San Jacinto Centennial Association Records

Manuscript Collection: MC001

Creator Sketch

The San Jacinto Centennial Association was organized in the fall of 1935 to be the official agency for coordinating Houston's participation in the celebrations of the Texas Centennial of 1936. The Houston Chamber of Commerce, important members of the Houston business community as well as descendants of early Texans were influential in its formation. The Association's office was opened in leased space on the 8th floor of the Chamber of Commerce building on September 30, 1935. President of the Association was John C. Townes, Jr. Members of the Executive Committee were: George D. Wilson, Chairman; Mrs. I. B. McFarland, Secretary; Chester H. Bryan; Norman H. Beard; R. B. Morris; Jeff Barnette; and Wm. S. Patton. H. Dick Golding was hired as the Executive Secretary of the Association and Wm. S. Patton served as Treasurer. Jesse H. Jones, an influential and successful Houston businessman serving at the time as Chairman of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation for President Franklin D. Roosevelt in Washington, D.C., was named Honorary President.

The Association formed seven committees to accomplish their work: the Publicity Committee, with Jeff Barnette as Chair; the Historical Committee chaired by Clarence R. Wharton; the Music Committee with Joseph S. Smith as Chair; the Beautification Committee, with C. L. Brock as its Chairman; the Schools Participation Committee, chaired by J. S. Griffith; the Acquisition of Relics and Documents Committee, with George D. Sears as Chair; and H. O. Clarke, Jr., chaired the San Jacinto Memorial Project Committee.

The Association was responsible for a number of events and observances held in the Houston area in 1936. Included among them were major events for Texas Independence Day, March 2nd; a week long celebration from April 13th to 21st to commemorate the Battle of San Jacinto; and celebrations in August commemorating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the City of Houston.

The Association was also responsible for the creation of a temporary Museum of Houston and Texas History, housed in the west wing of the Houston Public Library's Julia Ideson building during 1936. The Association assisted in the fundraising for the San Jacinto Memorial and organized ground breaking ceremonies that year. The Association also helped in the identification of significant sites and the research and writing for placement of historical markers in the Houston area by the Commission of Control for Texas Centennial Celebrations. The Association also refurbished and placed a memorial in the old city cemetery and renamed it Founders Memorial Park in honor of one of the co-founders of Houston and several Texas Revolution veterans and early settlers of the Houston area buried there. The Association also funded the publication of the book My Master by historian Lenoir Hunt containing the recollections of Sam Houston's former slave Jeff Hamilton. The Association ceased operations in 1938.

Scope and Content Note

The records contain almost a complete history of the San Jacinto Centennial Association and the Houston events of the Texas centennial of 1936. Included are: minutes and correspondence of the Executive Committee and Executive Secretary; financial records, including ledgers and payroll files, deeds of gift and loans, files for museum objects exhibited in the Museum of Houston and Texas History; publications such as Association event programs, Texas Centennial News and Centennial Review, two official publications of the State of Texas, as well as issues of the Bandera, Texas Frontier Times, memorabilia such as ribbons created for participants in the Association's water carnival; architectural drawings of the proposed Pioneer Memorial later erected by the Association; photographs, including billboards erected throughout the American Southwest to advertise the Association's events; and two scrapbooks of clippings from local newspapers covering the creation of the Association, the Centennial and the events hosted in Houston in 1936.

The records are organized into the following series: 1. Minutes of the Executive Committee. 2. Records of the Executive Committee. 3. Records of the Executive Secretary. 4. Financial Records. 5. Records of the Museum of Houston and Texas History. 6. Publications. 7. Photographs. 8. Scrapbooks. 9. Memorabilia. 10. Architectural Drawings.

Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

None.

Terms Governing Use

Open for research by appointment.

Publication Rights

Copyright has not been assigned to the San Jacinto Museum of History. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Library Director. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the San Jacinto Museum of History as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.

Administrative Information

Citation

[Identification of Item], San Jacinto Centennial Association Records, MC001, San Jacinto Museum of History, Houston, Texas.

Acquisition

Gift of H. Dick Golding, December 2, 1942.

Processing Information

Processed by Mark W. Lambert, 1998-1999.

Bibliography:

Inventory