Texas Historical Foundation

We had a wonderful turnout for the 2024 Duda Forum on Historic Preservation and Sustainability on November 15-16 in San Antonio. This year's topic was "New Buildings in Historic Places" which concentrated on methods for integrating new architecture into historic areas while preserving the historic character of the place. Thank you to all who attended, and to our guest speakers who made the event such a success. Did you miss it? Stay tuned for the date and topic of next year's Duda Forum by signing up for our newsletter at https://lnkd.in/gminkR3

Yesterday we visited Friends of the Bristol Schoolhouse in Ennis to view the new ADA-complaint ramp in front of the building, a project supported by a THF grant earlier this year. The Bristol schoolhouse was constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and completed in 1940. According to the historical marker, the school held 130 students, nine grade levels, and six teachers in its first year. The school served the community until 1955 when the building and grounds were deeded to the Bristol Cemetery Association. #PreservationGrants #TexasHistory #EnnisTX #BristolSchoolhouse

Last call to register for the Duda Forum happening this Friday and Saturday! Registration closes today. For tickets please visit: https://lnkd.in/gRM46ptr

Caddo pottery is a significant aspect of the Caddo Nation, a Native American tribe whose traditional territory included parts of modern-day Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. THF director Lane Transou talks about the evolution of Caddo pottery over the last 3,000 years in our latest blog post: https://lnkd.in/gxHMuegU Pictured: Caddo potter Chase Kahwinhut Earles teaches students how to make Caddoan pottery using traditional methods at a Caddo Mounds State Historic Site workshop in July 2024. The class was supported by a THF grant. You can learn more about Earles' work, advocacy, and outreach by visiting caddopottery.com

The 2nd Annual Duda Forum is next week! The theme focuses on historic preservation and sympathetic new construction in historic settings. San Antonio, one of the most historic cities in the United States, can serve as a model for cities everywhere seeking to balance historic preservation and necessary growth. Featured speakers: ?? Sara Bronin, Chair of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation ?? David Trayte from the National Park Service They will be joined by local officials, advocates, architects, and developers in the San Antonio area who will discuss the variety of ways to add new architecture to old while maintaining a place's historic character. Find out more here: https://lnkd.in/gRM46ptr

Congratulations to THF director Bernard Sargent for his appointment as the Historic Preservation Officer of Montgomery County, a newly approved certified local government! Montgomery is the 16th county in Texas with this designation, and it means that communities can better protect their historic resources by identifying local priorities, meeting recognized historic preservation standards, and accessing financial and technical services to further the identification, evaluation, designation and protection of buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects.

The latest Authentic Texas Magazine includes an article by David Preziosi, FAICP, Hon. AIA Dallas that features the four organizations THF honored at the Michael C. Duda Preservation Awards last Spring - Chisholm Trail Heritage Museum, Flower Hill Center, FRIENDS OF THE WHEELOCK SCHOOL HOUSE, and the Rutherford B.H. Yates Museum. ?? What is that you say? You don't receive Authentic Texas magazine?! That can be easily remedied by joining Texas Historical Foundation. You will get a complimentary copy delivered to your mailbox each quarter! Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/g_ifakcG

As promised we are bringing you more information on the Jefferson Historical Society Museum’s “Sitting Up with the Dead: A Victorian Mourning Exhibit,” which highlights funeral customs from the Victorian era. This is a great destination for a spooky-themed road trip! It offers touching insight into how 19th-century mourners honored their deceased loved ones. Many of the customs arose from Queen Victoria’s mourning practices following the death of her husband, Prince Albert, in 1861. While black was customary for adults, white was customary for children. The exhibit highlights details such as these through photos, displays, and costumes. A few other curious and macabre Victorian photography trends are included, in addition to the post-mortem photography that many are familiar with. Yes, if Twitter had existed in the 19th century, “headless” and “invisible mother” photography would have trended! There is a special evening showing of this exhibit tonight and Saturday from 6-8 pm, and it is open for the remainder of October during their normal business hours. For more information please visit their website: https://lnkd.in/gi433n2S #texashistory #jeffersontx

Last week, THF directors visited historic Jefferson, TX for their quarterly board meeting. Fall is a glorious time to visit this tiny East Texas town that goes all out for Halloween, which isn’t surprising since it is frequently called “the most haunted town in Texas.” Many of us stayed at the Excelsior House Hotel, known as the oldest continuously operating hotel in the state (ca. 1858 - just a hair older than San Antonio’s Menger Hotel), and we were delighted to tour the Jefferson Historical Society Museum during their special October exhibit “Sitting Up with the Dead: A Victorian Mourning Exhibit” (more on that in a future post). If you haven’t visited Jefferson before or it has been a while, be sure to put it on your list of road trips! Here are a few photos from our visit. A big THANK YOU to the Excelsior Foundation who hosted our Meet & Greet at the Excelsior House Hotel, and to members of the following organizations who welcomed us so warmly: the Jefferson Tourism Board, Jessie Allen Wise Garden Club, Jefferson Historical Society Museum, Harrison County Historical Museum, LLC, and the HISTORIC JEFFERSON FOUNDATION. A special thank you to Carol Harrell for speaking to our group about the history of Rosenwald Schools in Marion County. See our full photo set here: https://lnkd.in/gakZPxmZ

Announcing the second annual Duda Forum on Historic Preservation and Sustainable Development! The theme this year is "New Building in Old Cities," and will take place in San Antonio from Nov. 15-16, 2024. More info and registration here: https://lnkd.in/gRM46ptr Hosted by: Texas Historical Foundation; the Michael C. Duda Center for Historic Preservation and Sustainable Development at the Notre Dame School of Architecture; and The Conservation Society of San Antonio.