By Geoff Hunt, Audio and Visual Curator, The Texas Collection, Baylor University.
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” blog series that will illustrate the construction and renovations of buildings, street scenes, and more. Our collections are especially strong on Waco and Baylor images, but look for some views beyond the Heart of Texas, too.
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!Continue Reading
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!Continue Reading
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!Continue Reading
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!Continue Reading
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!
August’s finding aids By Paul Fisher, Processing Archivist
Covered with handwritten notes (and safety messages), this employee timetable represents the more practical side of railroad operations in Texas. You’ll find this item in the Texas Railroads collection, Accession #2692, box 1, folder 4, at The Texas Collection, Baylor University.
James Edward Grant Screenplay collection, 1961 (#3997): Includes the final screenplay James Edward Grant composed for the film The Comancheros. The screenplay, finalized in May 1961, was based on the novel by Paul I. Wellman.
This program for the 1941 Panhandle-Plains Dairy Show contains all the information anyone showing cattle or attending the event might need, including exhibitor’s rules, judges’ rules, dairy products judging contest, officers and directors, etc. Click here to view in BearCat.
The Story of the S·M·S Ranch. [Stamford, TX?]: [Swenson Bros.?], [1919]. Print.
Filled with more than 120 photographs documenting cowboy life on the S. M. S. Ranches, this volume also provides info on breeding, show policy, cattle sales, etc. Click hereto view in BearCat.
San Antonio, Tex. New York: Rotograph Co., [1905]. Print. This accordion-style fold-out postcard, which was mailed in 1907, contains photographs of several prominent places in San Antonio including City Hall, Alamo Plaza, San Pedro Park, and several missions. Click hereto view in BearCat.
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!
March’s finding aids By Paul Fisher, Processing Archivist
During the Republic of Texas time period, inflation was rampant among the various kinds of official Republic of Texas bills. Because of this and other monetary problems in the new country, the Republic of Texas gave permission for the mercantile firm of McKinney, Williams, and Company to issue their own currency. This bill, issued in 1841, was a symbol of how wealthy and powerful the McKinney, Williams, and Company was in the Republic of Texas. When Texas joined the United States in 1845, this currency as legal tender became worthless. You’ll find these items in the Brinkman-Alston Texas currency, 1841-1843 (#3908), box 1, folder 1, at The Texas Collection, Baylor University.
Roy Beck served as a conductor on the Texas Electric Railway for 28 years. On May 26, 1928, Beck received this stock certificate for a single share in the company valued at $100. The certificate is signed by Jack Beall, president of both the Texas Electric Railway Company and the Dallas Union Trust Company. You’ll find these items in the Roy Elmer Beck collection, 1918-1946, undated (#3293), box [246], folder 18, at The Texas Collection, Baylor University.
C.E. Casebier collection, undated (#2242): Collection contains an essay by C.E. Casebier concerning his trip to Washington, D.C. in 1923 to advocate for the Kansas City-Mexico-Orient railroad.
March’s print materials By Amie Oliver, Librarian and Curator of Print Materials
This month, we are highlighting a selection of 16th century volumes recently discovered in our backlog and added to the collection.
San Antonio: Sport and Pleasure under Sapphire Skies. [San Antonio, TX]: [publisher not identified], [1930-1939?]. Print.
This small fold-out brochure provides enticing information on San Antonio as well as info on the Missouri Pacific Lines that service the city. Six photographs depict the cityscape, natural resources, and sporting. Click here to view in BearCat.
Porter, George L. Facts about Houston and Harris County, Texas. [Houston, TX]: [publisher not identified], [1894]. Print.
Porter explains why Houston, which at the time was nine miles square, is and will continue to be the most important city in Texas. The pamphlet includes many facts to support this claim including the number of water mains, artesian wells, churches, railway tracks, hotels, cotton compresses, etc. Click here to view in BearCat.
44-F Presents the Gig Sheet. Pampa, TX: United States. Army Air Forces, 1944. Print.
This Pampa Army Air Field Class 44-A yearbook highlights the day-to-day lives of pilots-in-training at the air field from April 22, 1943 to January 7, 1944. Click here to view in BearCat.
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 November’s finding aids:
When Otto and Hilde left Germany in 1938, they brought a few pieces of Nazi German history with them, including this 1937 deportation letter from the Geheime Staatspolizei or Secret State Police of the Nazi German government. These were sent to German Jews and many of those who did not leave voluntarily eventually perished in concentration camps. Otto and Hilde Rosenfeld Levy papers 3251, Box 1, Folder 2.
García Cubas, Antonio. The Republic of Mexico in 1876. Mexico: La Enseñanza Print. Office, 1876. Print. Exploring social life, customs, habits, and vocations of 19th century Mexican people, The Republic of Mexico in 1876 contains a wealth of information. A unique aspect of this volume is the beautiful, full-color illustrations.A sampling of the beautiful, full-color illustrations from The Republic of Mexico in 1876.
Golden Jubilee Souvenir of the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, 1869-1919. San Antonio: The Congregation, 1919. Print. This volume explores the history of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, which originated in Lyons, France, in 1627, and was later in Galveston before coming to San Antonio in 1869. Produced to mark the 50 year anniversary of the congregation in San Antonio, this rare work, one of only two known copies in existence, contains many photographs of the far-reaching work of the Sisters of Charity.Clossin, Jimmy and Carl Hertzog. West Texas Square Dances. El Paso: Carl Hertzog, 1948. Print. Filled with dance illustrations, West Texas Square Dances provides detailed descriptions for anyone wishing to learn a variety of square dance calls, including “Spinning Wheel,” “Texas Star,” and “Zig Zag Through and Around the Ring.” In the inscription, Carl Hertzog writes that only 50 copies were bound in cloth, making this edition rare.
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.
City leaders were considering closing the downtown portion of the river after the catastrophic floods of 1921, when the San Antonio Conservation Society helped save it by staging a puppet show.
In 1929, architect Robert H. Hughman presented his plan for “The Shops of Romula and Aragon” but after plans were halted during the depression, developers broke ground in 1939, beginning the River Project and what would become known as the River Walk, or the Paseo del Rio.
Flood control gates at the south and north ends of the horseshoe-shaped bend protect the area from high water levels which often follow hard rains. The concrete channel between the two ends of the bend was built as part of the over-all flood prevention program complete in 1929.
The HemisFair of 1968 gave old San Antonio River a new direction as the river was extended into the fairgrounds.
The river was named after St. Anthony de Padua on his feast day, June 13, 1691. In 1718 and 1731, five missions were built along the river, which was the start of what is now the city of San Antonio.
Sources:
Fisher, Lewis F. River Walk: The Epic Story of San Antonio’s River. San Antonio, TX: Maverick Pub., 2007. Print.
Brown, Merrisa. “Wacky San Antonio Facts.” MySA. San Antonio Express-News, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015.
See all of these images on Flickr. GIF and factoids by Haley Rodriguez, student archives assistant.
![Fourteenth Annual Panhandle-Plains Dairy Show: Premium List. [Plainview, TX]: [publisher not identified], 1941. Print.](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4354/36065783204_711d47982e_o.jpg)
![The Story of the S·M·S Ranch. [Stamford, TX?]: [Swenson Bros.?], [1919]. Print.](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4378/36503321190_45891d11e8_o.jpg)
![San Antonio, Tex. New York: Rotograph Co., [1905]. Print.](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4353/36065783214_53b724bea2_o.jpg)
![San Antonio: Sport and Pleasure under Sapphire Skies. [San Antonio, TX]: [publisher not identified], [1930-1939?]. Print.](https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2920/33550312252_2ba7d69716_o.jpg)
![Porter, George L. Facts about Houston and Harris County, Texas. [Houston, TX]: [publisher not identified], [1894]. Print.](https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2913/33550307212_e6a3570963_o.jpg)
