Sunday, May 20, 2012

O. Henry Short Story Writer born on September 11, 1862

September 11, 2011
Thumbnail image for O. Henry Short Story Writer born on September 11, 1862
Share

September 11, 1862 – Birthday of Austin resident and short story writer, William Sydney Porter better known as O. Henry. Porter was born North Carolina and moved to Austin, Texas in 1884. In Austin Porter worked as a draftsman for the general land office and later as a teller for the First National Bank. Porter [...]

Read the full article →
Thumbnail image for HISTORIC HARRIS COUNTY COURTHOUSE IS RESTORED

HISTORIC HARRIS COUNTY COURTHOUSE IS RESTORED

August 23, 2011
Share

On August 23, 2011, Harris County officials, historians, downtown office workers and local citizens gathered for the dedication and ribbon cutting for the grand re-opening of the historic 1910 Harris County Courthouse in downtown Houston. The courthouse square was designated by the Allen Brothers when the city was first platted in 1837.  Harris County officials [...]

Read the full article →

GONZALES PLAYED EARLY ROLE IN TEXAS’ FIGHT FOR INDEPENDENCE

June 11, 2011
Thumbnail image for GONZALES PLAYED EARLY ROLE IN TEXAS’ FIGHT FOR INDEPENDENCE
Share

Founded 186 years ago, Gonzales is one of the earliest and most historic Anglo-American settlements in Texas, and the first west of the Colorado River.  It was named for Rafael Gonzales, the governor of the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas.  Tracing its beginning back to 1825, the town of Gonzales played an important role [...]

Read the full article →

Music Legend Don Robey to receive State Historical Marker today

April 16, 2011
Thumbnail image for Music Legend Don Robey to receive State Historical Marker today
Share

[from 29-95.com] Those who knew Don Robey shout praise and whisper condemnations about the legendary and notorious record man. But more than 30 years after his death, Robey is still a vaporous figure — photographed infrequently and written about minimally despite living a large life that could inform a feature film. A State Historical Marker [...]

Read the full article →

Sam Lightnin’ Hopkins Birthday, March 15, 1912

March 15, 2011
Share

Born Sam John Hopkins in Centerville, Texas,[3] Hopkins’ childhood was immersed in the sounds of the blues and he developed a deeper appreciation at the age of 8 when he met Blind Lemon Jefferson at a church picnic in Buffalo, Texas.[1] That day, Hopkins felt the blues was “in him” and went on to learn from his older (somewhat [...]

Read the full article →

March 11, 1878 students enroll in first college for blacks known today as Prairie View A&M University.

March 11, 2011
Share

In 1876, the Fifteenth Texas Legislature, consistent with terms of the federal Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act, which provided public lands for the establishment of colleges, authorized an “Agricultural and Mechanical College for the Benefit of Colored Youth” as part of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (now Texas A&M University).[1] Governor Richard Hubbard appointed [...]

Read the full article →

The Curious Cases of Free Men Who Chose to become Slaves

March 2, 2011
Thumbnail image for The Curious Cases of Free Men Who Chose to become Slaves
Share

(Harris County District Clerk Archives) Recognizing that the Nineteenth Century Court records are the best available resource to research the experiences of the first generations of African Americans to live in Harris County, this article tells the lawsuits brought by three “Free Men of Color” before the Civil War. Through the perspective of our 21st.Century [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries