Research Ready: December 2015

By Amie Oliver, Librarian and Curator of Print Materials, and Paul Fisher, Processing Archivist

Each month, we post an update to notify our readers about the latest archival collections to be processed and some highlights of our print material acquisitions. These resources are primed for research and are just a sampling of the many resources to be found at The Texas Collection!

Here are December’s finding aids:

Dr. E.S. James and Dr. James E. Wood Jr., 1968
E.S. James, noted editor of the Baptist Standard for twelve years, presents his personal papers to James E. Wood Jr., director at the time of what is now Baylor University’s J. M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies. Dr. Wood was also a noted Baptist leader, who led the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs for eight years. The Texas Collection recently acquired these papers of Dr. James mentioned in this photograph. James E. Wood Jr. papers 3969, Box 5, Folder 10.
C.O. Leuschner Cotton Crop Ledger
Charles Otto Leuschner is one of two probable men for which the town of Otto, Texas, was named. His business affairs included cotton, oil, cattle and real estate in Central Texas. This ledger shows the details of his cotton crop and sales. Leuschner Family papers, Accession 3361, Box 1, Folder 12, The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Here are December’s featured print materials:

San Leon: Destined to Become the Greatest Resort City in America. Houston: Western Land Corp., 1910. Print.
San Leon: Destined to Become the Greatest Resort City in America. Houston: Western Land Corp., 1910. Print. Located in Galveston County, San Leon is called the “bright spot of Texas” in this promotional volume. Highlighting San Leon’s prime location, public improvements, sporting, and environment, this rare volume, one of only two known in existence, entices people to come, build, and invest in this raw land that is prime for development.
Red Book of Dallas. Dallas: Holland Brothers Publishing, Co., 1895. Print
Red Book of Dallas. Dallas: Holland Brothers Publishing, Co., 1895. Print. Filled with the names and addresses of upper-class families, many specifying which day they receive visitors, this volume is the must-have social registry for 1895 Dallas. Also included is information on proper etiquette when calling on families, membership directories for exclusive clubs, a shopping directory, and ads for local businesses.

Red Book of Dallas. Dallas: Holland Brothers Publishing, Co., 1895. Print (2)
The first several pages from the Red Book of Dallas. The volume begins by describing how proper introductions should be done among the ladies and gentlemen of Dallas in 1895.
Monroe, James. Message from the President of the United States, Transmitting, in Pursuance of a Resolution of the House of Representatives, of the 20th Instant, Information, not heretofore Communicated, Relating to the Occupation of Amelia Island. March 26, 1818. Read, and Ordered to Lie upon the Table. Washington: E. de Krafft, 1818. Print.
Monroe, James. Message from the President of the United States…Relating to the Occupation of Amelia Island. March 26, 1818. Read, and Ordered to Lie upon the Table. Washington: E. de Krafft, 1818. Print. Listed in Thomas W. Streeter’s Bibliography of Texas, 1795-1845, this volume primarily concerns Florida’s Amelia Island. However, contained within is also information about Galveston, including a letter to the Minister Plenipotentiary of the Mexican Republic from Luis Aury concerning his plans to “abandon the establishment at Galveston” and a statement by Vincente Pazos declaring Galveston “the established port of the Mexican Republic.”

Christmas in the Collections

With Christmas around the corner, we thought we’d take a look at how the holiday comes up in our archival collections. The following is just a small sample of Christmas-related photos, programming, and other documents that can be found at The Texas Collection on the most wonderful time of the year.

George W. Truett and family at Christmas in Waco, c. 1890s
George W. Truett (middle, 2nd row from the back) and family at Christmas in Waco, c. 1890s. Apparently, the challenge of getting a good family Christmas photo is not a new one–hardly anyone is looking at the camera here! BU records: George W. Truett Theological Seminary #BU/298, box 3, folder 15.
Christmas card, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Palmer Brooks to Dorothy Scarborough, c. 1932-1934
Christmas card, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Palmer Brooks to Dorothy Scarborough, c. 1931. Baylor President Brooks extended Yuletide greetings and a taste of Texas home to Baylor alumna and former faculty Scarborough, who was at this point teaching at Columbia University in New York. There are Christmas cards aplenty in Scarborough’s (and other) collections. Dorothy Scarborough papers, Series I, box 13, folder 4.

Waco Caritas staff Christmas party, 1980
Waco Caritas Christmas party, 1980. Caritas staff gather for a photo at a Christmas party. Again, the challenge of the group photo–there’s always someone whose eyes close. [Waco] Caritas records #2891, box 5, folder 15.
Christmas program (piano copy) at Brook Avenue/Bethel Baptist Church, undated
Christmas program (piano copy) at Brook Avenue/Bethel Baptist Church, undated. Finding new and engaging ways to lead a church in its celebration of Christmas always is a challenge for ministers–this piece was found in a folder full of clippings for various Christmas ideas and activities. (Pre-Pinterest, you know.) Telling the Christmas story through Bible verses and beloved carols is a must, though. [Waco] Brook Avenue and Bethel Baptist Church records, box 3, folder 12.

"A Little Child Shall Be the Leader" sermon by Marvin Griffin, 1979 December 16
“A Little Child Shall Be the Leader” sermon by Marvin Griffin on audiocassette, 1979 December 16. Rev. Griffin was preaching at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Austin at this point in his career. His collection includes hundreds of recordings of his sermons and radio broadcasts.

New Year's greetings, 1900, from Chas. L. Sanger & Co. (cotton buyers), Waco, Texas
Happy New Year (and new century!) from Chas. L. Sanger & Co., a cotton buyer/shipper company. Barnard-Lane collection #39, box 5, folder 14.

Texas over Time: Austin Avenue from City Hall, Waco

Texas has changed quite a bit over the years, as is readily seen in our vast photograph and postcard collections. To help bring some of those changes to life, we’ve created a “Texas over Time” series of GIFs that will illustrate the construction and renovations of buildings, changing aerial views, and more. Our collections are especially strong on Waco and Baylor images, but look for some views beyond the Heart of Texas, too.

AustinAveOur readers may remember that we did a GIF of Waco’s Austin Avenue awhile back, looking at City Hall. Now, we look the other direction! A few facts about the buildings/businesses you see in this GIF…

  • ALICO Building: Construction for the Amicable (ALICO) Building began in 1910 and after a height competition with the Adolphus Hotel in Dallas, it was decided that the building would be 22-stories high. The builders, Sanguinet and Staats of Forth Worth and Roy E. Lane of Waco, wanted the building to have a structure that could sustain disaster, so a steel frame was put into place, and this was proved worthwhile after the 1953 tornado. The Texas State Historical Commission named the ALICO building a historical landmark in 1982.
  • Roosevelt Hotel: Before it became the Roosevelt Hotel, local civic leader Peter McClelland built the McClelland Hotel in 1872. The property was purchased by Conrad Hilton of the international chain, Hilton Hotels and Resorts. The economic downturn of the Great Depression caused Hilton to sell the property in 1934 to local investors, where it finally became known as the Roosevelt Hotel, honoring President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Roosevelt was one of the three buildings in the storm’s path that stood strong during the 1953 Waco tornado. Its steel frame supported the structure but for the businesses that did not survive, the owners relocated to the suburbs and the Roosevelt Hotel was forced to close in 1961. After its life as the Regis Retirement Home, local builder Mike Clark bought the building in 2004 and the space was renovated to accommodate event rentals, restaurants, and offices.
  • W.P. Pipkin Drugs: One of the Southwest’s largest independently owned drugstore chains, the W.P. Pipkin Drug store was successfully run by William Pipkin and then after his death, it was run by his daughter, Pauline Pipkin Garrett. Pipkin was the first drugstore owner to hire women and in a time where opportunities for women were limited, Garrett exceeded these expectations by expanding her father’s business into a thriving enterprise throughout Waco. Pipkin Drugs had seven locations.
  • Sanger Bros./Montgomery Ward: The Sanger Brothers open their shoe store on the square between Austin Avenue and Bankers’ Alley on March 4, 1873. Their store later moved between Fourth and Fifth Street on Austin Avenue. Products the store sold included “dry goods, clothing, boots, shoes, hats, caps, gents’ furnishing goods, carpets, and oil cloths,” per an ad by the Waco Daily Examiner. The business was very successful up until Sam Sanger’s death in 1919. In its final days thousands of dedicated customers were reported to show up for the last sales.

Bibliography

Kyle Baughman and Amanda Sawyer, “Amicable (ALICO) Building,” Waco History, accessed October 9, 2015, http://wacohistory.org/items/show/23.

Geoff Hunt, “Pauline Pipkin Garrett,” Waco History, accessed October 9, 2015, ffghttp://wacohistory.org/items/show/101.

Amanda Sawyer, “Sanger Brothers Department Store,” Waco History, accessed October 9, 2015, http://wacohistory.org/items/show/85.

Amanda Sawyer, “Roosevelt Hotel,” Waco History, accessed November 4, 2015, http://wacohistory.org/items/show/41.

GIF and factoids by Haley Rodriguez, archives student assistant. See these and other images of Austin Avenue in our Flickr set.

Baylor by Decade: 1955, 1975

The Baylor Bulletin (otherwise known as the university catalogue) always gives us great insight into the many changes that have occurred down the years at our university. Join us as we explore “Baylor by Decade,” a periodic series in which we look at the changing campus community.

Baylor University School of Business, IBM 405 Electric Punched Card Accounting Machine, c.1950s (1)
Students gather around the School of Business’ IBM 405 electric punched card accounting machine. That’s some serious machinery! TC photo files-Baylor-Departments-Hankamer School of Business

1955

    • In this decade, the university started charging tuition based on the number of hours taken in a quarter. It cost $9 per quarter hour, and the average total cost of attendance was $265.
    • The library had a collection of approximately 227,000 volumes. (Compare that to the approximately 68,000 volumes twenty years earlier in 1935–that’s a big increase!)
    • The School of Business had an Electronic Tabulator available to accounting majors, an IBM 405 punch card system (see above).
    • The dormitory buildings had many of the latest styles and amenities, including:
        • all were built of stone and brick and were fireproof
        • steam heated
        • partially sound proofed
        • furnished with Venetian blinds, desks, chests, beds, mattresses and chairs.

       

Architectural sketch of Burleson and Old Main towers to be restored, c. 1975
After the 1953 tornado weakened the structural integrity of the Old Main and Burleson towers, they were removed, and the building remained tower-less until 1976. Pictured in the 1975-1976 catalogue is a rendering of what the renovated complex would look like when the construction was complete in 1976.


1975

  • By this point, the university switched from a quarter system to a semester system. The average total cost of tuition was about $600.
  • Moody Library served as the primary library on campus (having moved out of Carroll Library in 1968). It housed 500,000 volumes, as well as 2,500 magazine and periodical titles.
  • Chapel was now called “University Forum.” Students were required to have three semesters of University Forum to graduate (reduced from four semesters), and they had to attend 75% of all meetings to receive credit.
  • The normal course load for students was 12-18 semester hours. The Bulletin suggests that for students who work three+ hours daily, this should be reduced by one course.