2024 Texas Conference on Introductory History Courses

Posted by & filed under Events, General, Resources for Educators.

The 2024 Texas Conference on Introductory History Courses, an American Historical Association regional conference, took place October 4th and 5th at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. The focus of the conference centered around issues, challenges, and opportunities associated with introductory courses in US and world history that students may encounter in their education. The Portal to Texas History had the opportunity to share information on the ever growing number of resources made available online for scholars of all kinds.

The Portal to Texas History at the GLO’s Save Texas History Symposium

Posted by & filed under General.

This September, The Portal to Texas History was happy to sponsor and attend the Texas General Land Office’s Save Texas History Symposium in Austin, Texas. The symposium provides attendees the opportunity to learn from scholars discussing the rich history of Texas. This year’s theme, Cartographic Frontiers: Putting Texas on the Map, focused on how the map and map making influenced the social, political, and economic history of Texas.

Rescuing Texas History, 2024 Awards Announcement

Posted by & filed under General, Rescuing Texas History.

The Portal to Texas History announced its most recent call for submissions for the 2024 Rescuing Texas History program. This is the sixteenth year of the program, which has brought to light over 82,000 items from 448 projects. The resources added to The Portal to Texas History from these collections have had more than 19.5 million uses since the program began back in 2006!

Each year, the Rescuing Texas History program offers up to $1,000 of digitization services to applicants. The materials the awardees share with the Portal come from a variety of places including libraries, archives, museums, historical societies, and private collectors.

We are thrilled to announce this year’s awardees!
Congratulations to:

Museum of the American Railroad Private Collection of TB Willis Alpha Delta Pi of Gamma Upsilon Sam Bell Maxey House State Historic Site
Riesel Historical Society Dallas Municipal Archives Tomball Museum Center Midland Historical Society
Private Collection of the Whitehead Family Private Collection of Sharon Smith Private Collection of the Ritchie Family Bastrop Public Library
Experience Wrestling Denton Public Library Lamar University Collin County Genealogical Society
Rainbow Garden Club of North Texas Private Collection of Jim Mahoney West Side Port Arthur Private Collection of the Whaley Family
City of Galveston Development Services Texas Lutheran University  Murphy Historical Society Rice University, Woodson Research Center
Ft Worth Jewish Archives Texas Military Forces Museum University of Dallas Archives  


One-Million Issues in the Texas Digital Newspaper Program

Extra! newsprint

Posted by & filed under Featured, General, Milestones, Texas Digital Newspaper Program.

Diogenes masthead

The Texas Digital Newspaper Program on The Portal to Texas History has reached a huge milestone of over one-million newspaper issues openly available! 

These one-million newspaper issues comprise 11,256,533 pages, contributed by 226 partners from across Texas, and representing 210 counties.

Locations in Texas where newspapers come from

 

Multiple partners have helped to build the Texas Digital Newspaper Program Collection, to make it the largest, single-state, openly accessible digital newspaper repository in the U.S. These include:

The staff in the Digital Newspaper Unit get to handle almost every newspaper that is uploaded into the TDNP collection, and we all have a favorite newspaper title, masthead, or time period.  Tim Gieringer, who oversees the newspaper descriptions for what you see in the Texas Digital Newspaper Program, loves a good masthead. He says that two titles, in particular, have stood out to him: The Palacios Beacon and Diogenes.Galveston Tribune's Weatherbird, asking the sun to "have a heart!" Brooke Edsall, the head of the physical page and large-format scanning area, has said that her favorite newspaper collections are The Galveston Tribune and The Ennis Daily News. Hannah Lindsey, who oversees newspaper issue processing, says that her favorite newspapers are the Beeville Bee, the Houston Informer, and Svoboda. Sarah Lynn Fisher, former staff member of the Newspaper Unit and now Digital Collections Librarian, reports that she loves all of the local Denton newspapers, including UNT’s own NT Daily, the Denton Record-Chronicle, and her hometown newspaper, The Allen American. As the person who has worked with all the partners across Texas to add their newspapers, I’m not sure how to begin choosing a favorite title, though I do love reading through the Spanish-language newspapers, civil rights newspapers, like The Chicano Times, and this wacky handwritten, Union POW camp newspaper, The Old Flag.

All of the newspaper issues you see in the Texas Digital Newspaper Program represent conversations and people who have worked hard to preserve and build access to history, and while we mention some titles here, we value every single page and every single person who has helped to grow this collection.

Access to the newspapers available in the Texas Digital Newspaper Program has been supported by multiple financial donors, including the National Endowment for the Humanities, through the National Digital Newspaper Program; the Texas State Library and Archives Commission TexTreasures Competitive Grant Program, funded by the Institution of Museum & Library Services Library Services Technology Act; the Tocker Foundation; the Summerlee Foundation; the Ladd & Katherine Hancher Foundation; and the Matagator Foundation. 

Happy 4th of July, from The Portal to Texas History!

Icebox cake

Posted by & filed under Featured, Holidays.

This Fourth of July post comes to you from Ricardo Carter, one of the Digital  Newspaper Unit’s newest student assistants! Ricardo is a fifth-year student at the University of North Texas, majoring in Professional and Technical Communication with a minor in Public Relations. Ricardo will eventually pursue a career in public relations, either with a high-level tech company or in sports and entertainment.

Are you ready for a fantastic Fourth of July celebration? As The United States’ greatest holiday approaches, great food will be essential to the celebration. Whether you’re hosting a backyard BBQ or a festive gathering, The Portal of Texas History has delicious recipes to help make your Independence Day even more special. Let us dive into some mouthwatering dishes that are perfect for the occasion.

  1. Red, White, and Blue Icebox Cake (from Texas Neighbors, Vol. 87, No. 3)

Icebox cakeThis no-bake dessert is a showstopper with its layers of creamy filling, graham crackers, and fresh berries. It is a perfect fit for the patriotic theme of the day. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1495349/)

 

  1. Pineapple Cake (from Denton Chronicle Vol. 45, No. 265)

Bring a taste of the tropics to your 4th of July celebration with this delightful pineapple cake, from the Denton Record-Chronicle. Foolproof Pineapple Cake Recipe 
The sweetness of pineapple and moist cake layers will transport you to a summer paradise. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1370717/)

 

 

  1. Grilled Mexican Pizza (from Taylor Press, Vol. 101, No. 49, Ed. 1) Grilled Mexican Pizza Recipe

From Taylor Press, you can switch up your traditional pizza routine with this grilled Mexican pizza. Loaded with flavorful ingredients, this dish brings a fun and spicy twist to any 4th of July menu.(https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth759709/)

 

  1. Red Raspberry Cobbler (from Cedar Hill Chronicle, Vol. 5, No. 51, Ed. 1)

Raspberry Cobbler RecipeThe Cedar Hill Chronicle has you covered because raspberries are in season, making this red raspberry cobbler the perfect choice for a summer celebration. The vibrant color and juicy berries are sure to be a hit. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth480386/)

 

  1. Peach Cobbler (from Texas Neighbors, Vol. 86, No. 3)Peach Cobbler Recipe

 A classic Southern dessert, peach cobbler is a comforting and timeless treat. Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a truly irresistible dessert. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1495348/)

 

 

  1. Shogun Char-Grilled Beef Burgers (from Hondo Anvil Herald, Vol. 115, No. 26, Ed. 1)

Shogun Char-Grilled Beef RecipeFire up the grill and treat your guests to these mouthwatering char-grilled beef burgers. They are a true crowd-pleaser and a must-have for any 4th of July celebration. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth819363/)

 

 

No matter which recipes you choose for your 4th of July spread, they will be a hit. We wish you a wonderful Independence Day with good food, great company, and memorable moments!