved with the host city names and years of all the Olympic Games, commemorating the 100thanniversary of the modern Olympics. Olympic Torch Relay Collection, Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, TSLAC.
The Olympic Torch Relay is a major event for every community through which it passes en route to the Olympics host city, and May 22, 1996, was undoubtedly a memorable and exciting day for the residents of Southeast Texas. As Brendan Harris, director of the relay event for sponsor Coca-Cola, told the Baytown Sun, “These people are the reason we do this. It gives people from these small towns a chance to share in the Olympic experience. And it gives a town like Liberty the chance to be the host city of the Olympics for a day.”
Visitors may view the Olympic Torch Relay Collection at the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center during business hours, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. The finding aid is on Texas Archival Resources Online (TARO): Olympic Torch Relay Collection.
Featuring recent selections from our “Throwback Thursday” and other posts on TSLAC’s social media platforms. No subscription required.
January 2024
O. Henry Museum, Christmas card. Pencil sketch, undated. Places Collection, 1/103-90, Prints and Photographs Collections. TSLAC.
#OTD January 19, 1934, The home of William Sydney Porter (1862-1910), who became known as the short story writer O. Henry, was donated to the City of Austin. Porter resided with his wife and young daughter in the home, originally located at 308 East Fourth Street, from 1893-1895. In Austin, Porter worked as a draftsman at the General Land Office and later as a teller at the First National Bank of Austin, where he was accused of embezzlement and eventually spent several years in federal prison. Upon his release, he relocated to New York and his writing career flourished. The cottage was constructed in the 1880s and has undergone several renovation projects to preserve the museum. Visitors may view a desk once used by the writer, along with other furnishings and memorabilia. The museum is now located on 409 East Fifth Street.
February 2024
Street scene showing bakery and Georgetown Pharmacy. Places collection, 1/103-482. Prints and photographs collection. TSLAC.
A cow ambles down the street in front of the town bakery and pharmacy in 1880s Georgetown. Explore historic images of Texas buildings, street scenes, homes, panoramic views, and some other states and countries in the Places Collection on the Texas Digital Archive. https://tsl.access.preservica.com/tda/prints-and-photographs/#places.
March 2024
Cowboys roping calf, undated. Groups, 1/104-114. Prints and photographs collection. TSLAC.
March means it’s time for the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, the largest of its kind in the world. Rodeos showcase skills that evolved from the chores of working cowboys during the early years of the cattle industry, such as cattle roping. This photo captures two cowboys in action as they circle a calf.
April 2024
Bridge on Barton Creek, undated, Austin. Mabel H. Brooks photograph collection, 1932/005-207. TSLAC.
#OTD April 11, 1840, William Barton (1782-1840) passed away. Barton settled in Texas in 1828 and relocated to what would become the Austin area in 1837. Barton and his family lived on property near the springs, creek, and rolling hills that were all later named after him. This photo of a bridge over Barton Creek was taken in about 1900. The Rabb Mansion is visible in the background. The children are not identified. Barton Creek and Barton Springs are centerpieces of recreational activity in modern-day Austin. See more images from Austin between 1860-1920 in the Mabel H. Brooks Photograph collection online here: https://tsl.access.preservica.com/tda/prints-and-photographs/#brooks
May 2024
Texas State Capitol Waltz, by Leonora Rives, 1888. Sheet Music Collection, #10. TSLAC.
#OTD May 16, 1888 was “dedication day” for the new State Capitol building in Austin. The day began with a parade that marched up Congress Avenue toward the capitol where Texas dignitaries gave speeches. The entire week of May 14 – May 19 was filled with celebratory events, including a ball held on Friday, May 18. Composer Leonora Rives dedicated to Texas Governor L.S. Ross her new piece of music, the Texas State Capitol Grand Waltz, created for the ball. The sheet music was a popular souvenir item that sold for sixty cents. View the entire composition on our website here: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/alacarte-sounds
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Mark your calendars for Friday, June 14, when the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center invites you to stargaze with an expert at the Center’s Amateur Astronomy Night. Village Creek State Park Interpreter Alex Stamatis will lead visitors on a tour of the night sky from 8:30 until approximately 10:00 p.m. Learn to locate constellations and view some of the season’s most fascinating celestial objects using telescopes, binoculars and the naked eye.
With assistance from Trinity National Wildlife Refuge Biologist Laurie Gonzales and the Refuge’s interns, Stamatis will also explain the impact of light pollution on observation and the environment. Visitors are encouraged to bring along flashlights, especially red-light flashlights, and join the fun on the Center’s grounds at 650 FM 1011, Liberty, Texas. (In the case of inclement weather or poor viewing conditions, the event will be moved to Friday, June 21.)
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.
For questions about events, collections, and services at the Sam Houston Center call (936) 336-8821 or send an email to: [email protected]. Visit their website at: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/shc.
Display featuring titles related to Texas cooking and cuisine on view through July 2o24. Reference Reading Room, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
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.
[Chile Festival], undated. Texas Tourist Development Agency photographs and audiovisual materials, 1991/077-703-10. TSLAC.
Drawing, “Military Plaza-Chili-Con-Carne or Mexican Supper,” undated. Places Collection, 1/103-628. Prints and Photographs. TSLAC.
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.
[Chili Festival], undated. Texas Tourist Development Agency photographs and audiovisual materials, 1991/077-703-1. TSLAC.
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 [email protected] or call 512-463-5455.
I hope you and your loved ones are managing to stay safe from the continued impacts of the severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes, and flooding. The Heritage Emergency National Task Force (HENTF), a public-private partnership between FEMA and the Smithsonian Institution, is supporting response and recovery efforts of Texas’ arts and culture sector—and the public. I am forwarding information that may be useful to you if you need recovery assistance.
FROM FEMA:
A major disaster declaration has been made on May 17, 2024, for the events that began on April 26 and are continuing.
Individual Assistance is now available in 7 counties: Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, Polk, San Jacinto, Trinity, and Walker counties(please see Designated Areas for further location and assistance details).
Individual Assistance is available to individuals and households. For disasters declared on or after March 22, 2024, FEMA’s Individual Assistance program was expanded to include quicker access to needed funds including simplifying assistance for self-employed individuals such as self-employed artists and entrepreneurs. Learn more about this update in the Press Release.
Cultural institutions, arts organizations, and artists and performing groups can call the National Heritage Responders hotline: 202-661-8068. The National Heritage Responders, a team of trained conservators and collections care professionals administered by the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation, are available 24/7 to provide advice and guidance.
Members of the public and individual artists who have questions about saving family heirlooms and personal collections can email the National Heritage Responders at [email protected].
HENTF’s Save Your Family Treasures guidance is available at www.fema.gov/assistance/save-family-treasures. Here you can find the downloadable FEMA fact sheets “After the Flood: Advice for Salvaging Damaged Family Treasures” and “Salvaging Water-Damaged Family Valuables and Heirlooms,” available in multiple languages.
For additional questions on FEMA assistance, please contact Please email [email protected].
Please let us know if we can be of any assistance.
Sincerely,
Gloria Meraz Director and State Librarian Texas State Library and Archives Commission
The Texas Historical Records Advisory Board (THRAB) invites nominations for their 2024 archival awards. These annual awards honor archival institutions, programs and individuals in Texas for their service to the profession. THRAB grants awards in the categories of excellence, advocacy and distinguished service.
Nominations for 2024 Archival Awards will be accepted through June 20. THRAB will announce the recipients in October during Texas Archives Month. For nomination forms and additional information, visit www.tsl.texas.gov/archivalaward.
The Archival Award of Excellence honors archival institutions and individuals in Texas who have made significant achievements in preserving and improving access to historical records in any format. The Advocacy for Archives Award acknowledges an individual or organization that has made significant contributions to ensure the preservation and availability of Texas’s historical record. The David B. Gracy II Distinguished Archival Service Award recognizes an individual, archival institution, education program or nonprofit/government organization that has provided outstanding leadership, service or contribution to the archival profession in Texas.
Recent recipients of the Archival Award of Excellence include Robert Weaver of the Southwest Collection at Texas Tech University and the William J. Hill Texas Artisans and Artists Archive in Houston. The 2023 David B. Gracy II Award for Distinguished Archival Service went to Texas State Historian Monte L. Monroe, also of the Southwest Collection at Texas Tech. The awards are funded by a State Programming Board grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).
About the Texas Historical Records Advisory Board: THRAB serves as an advisory body for historical records planning and supports efforts to preserve and provide access to archival collections throughout the state. Funding for THRAB is provided by the National Historical Publications Records Commission, the grant-making arm of the National Archives and Records Administration. The state archivist is appointed by the governor to preside over the nine-member board.
The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) is pleased to announce the recipients of 2024 Research Fellowships in Texas History. With support from the Texas Library and Archives Foundation, Inc. (TxLAF), fellowships of $2000 each will be awarded to scholars for research at TSLAC. Noah Crawford of Texas A&M University and Patrick Sheridan from the University of Georgia are this year’s fellows.
Noah Crawford’s project, “The American Civil War Refugee Crisis on the Battlefield, the Home Front, and the Border” requires the use of archival collections at both the State Archives in Austin and the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center in Liberty. Crawford currently serves as graduate assistant lecturer at Texas A&M University in College Station while working on a doctorate in history. Patrick Sheridan, a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Georgia in Athens, is also a doctoral student working on a dissertation in history. Sheridan will visit the State Archives in Austin to conduct research on his project, “South-to-Southwest: The Texas & Pacific and the Early Sunbelt.”
TSLAC offers each year the Research Fellowship in Texas History for the best research proposal utilizing collections of the State Archives in Austin or the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center in Liberty, Texas. Research topics should be significant to Texas history, with preference given to fresh areas of study and/or under-sourced archival collections. Follow TSLAC on social media @TSLAC and subscribe to TSLAC events ( https://www.tsl.texas.gov/subscribe ) to be notified about the next fellowship cycle and other opportunities, programs, collections, and services. For full details about this fellowship opportunity, visit: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/arc/researchfellowship.
As our archives staff work on an ongoing basis to arrange, preserve, describe, and make available to the public the materials under our care, we spotlight new additions to the website in a regular feature from Out of the Stacks. The column lists new and revised finding aids recently made available online, along with fresh uploads to the Texas Digital Archive, our repository of electronic items. For a comprehensive list of all recently added and updated finding aids visit Archives: Finding Aids (New & Revised).
New Finding Aids
“The Little Kitchen,” Monahans Sandhills State Park, undated. Texas Parks and Wildlife Division photographs, 2011/434-21-957.
State Records
Texas Education Agency Historical School District Action Files The Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the entities which proceeded it (State Superintendent of Public Instruction, State Board of Education, and State Department of Education) administered agency oversight of public school districts. TEA historical school district action files, 1883-2005, bulk 1935-1992, document the existence of and changes to common, independent, and rural high school districts as well as juvenile detention facilities. Volumes listing districts document each district’s existence during the span of 1883-1954 (not inclusive). The historical school district actions, 1935-2005, document changes in district boundaries through consolidation and annexation, which affect apportionment of school funding. The records are mainly correspondence and copies of county election records, with copies of scholastic census lists, hand-drawn maps, or other documents occasionally included.
Texas State Library and Archives Commission Public Relations Social Media Records The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) preserves the record of government for public scrutiny, secures and makes accessible historically significant records and other valuable resources, meets the reading needs of Texans with disabilities, and builds and sustains statewide partnerships to improve library programs and services. TSLAC engages in public relations activities to disseminate information about its events and programs through press releases and other forms of communication. These TSLAC public relations social media records, 2010-2022, were produced to publicize agency resources, services, and events through the utilization of social networking tools.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Wildlife Division Photographs The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is responsible for the management and conservation of the state’s wildlife and fish resources. The TPWD Wildlife Division manages and conserves the natural and cultural resources of Texas and provides hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation opportunities for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. These photographs date 1938-1990s, undated, and span the Texas State Parks Board; Texas Game, Fish, and Oyster Commission; Game and Fish Commission; and TPWD, including the Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine. Formats include black-and-white negatives, color transparencies, black-and-white prints, color slides, and contact sheets, documenting Wildlife Division activities including agency staff and property; flora and fauna of Texas; TPWD facilities such as fish hatcheries and laboratories; outdoor activities such as fishing, hunting, and camping; and state parks.
The Texas State Library Archives Commission (TSLAC) in downtown Austin offers library collections and resources to the general public on weekdays and the second Saturday of each month. Perhaps known more for its archival documents and records from Texas history, TSLAC also manages an extensive collection of library materials with a team of reference librarians on staff ready to assist patrons.
The agency dates back to 1909 when the library was located in the Texas State Capitol. Books, newspapers, paintings, and artifacts were a part of the State Library and visible in the photographs below. (The Texas State Archives was a division of the library and housed in the basement.)
State Library Room about February 10, 1909. Before new shelving was installed. Prints and Photographs collection,1/103-131. Main Library from north window, 1915. Capitol. Prints and Photographs collection, 1/103-135.
The Texas State Library and Archives needed a separate building to properly store and provide access to the extensive collections and serve the growing populace in the twentieth century. Eventually, in 1959 Governor Price Daniel was able to coordinate with legislators and state agencies to oversee the construction of a new repository. Opening to the public in 1961, the Texas State Archives and Library Building (now the Lorenzo de Zavala State Archives and Library Building) was a prominent element in centralizing state facilities around the Capitol to create the Capitol Complex.
Texas State Archives and Library Building, about 1961. Prints and Photographs collection, 1/103-008.
TSLAC’s modern reading room now offers computer access to the library catalog, commercial and in-house databases, Texas newspapers, digital archives, and so much more.
Reference librarians staff our public services desk and are available to assist patrons in person, via email and telephone. Visit the Reference Reading Room to explore library collections during the week and the second Saturday of each month. Public computers provide access to the library catalog, newspaper databases, genealogy resources such as Ancestry, Family Search, and Fold3, plus the full range of TexShare resources.
Collections and services on offer at TSLAC. CLICK the image to download the flyer.
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