Texas History

Digitized portion of items from the Almetris Duren papers at the Briscoe. Almetris Duren was a key figure in the University of Texas at Austin life from 1958-1981. Known as "Mama Duren" or "Mama D," Duren was a mentor, counselor, adviser and inspiration to young people, especially African American students on campus, for four decades.

A small collection of digitized items from the Black Texas women archive at the Briscoe.

Videotaped interviews of Black and Mexican American interviewees around the state. Includes subjects such as Austin Brown Berets, desegregation, Black and Mexican American student activism.

The Delta Xi chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. was the first Black Greek-letter organization established at UT Austin. This oral history collection includes seven video interviews with Delta Xi members, interview transcripts, and images.

The digital collections represent a portion of holdings related to academic, administrative, social, and the cultural history of Huston-Tillotson University in Austin.

The Texas Freedom Colonies Project is an educational and social justice initiative dedicated to supporting the preservation of Black settlement landscapes, heritage, and grassroots preservation practices through research.

A database of runaway slave advertisements, articles and notices from newspapers published in Texas, as well as materials from court records, manuscript collections, and books. It documents more than 2,500 people who fled enslavement in Texas.

Interactive maps and a population database allow users to discover the growth of enslaved and slaveholder populations in the region. Digitized original documents from the era provide access to hundreds of letters, newspapers articles, legislative decrees, and diplomatic correspondence during the 1820s through the 1840s.

Videotaped interviews of Black and Mexican American interviewees around the state. Includes subjects such as Austin Brown Berets, desegregation, Black and Mexican American student activism.

Daily Spanish-language newspaper from San Antonio, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

The thirty volume series includes personal interviews, photographs, film clips and music that convey the uniqueness of the Rio Grande Valley and South Texas.

A collection of over 8,000 items, including glass negatives, lantern slides, nitrate negatives, prints and postcards documenting the Lower Rio Grande Valley during the early 1900s.

The Border Studies Archive (BSA) is a repository for the culture and heritage of the borderlands of deep south Texas and houses collections relating to the unique folklore, histories, and lives of people living along the U.S.-Mexican border in South Texas.

This collection of over 1,700 photographs documents the organizing and field work activities of the Texas chapter of the United Farmworkers Union from 1975 – 1999.

Voces Oral History Center is dedicated to recording and disseminating the stories of US Latinas and Latinos and weaving the many perspectives into our historical narrative at the national, state and local levels. Starting from WWII

Audio, transcripts and photographs from the personal recollections of 173 Tejanos and Tejanas and their struggle against racial discrimination in post-World War II Texas.

The Texas Fauna Project is an account of wildlife conservation history told through 180-plus audio oral history interviews with scientists, veterinarians, zookeepers, and advocates about the struggles to understand, protect and restore mammals, birds, reptiles, fish and other creatures found in the state.

The collection provides insight into the early activities of the Standard Oil Company and charts the growth of Exxon and Mobil’s core business activities, namely the exploration, production, refining, and marketing of petroleum products, as well as the industry’s development and societal impact throughout the last century.

Interviews with former NASA employees involved in the American quest for the moon. Interviewees include engineers, doctors, lawyers, accountants and administrative personnel

The Oral History of the Texas Oil Industry Records is a major energy collection documenting the development of the Texas oil industry from the turn of the twentieth century to 1950.

Digitized materials related to the beer and brewing industry in Texas. Includes items like oral histories, craft brewery ephemera, papers and other materials related to historic Texas breweries like Pearl and Shiner.

An online archive of video, audio, text, and other materials collected through interviews and correspondence with the people who have shaped and continue to influence the protection of Texas natural resources.

More than 600 of the Briscoe's 5,000 public notices, including a copy of the 1836 Texas Declaration of Independence, colony advertisements, and legal announcements are available online

From the archived Perry-Castañeda Library (PCL) Map Collection website. No longer updated, but full of great resources!

Pre-1925 painted, sketched and photographed postcards depict historic buildings, street scenes, and landscapes to reveal Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, and other locales as they were in the early 1900s.

A collection of over 8,000 items, including glass negatives, lantern slides, nitrate negatives, prints and postcards documenting the Lower Rio Grande Valley during the early 1900s.

Acclaimed documentary photographer and former UT Austin professor Russel Lee donated his photograph archive focused on the social and political life of 20th century Texas.

An ever-growing archive of home movies, amateur films, advertisements, local television, and industrial and corporate productions, as well as Hollywood and internationally produced moving images of Texas.

The Texas Poster Art Collection, 1966-2002, is made up of 20th century music posters from various Texas artists.

The lives and works of 19th century Texas artists and artisans are captured in the census records, city directories, newspapers and primary sources included in the Hill Archive.

The community members interviewed include founders of local nonprofits, artists, activists, professors, and business owners, as well as longtime residents of the city who have been privy to its changes over time.

Audio and transcriptions. You can search the transcripts with ctrl-f, or read entire interviews.

The Delta Xi chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. was the first Black Greek-letter organization established at The University of Texas at Austin.

The Houston and Texas Feminist and Lesbian Newsletters collection contains issues of newsletters and similar periodicals from thirteen feminist and lesbian organizations and community groups from Houston, Austin, and other areas of Texas. These publications highlight the political, social, and cultural interests of the various organizations and groups, primarily during the 1970s and 1980s.

The collection contains issues of one of Houston's most notable LGBTQ publications, the Montrose Voice. Over 1,000 issues from throughout the publication's history are preserved in this collection, ranging from 1980 to 2006.

Archive of documents, manuscripts, photographs, oral histories, and artifacts with a strong focus on women. Some topics: women in the military, women in aviation, African American women, women's athletics, women's organizations, and women's activism and political participation.