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The Friends of the Texas Historical Commission partners with the Texas Historical Commission to preserve and promote the real places and real stories of Texas, including our state historic sites.
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A belated, but a very happy New Year to you all! We are happy to be back with our first issue of Past Matters for 2023.
February is a busy time for the Friends as we co-hosted, with the Texas Historical Commission, the annual Real Places conference. Real Places 2023 was held in Austin, and in spite of the harsh winter this year, we had a record number of participants in what has become the premier historic preservation conference in Texas. We want to thank all of our sponsors, especially our title partner Phoenix I Restoration and Construction, LLC, for their continued and generous support of Real Places.
Anjali Kaul Zutshi
Executive Director, Friends of the Texas Historical Commission
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Large historic homes hold a bounty of interesting stories within their walls. Visitors to these sites can learn a great deal about the family or families who lived there, but these stories are only part of the fascinating picture of domestic life in these homes. “The stories of domestic staff are largely lost in museums, and we want to bring these stories back,” says Hal Simon-Hassell, chief interpretive specialist for the Texas Historical Commission’s Historic Sites Division. Now, thanks to generous donors and supporters of the Friends of the Texas Historical Commission, a fuller story can be told at the Starr Family Home State Historic Site in Marshall, Texas.
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Help us spread the word! The Friends of the Texas Historical Commission’s Preservation Scholars Program is currently accepting applications. This 10-week, paid summer internship placement with the Texas Historical Commission offers undergraduate and graduate students from underrepresented ethnic and cultural backgrounds the exciting opportunity to work hands-on in the historic preservation field. Please visit our website for application details.
Over the course of the internship, students work on preservation projects under the supervision of Texas Historical Commission staff at the agency's headquarters in Austin and/or in the field at one of the THC's state historic sites.
The deadline to apply is March 19. Notification of acceptance will be sent in May, and internships will occur June 5 through August 11. The internship offers a stipend provided by the Friends of the Texas Historical Commission.
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Virtual Information Session for Students
Interested students are invited to join us for an information session, held on Zoom. We’ll provide program history, details about the application process and internship experience, as well as an opportunity to ask questions.
This internship is open to all majors with a passion for history and interest in learning more about historic preservation.
What former Preservation Scholars have to say:
"This internship was eye opening and inspirational and a truly valuable experience for those of us just starting out on our career paths." ~ N.R., Summer 2022
"My favorite aspect of this internship has hands down been the countless number of kind, enthusiastic, and perceptive people that I have met. Everyone I met immediately made me feel welcome and offered me an abundance of their expertise, which helped me feel excited about the work I was doing." ~ D.H., Summer 2022
"My internship taught me that preservation is more than just physical structures and artifacts. Stories are intangible parts of historic preservation that need to be preserved beyond the textbook. Documentation, interviews, oral histories, site visits, and open discussion are all necessary in preserving our historic treasures." J.R., Summer 2021
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During the Jim Crow era, African Americans endured discriminatory hazards while traveling around the country. To circumnavigate these unwelcome situations, they used various travel guides to locate where they could purchase gas, get a haircut, buy a meal, sleep for the night, or enjoy some entertainment. These travel guides were published from the early 1930s up to the late 1960s and provided information that would keep the African American traveler "from running into difficulties, embarrassments and to make his trips more enjoyable." Probably the most well-known one is The Negro Motorist Green Book, or more commonly known as the Green Book. |
On February 1, the Friends of the Texas Historical Commission (FTHC) along with the Texas Historical Commission recognized volunteers for their exemplary work in the stewardship of THC state historic sites. These volunteers received the fifth annual Friends Alliance Awards during the opening night reception at the THC’s Real Places 2023 Conference in Austin. This year, the FTHC was pleased to recognize three awardees—the Friends of Fort McKavett State Historic Site, represented by Doug Dukes and Edgar Garza; Sandra Jean Salinas, a volunteer for Casa Navarro State Historic Site in San Antonio; and David D. Herrera, Jr., a volunteer for Magoffin Home State Historic Site in El Paso.
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