Because of the possibility that portions of these records fall under Public Information Act exceptions including, but not limited to: social security numbers (V.T.C.A., Government Code, Section 552.101) an archivist must review these records before they can be accessed for research. The records may be requested for research under the provisions of the Public Information Act (V.T.C.A., Government Code, Chapter 552). The researcher may request an interview with an archivist or submit a request by mail, fax, or email including enough description and detail about the information requested to enable the archivist to accurately identify and locate the information requested. If our review reveals information that may be excepted by the Public Information Act, we are obligated to seek an open records decision from the Attorney General on whether the records can be released. The Public Information Act allows the Archives ten working days after receiving a request to make this determination. The Attorney General has 45 working days to render a decision. Alternately, the Archives can inform you of the nature of the potentially excepted information and if you agree, that information can be redacted or removed and you can access the remainder of the records.
Most records created by Texas state agencies are not copyrighted and may be freely used in any way. State records also include materials received by, not created by, state agencies. Copyright remains with the creator. The researcher is responsible for complying with U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17 U.S.C.).
Researchers are required to wear gloves provided by the Archives when reviewing photographic materials.
Maps larger than 17 x 22 inches cannot be photocopied.
None.
The Texas State Historical Survey Committee was created on a temporary basis in 1953 (Senate Concurrent Resolution 44, 53rd Legislature, Regular Session) to administer a comprehensive state program for historical preservation; it was given more permanent status in 1957 (Senate Bill 426, 55th Legislature, Regular Session). The Committee became the Texas Historical Commission in 1973 (House Bill 1512, 63rd Legislature, Regular Session).
The Texas Historical Commission is composed of eighteen members appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate, serving overlapping six-year terms. Members must be citizens of Texas who have demonstrated an interest in the preservation of the state's historical heritage, and represent all geographical areas of Texas. Beginning in 1995, the membership must include a professional archeologist, a professional historian, and a licensed architect; and two of the members must be from counties with populations of less than 50,000. The governor names the chairperson. The members appoint an executive director to administer the agency. In 1998 the commission had a staff of about 100 employees.
The mission of the commission is to protect and preserve the state's historic and prehistoric resources for the use, education, economic benefit, and enjoyment of present and future generations. The main functions of the agency are to identify, preserve, interpret, and maintain historic and archeological sites. Duties of the agency include preservation consultation with the public; providing leadership to heritage organizations and county historical commissions; working with communities to protect Texas' architectural heritage, including operation of the Texas Main Street Program; administering the state's historical marker program; working with property owners to save archeological sites on private land; ensuring archeological sites are protected as land is developed for public construction projects; consulting with citizens and groups to nominate properties for historical and archeological landmark status and for the National Register of Historic Places; and making historical attractions a cornerstone of the Texas travel industry. The Commission also maintains the Historic Sites Atlas (a database of information on 200,000 historic sites in Texas); is involved with the LaSalle excavations; and was involved with the development of the Bob Bullock State History Museum in Austin.
In the late 1990s, the Texas Historical Commission went through an agency restructuring in which several divisions were combined. The agency now contains seven divisions that carry out the responsibilities of the agency. The Administration Division oversees budgetary, planning, and other executive functions. The Community Heritage Division operates the Main Street Program, the Heritage Tourism Program, and the Certified Local Government Program. The Archeology Division administers the archeological programs of the agency in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act and the Antiquities Code of Texas. The Architecture Division administers architectural grants, monitors the state's National Historical Landmarks and reviews proposed changes to Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks. The History Programs Division operates the National Register Program and the Local History Program. The Marketing Communications Division issues a monthly newsletter, The Medallion, provides production services for other departments, assists with public outreach, and helps coordinate the agency's annual museum conference. Staff Services handles personnel, accounting, and other staff functions.
The Community Heritage Development Division operates the Main Street Program, the Heritage Tourism Program, and the Certified Local Government Program. The Main Street Program was created about 1981 and is designed to revitalize downtown centers of cities with fewer than 50,000 people. The program provides cities with architectural consultation, marketing, and interior design training for this purpose. In 1989 the Legislature provided funding for an Urban Main Street Program. The Heritage Tourism Program works with business communities and with civic and educational organizations to promote and preserve historic sites in heritage areas. The Certified Local Government Program was created in 1980 and offers technical assistance to cities and awards grants to help with the development of quality local preservation programs.
This series consists of correspondence, memoranda, project proposals, community profiles, committee minutes, clippings, assessments of historic architecture, photographs, slides, maps, illustrations and drawings, conference proceedings, notes, reports, and publications. The files cover the years 1829, 1847, 1852-1853, 1866, 1870, 1888-1985, 1990-1999, undated (bulk 1980-1982, 1990-1994) and document two programs of the Texas Historical Commission's Community Heritage Development Division - the Main Street Program, and a regional documentation project of the Heritage Tourism Program, the Los Caminos del Rio Heritage Project.
The Main Street Program selects smaller cities and towns and works with them to revitalize their downtown centers. The records cover the beginning years of the program, from Texas' initial proposal to be part of the national main street program, through the first few years of the program's operation. There is a set of reading files of the Main Street Program director, containing memos and outgoing correspondence with community leaders and others about the Main Street project and with organizations and local people in specific cities involved in the project. There is also a set of files concerning the project proposal Texas prepared in 1980 and sent to the National Main Street Center to be accepted as a pilot project state. Dates of the Main Street Program files are 1979-1985, bulk 1980-1982.
The Los Caminos del Rio Heritage Project was undertaken as part of the
Heritage Tourism Program to promote and preserve historic sites along the Los
Caminos del Rio heritage corridor, an area of about 200 miles along the
Texas-Mexican border between Laredo and Brownsville. The bulk of the files
consist of photographic media, most being photographs taken by Historical
Commission staff to document sites in the corridor, largely focusing on several
cities and towns. Of special note is a large group of photographs from Guerrero
Viejo, a colonial Mexican town inundated in 1953 when the Falcon Reservoir was
built on the Rio Grande. Also present are the maps, photographs, and original
artwork used in the project's publications,
This finding aid describes the files of one division of the Historical
Commision. See
To prepare this inventory, the described materials were cursorily reviewed to delineate series, to confirm the accuracy of contents lists, to provide an estimate of dates covered, and to determine record types.
These records are organized into two series and four subseries.
(Identify the item and cite the series), Records, Community Heritage Development Division, Texas Historical Commission. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Laura K. Saegert, December 2002, March 2004
Accession numbers: 2000/020, 2000/092
These records were transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the Texas Historical Commission on September 28, 1999; and January 8, 2000.
This series consists of correspondence, memoranda, project proposals, community profiles, committee minutes, clippings, and notes, dating 1979-1985 (bulk 1980-1982). There is a set of reading files of the Main Street Program director, containing memos and outgoing correspondence with community leaders and others about the Main Street Program and with organizations and local people in specific cities involved in the project. There is also a set of files concerning the project proposal Texas prepared in 1980 and sent to the National Main Street Center to be accepted as a pilot project state.
To prepare this inventory, the described materials were cursorily reviewed to delineate series, to confirm the accuracy of contents lists, to provide an estimate of dates covered, and to determine record types.
The Texas Main Street Program, part of the Texas Historical Commission's Community Development Heritage Division, helps Texas cities revitalize their historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts by utilizing preservation and economic development strategies.
The program began in 1981 and is affiliated with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It was developed because there was no state or federal program available to help small towns that were losing vitality in their downtown areas. The project initially involved four state agencies - the Texas Historical Commission (lead agency), the Governor's Budget and Planning Office, the Texas Industrial Commission, and the Texas Department of Community Affairs. The inital objective was the architectural and economic revitalization of the downtown centers of cities with fewer than 50,000 people. In 1989 the Legislature provided funding for an Urban Main Street Program. The program provides cities with architectural consultation, marketing, and interior design training for this purpose. The cities with populations under 50,000 applying for the program must agree to hire a full-time Main Street manager for three years and provide funding for the local program. Cities with population over 50,000 must cooperate with a private nonprofit organization, hire a full-time staff of two for at least five years and provide funding for the local program and pay a graduated fee of $7,500 the first year, $2,500 the second year and $1,500 each year thereafter.
The Texas Main Street Program is among the most successful downtown revitalization programs in the nation, and has assisted more than 130 Texas cities through the program. The program has resulted in the private reinvestment of more than $860 million in Texas downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts, the creation of more than 18,200 jobs and the establishment of more than 4,600 new businesses.
These records are organized into two subseries.
Because of the possibility that portions of these records fall under Public Information Act exceptions including, but not limited to: social security numbers (V.T.C.A., Government Code, Section 552.101) an archivist must review these records before they can be accessed for research. The records may be requested for research under the provisions of the Public Information Act (V.T.C.A., Government Code, Chapter 552). The researcher may request an interview with an archivist or submit a request by mail, fax, or email including enough description and detail about the information requested to enable the archivist to accurately identify and locate the information requested. If our review reveals information that may be excepted by the Public Information Act, we are obligated to seek an open records decision from the Attorney General on whether the records can be released. The Public Information Act allows the Archives ten working days after receiving a request to make this determination. The Attorney General has 45 working days to render a decision. Alternately, the Archives can inform you of the nature of the potentially excepted information and if you agree, that information can be redacted or removed and you can access the remainder of the records.
None.
None.
(Identify the item and cite the series), Main Street Program files, Records, Community Heritage Division, Texas History Commission. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Accession number: 2000/020
These records were transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the Texas Historical Commission on September 28, 1999.
Laura K. Saegert, March 2004
These are reading files of the Texas Main Street Program director, containing memos and outgoing correspondence with community leaders and others about the Main Street Program and with organizations and local people in specific cities involved in the project. Dates covered are 1981-1982. Memos are generally weekly updates of staff activities regarding various main street projects. Letters are outgoing letters of the program director, some of the division director, to local officials, community leaders, businesses, organizations or other groups; and typically concern cities and towns selection/non-selection into the Main Street Program or upcoming aspects of the project for those selected, acknowledgement of gifts, and answering questions about the Main Street Program. Other letters include architectural assessments prepared by Historical Commission architects and sent to owners of buildings in the program. Also present are scattered minutes from the Texas Main Street Interagency Council and the Texas Main Street Committee and transmittal sheets - a form that states when and to whom a letter was sent and what, if anything, was attached.
To prepare this inventory, the described materials were cursorily reviewed to delineate series, to confirm the accuracy of contents lists, to provide an estimate of dates covered, and to determine record types.
The records are arranged in reverse chronological order.
(Identify the item), Reading files, Main Street Program files, Records, Community Heritage Division, Texas History Commission. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
This series contains proposals, correspondence, notes, memos, community profiles, clippings, contracts, and surveys, regarding Texas' participation in the National Main Street Project, dating 1979-1985, the bulk dating 1980-1981. The files largely concern the project proposal Texas prepared in 1980 and sent to the National Main Street Center to be accepted as a pilot project state. The Texas proposal is present as well as proposals from several other states. Correspondents include the Main Street Program director, Historical Commission staff, other state agencies (primarily the Governor's Office of Budget and Planning and the Texas Department on Community Affairs), and local officials, citizens, or groups with an interest or involvement in the Main Street proposal. Materials gathered while preparing Texas' proposal include community profiles prepared by some Texas communities.
Also present are files regarding contractors hired to perform market research in several Texas cities in 1984 and 1985. The contract files contain contracts, purchase vouchers, correspondence, memoranda, market analyses, surveys, and a large computer printout of statistical data.
To prepare this inventory, the described materials were cursorily reviewed to delineate series, to confirm the accuracy of contents lists, to provide an estimate of dates covered, and to determine record types.
The Texas project proposal records are filed first, followed the main street proposals from other states, then the contract files.
(Identify the item), Administrative files, Main Street Program files, Records, Community Heritage Division, Texas History Commission. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
This series consists of assessments of historic architecture, photographs, slides, maps, illustrations and drawings, conference proceedings, notes, reports, and publications produced by the Los Caminos del Rio Heritage Project, dating 1829, 1847, 1852-1853, 1866, 1870, 1888-1979, 1990-1999, the bulk dating 1990-1994. The research materials were gathered or created by the Texas Historical Commission for documentation of historic sites along the Los Caminos del Rio heritage corridor, an area of about 200 miles along the Texas-Mexican border between Laredo and Brownsville. The bulk of the photographic media consists of color slides or black and white photographs taken by Historical Commission staff to document sites in the corridor, largely focusing on several cities and towns. Photographs, mostly copy prints, are also present from other archival repositories and from residents or local groups. Included is a large group of photographs from Guerrero Viejo, a colonial Mexican town inundated in 1953 when the Falcon Reservoir was built on the Rio Grande. Copies of maps, largely photographic copies, that were used as resource material for creating maps in the THC publications are also present. Some of the maps created for the publications exist in several formats, as original manuscript maps, full size negatives, and large prints. Also of note is a set of assessments or surveys of historic architecture (accompanied by color photographs) of sites featured in the published report.
Very little textual research material is present, except for a set of heritage project files documenting heritage projects in other parts of Texas and in other states gathered by the Historical Commission as resource material. The Los Caminos del Rio Heritage Project is an ongoing research project, thus the majority of the textual research materials gathered or created for it are still at the Historical Commission and other agencies participating in the project, including the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Department of Transportation.
The publication development files were created by the Texas
Historical Commission for use in publications on the Los Caminos del Rio
Heritage project. The bulk consist of photographs selected for the
publications, along with original artwork, drawings and maps used in
The Los Caminos del Rio Heritage Project was begun in 1990 to
preserve the heritage of the Lower Rio Grande area while also educating
citizens about the history of the region. It was a cooperative effort between
the United States and Mexico with the assistance of the Meadows Foundation of
Dallas to survey cultural resources along the border. A resulting publication,
A heritage corridor was designated - the Los Caminos del Rio heritage corridor. It is an area of about 200 miles along the Texas-Mexican border going through Webb, Zapata, Starr, Hidalgo and Cameron counties in Texas along highways 281 and 83 and the States of Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas in Mexico along highway 2, between the towns of Laredo (U.S.)/Nuevo Laredo (Mexico) and Brownsville (U.S.)/Matamoros (Mexico). A heritage plan was established in 1992, with the U.S. National Park Service taking the lead, to explore the broad heritage of the region through native wildlife, and natural, scenic and recreational resources. The plan also assessed the cultural heritage of the region, including architecture, archeology, and folklore as well as the infrastructure and transportation components of the region. Early in 1992 questionnaires were sent out to key individuals and organizations in the corridor area to gather information about the area's resources. A 28-member team assembled from thirteen United States and Mexican federal and state agencies traveled througout the area making on-site evaluations of resources. The team assessed management, infrastructure, conservation, and economic development issues. In addition, six public workshops about the project were held in the United States and Mexico. Each country's delegation visited sites along its border during early-mid 1992 and formulated recommendations for coordinating efforts with its counterpart. A binational agreement of cooperation was signed by members of the international task force in Roma, Texas, on October 30, 1992 to formalize the coordination of United States and Mexican plans for the project.
This plan was completed in 1994 and included recommendations for partnership management of the heritage corridor by agencies, organizations and individuals. During the survey more than 230 historical sites were identified.
In 1994, following completion of the heritage plan, two
publications about the project were produced by the Texas Historical
Commission. The first was
Additionally,
The Los Caminos del Rio Heritage Project continues. Staff of involved agencies and organizations continue to survey, conduct research, and identify additional historic sites, create documentation (site descriptions and interpretations, maps, photographs), provide preservation plans for sites, and nominate sites to the National Register of Historic Places or for National Historic Landmark Status.
These records are organized into two series:
None.
Researchers are required to wear gloves provided by the Archives when reviewing photographic materials.
Maps larger than 17 x 22 inches cannot be photocopied.
None.
(Identify the item and cite the subseries), Los Caminos del Rio Heritage Project files, Records, Community Heritage Division, Texas Historical Commission. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Accession number: 2000/092
These records were transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the Texas Historical Commission on January 8, 2000.
Laura K. Saegert, December 2002
These are maps, photographs (prints, negatives, and slides),
original artwork and drawings, camera ready copy, and resulting publications
dating ca. 1990-1999, the bulk dating 1991-1994. The files were created by the
Texas Historical Commission for reports on the Los Caminos del Rio Heritage
project,
Prints and negatives are generally black and white, slides are color.
These records are arranged by publication, based on the date the item was published, then by record type.
(Identify the item), Publication development files, Los Caminos del Rio Heritage Project files, Records, Community Heritage Division, Texas Historical Commission. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
[Three copies, two in Spanish, one in English.]
This series consists of assessments of historic architecture, photographs, slides, maps, conference proceedings, notes, and reports, dating 1829, 1847, 1852-1853, 1866, 1870, 1888-1979, 1990-1999, undated, the bulk dating 1990-1994. The research materials were gathered or created by the Texas Historical Commission (THC) for documentation of historic sites along the Los Caminos del Rio heritage corridor, an area of about 200 miles along the Texas-Mexican border between Laredo and Brownsville. The bulk of the photographic media consists of color slides or black and white prints taken by Historical Commission staff to document sites in the Corridor, generally focusing on several cities and towns. Photographs, primarily copy prints, are also present from other archival repositories and from residents or local groups. Included is a large group of photographs from Guerrero Viejo, a colonial Mexican town inundated in 1953 when the Falcon Reservoir was built on the Rio Grande. Copies of maps, mostly photographic prints, that were used as resource material for creating maps in the THC publications are present. Also of note is a set of assessments or surveys of historic architecture (accompanied by color photographs) of sites featured in the published report.
Very little textual research material is present, except for a set of files documenting heritage projects in other parts of Texas and in other states gathered by the Historical Commission as resource material. The Los Caminos del Rio Heritage Project is an ongoing research project, thus the majority of the textual research materials gathered or created for it are still at the Historical Commission and other agencies participating in the project, including the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Department of Transportation.
The records are arranged by record type or topic. Within each set the records are maintained in their original order.
(Identify the item), Research files, Los Caminos del Rio Heritage Project files, Records, Texas Historical Commission. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
[The report is in English and Spanish.]
[Note: Notebooks document historical sites in the Los
Caminos del Rio Heritage corridor, focusing on sites features in the book,
[Note: These are color slides, most, if not all, taken by Mario Sanchez, of the Texas Historical Commission, as documentation of historic sites along the Los Caminos del Rio Heritage corridor, both on the Texas side and the Mexican side. The sheets in the notebooks note the locale where the slides were shot (cities, towns, landscapes outside towns, etc.). The slide sheets were removed from the notebooks and foldered. Some folders have slide sheets of different locales; when this happens, each sheet is named in the folder title.]
[Note: These are black and white copy photos (with what looks to be a few originals as well) of former residents, structures, street scenes, landscapes, and other images from Guerrero Viejo, mostly before the site was inundated by the waters of the Rio Grande for the Falcon Dam Reservoir. They are foldered as received, according to divider titles in the notebook. Sections without dividers had titles supplied by Archives staff. Dates of the copy images go back at least to 1888. Many are not dated. In addition to photographs, a map, a few clippings and notes are present.]
[Note: Black and white photographs, contact sheets, negatives taken by Texas Historical Commission photographer Jim Bonar.]
[Note: These are largely newsletters, project brochures, maps, correspondence, and a few notes on various heritage corridor projects in Texas and the United States, with a few from other countries, roughly in alphabetical order.]