Resources
- History@Work - A Public History Commons from the National Council on Public History which includes updates, forums, blogs, and notices about conferences, consultants, projects, and events in public history.
Local Museums, Archives, Parks, and Historical Societies
- Art Museum of Southeast Texas - Located in Beaumont, the museum provides permanent as well as rotating exhibits that cover a variety of topics.
- Beaumont Heritage Society - The Beaumont Heritage Society is organized for educational and civic purposes, to preserve and assist in the preservation of landmarks, (including but not limited to the John Jay French House), documents, pictures, names, mementos, and instruments of historical value, and to preserve the natural beauty of Beaumont, Texas.
- Caddo Mounds State Historic Site, THC - Caddo Mounds State Historic Site, a Texas Historical Commission property 6 miles West of Alto, is the remains of a large village and religious center built by a group of Caddo Indians known as the Hasinai more than 1,200 years ago on the prairie overlooking the Neches River. Located on ~400 acres along the historic El Camino Real de los Tejas, the site presents the culture and customs of the Caddo people through intriguing exhibits, displays and preserved burial and ceremonial mounds.
- Center for East Texas Studies - Promotes the study of all aspects of East Texas heritage, at SFASU
- City of Nacogdoches Historic Sites - Provides the location, contact information, and descriptions of important historical sites in the Nacogdoches area.
- East Texas Oil Museum - Located in Kilgore, this museum houses the authentic recreation of oil discovery and production in the early 1930s from the largest oil field inside U.S. boundaries. Here, visitors see the people, their towns, their personal habits, their tools, and their pastimes - all colorfully depicted in dioramas, movies, sound presentations, and antiques donated by East Texas citizens. Extensively updated in 2017 with new exhibits and displays.
- East Texas Research Center - Located on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University, the ETRC collects, preserves, and provides physical and virtual access to East Texas' unique cultural history. The Research Center was designated by the Forest History Foundation as an official North American Forest History Repository in 1959. In addition, the Research Center serves as a Regional Historical Resource Depository (RHRD) for the State of Texas and houses the inactive records for eight East Texas counties.
- Edison Museum - Located in Beaumont, Texas, the museum is dedicated to Thomas Alva Edison and his inventions and innovations. The museum interprets information through interactive exhibits and historical objects.
- Fire Museum of Texas - Located in Beaumont, the museum is dedicated to the preservation and education of the rich history of the fire fighting service, fire prevention education, and fire safety. The museum is housed in a working historic 1927 Central Fire Station.
- Governor Hogg Shrine Historic Site - Located in Quitman, the site is named for James Stephen Hogg, the state's first Texas-born governor from 1891 - 1895. The park includes three museums housing items which belonged to the Hogg and Stinson families: the Stinson Home (where Governor Hogg's wedding was held), the Honeymoon Cottage (which was the first home of Governor and Sallie Hogg), and the Miss Ima Hogg Museum (which houses the park headquarters offices).
- Gregg County Historical Museum - Located in Longview, the museum illustrates the development of Gregg County through displays centered on timber, farming, oil, railroads, schools, business, and commerce and room scenes including the bank president's office, a dentist's office, an early 1900s parlor, a bedroom, the interior of a log cabin, and a general mercantile store.
- H.E.A.R.T.S. Veterans Museum of Texas - Located in Huntsville, the museum honors and recognizes the men and women who have served our country in the armed forces. The hands-on, educational museum provides space for the preservation of military memorabilia, artifacts, and the history of past wars.
- Harrison County Historical Society Museum - Located in Marshall, the county's museum houses an extensive collection of Caddo Indian artifacts, antique toys, Civil War memorabilia, and mementos from famous citizens of Harrison County (including Lady Bird Johnson, George Foreman, Bill Moyers, Y.A. Tittle, and James Farmer). A "hands on" history room contains activities for children of all ages, and the research Library Archives serve as an invaluable tool for genealogical research and historical information.
- History Center of Diboll - Located in Diboll, this public history and archives center collects, preserves, and makes available the history of the region for the educational use and benefit of present and future generations. Holdings include manuscripts, business and local government records, maps, newspapers, oral histories, books, and more than 200,000 photographs.
- Jim Hogg Historic Site - Located in Rusk, the site is a memorial to the state's first native born governor, James Stephen Hogg, 1891 - 1895. Attractions include a scale replica of the birthplace, housing, museum, and family cemetery.
- John Jay French Museum - Located in Beaumont and operated by the Beaumont Heritage Society, the John Jay French Museum demonstrates the life of a prosperous Texas pioneer family from 1845 - 1865. the John Jay French House is the oldest house in Beaumont that has been restored to its original state.
- Lake Bob Sandlin State Park, TPWD - Located in Pittsburg, the park is an area where many groups lived and interacted. There is evidence of prehistoric Caddoan people, which occupied East Texas from 200 B.C. to 1700. The French and Spanish periodically occupied the area, establishing relations with the Caddo. Choctaw, Cherokee, and Kickapoo moved into East Texas in the late 18th to early 19th century. By 1841, Fort Sherman, a wooden stockade whose site is believed to be in or near the park, was established. The Fort Sherman cemetery is located in the park. Since 1860, the land has been used for farming and ranching.
- Martin Creek Lake State Park, TPWD - Located in Tatum, the park and surrounding area have been inhabited by people since 200 B.C. Until the 18th century, Caddoan Indians and Spanish explorers lived in and traveled through this area. Later the Choctaw, Cherokee, and Kickapoo Indians migrated here in response to the increasing influx of Anglo Americans. The old roadbed of Trammel's Trace near the fishing pier can still be seen. It was an Indian Trail that became a major route for settlers moving to Texas from Arkansas. In 1833, Daniel Martin, for whom the park is named, settled with his family near the creek called Hogan's Bayou at the time. He and his neighbors eventually built a small fort and then a town called Harmony Hill. It reached its heyday after the Civil War, but it was deserted by 1900 and struck by a tornado in 1906.
- McFaddin-Ward House - Located in Beaumont, the McFaddin-Ward House was built in 1905-06 in the striking and distinctive Beaux-Arts Colonial style. The structure and its furnishings reflect the lifestyle of the prominent family who lived in the house for seventy-five years.
- Millard's Crossing Historic Village, Inc. - Located in Nacogdoches, Millard's Crossing preserves and maintains its historic 19th- and early 20th- century buildings which have been moved from various sites in Nacogdoches County and exhibits and interprets the buildings and artifacts in such a way as to reflect and teach the history of East Texas settlement. In addition the site tells the story of its founder Lera Millard Thomas and her husband, U.S. Representative Albert Thomas, who was instrumental in the placement of NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston.
- Mission Tejas State Park, TPWD - Located in Grapeland, the park was built in 1934 by Co. 888 of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) as a commemorative representation of Mission San Francisco de los Tejas, the first Spanish mission in the province of Texas. Also in the park is the restored Rice Family Log Home, built in 1828 and restored in 1974. The home, which Joseph Redmund Rice, Sr. constructed between 1828 and 1838, is one of the oldest structures in the area.
- Museum of East Texas - Located in Lufkin, the museum has an extensive art collection, sponsors traveling exhibits, and supports numerous programs and educational opportunities.
- Remembering Columbia: The Patricia Huffman Smith NASA Museum, Hemphill, Texas. Dedicated to the remembrance of the STS 107 crew and the Columbia shuttle, those involved in the recovery effort, and local residents effected by the event of February 1, 2003.
- Sam Houston Memorial Museum - Located in Huntsville, this museum is dedicated to the life and times of General Sam Houston, former Governor of Tennessee, victor over Santa Anna in the Texas War of Independence, first President of the Republic of Texas, Senator from the State of Texas, and Governor of the State of Texas.
- Spindletop-Gladys City Museum - Located in Beaumont, the museum examines the discovery of Spindletop and its effects on the surrounding area.
- Starr Family Home State Historic Site, THC - Located in Marshall, Starr Family Home State Historic Site preserves the 170-year-old history of the Starr family in Texas and four generations of adaptations to the site by successive family members.
- Stone Fort Museum - Located in Nacogdoches, the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University is home to a fort that never served as a fort. Stone Fort Museum was a trading post, private home, church, jail, and saloon. It was built three times - torn down by men and rebuilt by women.
- Texas Country Music Hall of Fame - Located in Carthage, the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame was initiated in 1998 to celebrate the contributions of Texans to the country music profession. The project highlights those individuals, living or dead, who are recognized nationally as outstanding in their field.
- Texas Forestry Museum - Located in Lufkin, the museum examines Texas forests as a natural resource, the legacy of the industry, and current and future forest management issues and practices.
- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department - Pineywoods Region - This website shows the location of state parks within the Pineywoods Region. Some of these parks are listed separately in this resource list.
- Texas Prison Museum - Located in Huntsville, the museum features numerous exhibits detailing the history of the Texas prison system, both from the point of view of the inmates as well as the men and women who worked within the prison walls.
- Texas State Railroad - Located in Rusk, this historic train travels through the scenic piney woods and hardwood creek bottoms of East Texas. The Texas State Railroad offers both steam and diesel train excursions reminiscent of days gone by. Passengers may board excursion trains at either the Rusk or Palestine depots. These depots exemplify the Victorian era in which they were built.
- The Depot Museum - Located in Henderson, the old 1901 Missouri Pacific Railway depot was an important link for old-timers. Today the museum links visitors to East Texas history, folkart, and folkartist information.
- Tyler Museum of Art - Located in Tyler, this museum showcases the work of local, regional, and nationally renowned artists while hosting year-round events and educational programs.
State and Regional Organizations and Resources
- Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, UT Austin - A leading history research center that collects, preserves, and makes available documentary and material culture evidence encompassing key themes in Texas and U.S. history.
- East Texas Historical Association - The ETHA attempts to discover, collect, and preserve historical records, manuscripts, letters, journals, maps, pictures, and other materials related to East Texas history; to encourage the preservation of buildings of historical interest and architectural worth; and to publish and make known the rich history with which this part of Texas is endowed.
- Internet Archive - The Internet Archive is building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Like a paper library, the Internet Archive provides free access to researchers, historians, scholars, and the general public.
- George Bush Presidential Library, National Archives - The presidential records of George Bush (1989 - 1993) comprise the core holdings of the Bush Presidential Library. The library also contains the vice presidential records of both George Bush (1981 - 1989) and Dan Quayle (1989 - 1993) as well as donated historical materials that document George Bush's private and public career. In addition to these textual records, the Bush Library has an extensive audiovisual collection containing more than one mission photographs and 10,000 videotapes. This facility is located on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.
- George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives - The presidential records of George W. Bush (2001 - 2009) comprise the core holdings of the George W. Bush Presidential Library. This facility is located on the campus of Southern Methodist University Dallas, Texas. It opened in April 2013.
- Harry Ransom Center, UT Austin - The Harry Ransom Center advances the study of the arts and humanities by acquiring, preserving, and making accessible original cultural materials including rare books, manuscripts, photography, film, art, and the performing arts.
- LBJ Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives - The presidential records of Lyndon Baines Johnson, staff members, and personal records of the first family are located in Austin.
- National Archives Research Center, Fort Worth - This is a federal repository with historical records dating from the 1800s to the late 1900s, and including letters, photographs, maps, architectural drawings, and other documents received from over 100 federal agencies and courts in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas.
- The Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection, UT Austin - This is a specialized research library focusing on materials from and about Latin America, and on materials relating to Latinos in the United States. Latin America is here defined to include Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean island nations, South America, and areas of the United States during the period they were part of the Spanish Empire or Mexico.
- The Portal to Texas History- The Portal is a gateway to Texas history materials. From prehistory to the present day, you can explore unique collections from Texas libraries, museums, archives, historical societies, genealogical societies, and private family collections.
- Texas Archive of the Moving Image Educator Resources - The TAMI online library is a constantly growing collection of Texas-related video dating from 1900 to the present. The collection includes hundreds of videos that give unique insight into Texas history and culture. All videos are available to use in the classroom for free.
- Texas Association of Museums - Dedicated to fostering educational, cultural, and recreational opportunities for all Texans.
- Texas Forest Trail - One of a series of heritage regions in Texas organized to promote the awareness and use of the region's natural, historical, and cultural resources.
- Texas Historical Commission - The Texas Historical Commission (THC) is the state agency for historic preservation. THC staff consults with citizens and organizations to preserve Texas' architectural, archeological, and cultural landmarks. The agency is recognized nationally for its preservation programs. Forms from Texas Historical Commission are helpful for cultural management or historic preservation.
- Texas State Historical Association - Founded as a private, nonprofit educational organization on March 2, 1897, the 61st anniversary of the Texas Declaration of Independence, the Texas State Historical Association's mission is to further the appreciation, understanding, and teaching of the rich and unique history of Texas through research, writing, and publication of related historical material.
- Texas State Library and Archives - The mission of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission is to preserve the record of government for public scrutiny, to secure and make accessible historically significant records and other valuable resources, to meet the reading needs of Texans with disabilities, to build and sustain statewide partnerships to improve library programs and services, and to enhance the capacity for achievement of individuals and institutions with whom we work.
- The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University - The Vietnam Center and Archive in Lubbock, TX collects and preserves the documentary record of the Vietnam War and supports and encourages research and education regarding all aspects of the American Vietnam Experience.
National Organizations and Resources
- American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) - Through preservation and interpretation, the AASLH strives to give meaning to state and local history within American history. Its website offers research tools, job listings, and publications for its members.
- American Association of Museums (AAM) - The American Association of Museums is the national organization representing the museum community which strives to enhance the ability of museums to serve the public interest.
- American Historical Association: Resources for Public Historians - The AHA has long been an advocate of public history and has regularly expressed a strong commitment to its practice.
- Association for Gravestone Studies - The AGS is dedicated to the study, preservation, and promotion of historic burial grounds, their material culture, and the stories revealed by arrangement, motifs, materials, and text.
- Beyond Academe - Beyond Academe is a resource for historians who are considering the move out of the classroom.
- Cultural Resources Management Magazine (CRM) - A publication of the National Park Service with peer-reviewed articles concerning recent projects, original research, reviews, and letters to the editor.
- Historic Preservation Glossary, University of Maryland - This website provides definitions for terms related to historic preservation.
- H-Net Public History Listserv Homepage - H-Public is a member of H-Net Humanities & Social Sciences OnLine. H-Public is affiliated with the National Council on Public History, and creates a forum for public historians to communicate.
- Grants.gov- The federal government's "one stop shop" for grants throughout all of its agencies, departments, and projects.
- National Park Service - The NPS History Program is an excellent source of information for public historians.
- National Register of Historic Places - Since its inception in 1966, nearly 73,000 properties have been listed in the National Register, and its vast database can be easily accessed through a research engine.
- National Trust for Historic Preservation - The national standard bearer of preservation in the United States publishes a popular bi-monthly magazine, Preservation, a quarterly professional journal, Forum, hosts an annual conference each fall, and works in numerous areas of preservation, economic development, and policy.
- National Trust for Historic Preservation Library Collection - Established in 1986 on the campus of the University of Maryland, the National Trust for Historic Preservation Library Collection (NTL) was begun by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1949. Over the years, however, the collection outgrew its space at the Trust's Washington, D.C. offices. Donated to the University of Maryland at College Park in 1986, NTL is fully supported by the University Libraries and has been enlarged and enhanced significantly in its campus setting.
- Preservation Directory - An online resource for historic preservation, building restoration and cultural resource management in the United States and Canada. Designed to foster the preservation of historic buildings, historic downtowns and neighborhoods, cultural resources and to promote heritage tourism by facilitating communication among historic preservation professionals and the general public.
- Public History Resource Center - The Public History Resource Center exists to support, promote, and disseminate the scholarly and professional work of public historians. The Resource Center provides a forum for research, scholarship, networking, and education in public history and seeks to broaden and deepen the general public's awareness of the field of public history in all its diversity and complexity.
- Smithsonian Institute - The Smithsonian website provides a wealth of information to historians wishing to work in the public sphere.
- The National Council on Public History (NCPH) - The NCPH strives to advance the role of public history within the historical profession and publishes the quarterly journal The Public Historian in cooperation with the History Department of the University of California at Santa Barbara.
- The Society for History in the Federal Government - Founded in 1979, the SHFG promotes the study and understanding of the history of the federal government and serves as its voice within the American historical profession. The SHFG has an annual meeting, and its website contains job listings for public historians interested in working with the federal government.
- The Society of American Archivists - The SAA is North America's oldest and largest national archival professional organization. Its website has an employment bulletin, periodicals, publications, and other information pertinent to those within the archivist profession.
- Vernacular Architecture Forum - Dedicated to the study of vernacular or "everyday" architecture (buildings, structures, sites, and landscapes) the organization previously published Perspectives in Vernacular Architecture and it now publishes Buildings and Landscapes.
Oral History Organizations and Resources
- "Been Here So Long": Selections from the WPA Slave Narratives - Selections from WPA narratives, bibliographies, links, and teaching guides.
- American Slave Narratives: An Online Anthology - Includes a rare interview by Hermond Norwood of former slave Fountain Hughes conducted in Baltimore, Maryland, June 11, 1949. Hughes was born in 1848.
- Doing Oral History - Society of California Archivists guidelines and interview questions - an online pdf.
- Free Speech Movement - Student Protest - U.C. Berkeley, 1964 - 1965. Includes searchable oral history transcripts online, documents, video and sound recordings, bibliographies, and more. A co-operative project between the Bancroft Library of the University of California at Berkeley and the Free Speech Movement Archives.
- Like a Family: The Making of a Southern Cotton Mill World - Created by Dr. James Leloudis and Dr. Kathryn Walbert as part of the American Historical Association's program Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age. The website includes interview selections from hundreds of interviews with working-class Southerners used by the six authors of the book Like a Family (1987, 2000). The interviews were originally conducted by the Southern Oral History Program in the Piedmont Industrialization Project of the late 1970s and early 1980s.
- Oral History Association - The Oral History Association, established in 1966, seeks to bring together all persons interested in oral history as a way of collecting and interpreting human memories to foster knowledge and human dignity.
- Regional Oral History Office - Part of the Bancroft Library Regional Oral History Office, this site provides full-text transcripts of more than 55 fully-searchable interviews online.
- Remembering Slavery - This website was produced to accompany the book and audiocassette Remember Slavery: African Americans Talk About Their Personal Experiences of Slavery and Emancipation by Ira Berlin, Marc Favreau, and Steven Miller.
- Rutgers Oral History Archives of World War II - This is a text only, extensive collection of oral histories pertaining to World War II.
- Selections from "History Matters: Many Pasts" - These selections are from a web resource guide produced at George Mason University and are devoted to providing useful materials for teachers and students of U.S. hsitory. The "Many Pasts" section of the site offers numerous excerpts from oral histories. Most of the selections are short.
- Southern Oral History Program Archives - Online selections from the Southern Oral History Program include interviews with Al Gore, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Faubus, Orval, and others.
- Studs Terkel Interviews - This website is based on a collection of the interviews Terkel conducted for his books and his radio program.
- The Suffragists Oral History Project (transcripts only) - These interviews were conducted in the 1970s under the auspices of the Bancroft Library's Regional Oral History Office with twelve leaders and participants in the woman's suffrage movement.
- Texas Oral History Association - This statewide association promotes professional standards during interviews and the archival process.
- The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) Oral History Interview Guidelines - This site provides guidelines for conducting oral history interviews.
- The Virtual Oral / Aural History Website - The Virtual Oral / Aural History Archive, directed by Sherna Berger Gluck and Kaye Briegel at California State University/Long Beach is a collaborative project of the campus' Academic Computing Services, the College of Liberal Arts, and the University Library. The searchable site contains hundreds of hours of oral interviews on a variety of topics, many specific to California social and political history.
- Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Website with Oral Histories - Oral histories documenting the experiences of three fire survivors are available as sound recordings. Sigmund Arywitz, California State Commissioner of Labor, conducted the oral history interviews in California.
- U.S. Senate Oral History Project - The Senate Historical Office under Association Historian Donald A. Ritchie interviews former Senators, Senate officers, and staff. The project is beginning to make full interviews available online from its collection.
- Voice/Vision - Holocaust Survivor Oral Histories - This is Dr. Sid Bolkosky's collection of interviews with Nazi Holocaust survivors. Bolkosky is Professor of History at the University of Michigan - Dearborn and has interviewed over 150 survivors (over 330 hours of recordings). Some of these recordings are available online as Adobe Acrobat file with audio links.
- Voices from the Dust Bowl: The Charles L. Todd and Robert Sonkin Migrant Worker Collection - This is an online presentation of an ethnographic field collection documenting the everyday life of residents of Farm Security Administration (FSA) migrant work camps in central California in 1940 and 1941. The collection includes an extensive audio archive of interviews.