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New Items Added to the DJ Screw Digital Collection

Digitization, Houston Hip Hop

Screw tape list for Steve, circa 1999

Approximately two dozen items have been added to the DJ Screw Photographs & Memorabilia digital collection in the UH Digital Library.

Many of these newly-added items were featured in the library exhibition DJ Screw and the Rise of Houston Hip Hop and have now been made available online. These include several tape lists and a variety of lyrics, along with photographs of DJ Screw as a child and an adult.

DJ Screw in baseball uniform, 1970s

The collection includes photographs, handwritten rap lyrics and song lists for “screw tapes,” along with flyers related to DJ Screw and his rap collective the Screwed Up Click. It also includes memorial service programs for DJ Screw, who died in 2000, and rappers Fat Pat and HAWK.

The DJ Screw Papers are currently being processed in Special Collections and will be available to the public once that process is complete. In the meantime, be sure to visit the digital collection to take a look at these items and others related to Houston’s hip hop history, and take a look at previous blog coverage of this digital collection, DJ Screw, and the related exhibit and conference.

ROADwomen Records Finding Aid Now Available

Carey C. Shuart Women's Archive and Research Collection, Finding Aids

The finding aid for the ROADwomen Records is now available online. This collection of materials, part of the Carey C. Shuart Women’s Archive and Research Collection, is primarily concerned with the River Oaks Area Democratic Women, an organization for politically active women that was incorporated in 1997.

ROADwomen’s main goal was to fill a void in Democratic activity within Houston, where 25 groups existed for Republican women in Harris County. The group’s goals were to elect Democrats to office, especially pro-choice women, to influence the Democratic Party to continue its role in social justice and equal rights, and to educate the city’s citizens about important political issues.

The collection, covering the time period from 1994 to 2008, includes materials for both Democratic and Republican candidates. It contains correspondence, business and financial records, photographs, and copies of the group’s newsletter.

For more information about what is contained in the collection, be sure to take a look at the finding aid. The original materials can be viewed in the Special Collections Reading Room.

Early Texas Documents finding aid now available

Finding Aids, Houston & Texas History

Broadside announcing the death of Stephen F. Austin, Dec. 28, 1836 (click to enlarge)

The finding aid for the Early Texas Documents Collection, a collection that integrates 10 smaller artificial collections, is now available online. This collection chronicles the history of Texas from the Spanish Colonial Era through the turn of the 20th century.

The collection contains documents related to the activities of several prominent Texans, including Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston. Legal and land papers also document the activities of Anson Jones and Mirabeau Lamar, who both served as president of the Republic of Texas.

Coming soon, Special Collections will also be publishing a digital collection of the Early Texas Documents, so be sure to keep an eye out for that UH Digital Library project!

Learn About Robertson Stadium’s History in Online Exhibit

Exhibits

Just in time for tomorrow’s Homecoming parade and football game, Special Collections’ new online exhibit, From American Football to ZZ Top: A History of Robertson Stadium, is now live!

The Cougars played their first game at Robertson on Sept. 21, 1946, losing to Southwestern Louisiana (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette) 13-7.

This exhibit documents the history of Robertson Stadium from its opening in 1942 when it was known as Public School Stadium. Built by the Houston Independent School District, the stadium was purchased by the University of Houston in 1970. Included in the online exhibit are images of the stadium’s construction and various events.

Robertson was the home of Cougar football from 1946-1950, and again starting in 1998. The Cougars are currently playing their last season in Robertson, which will be demolished to make way for a new stadium set to open in time for the 2014 season.

In addition to UH football, Robertson has hosted a number of athletic and non-athletic events. The online exhibit includes photographs of Olympic gold medalist and former Cougar Carl Lewis and the crowd at a Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young concert, as well as images related to other musical acts that have performed at Robertson.

Take a look at the exhibit to get a glimpse of Robertson’s history before the demolition crews arrive!

Houston History Archives Finding Aid Now Available

Finding Aids, Houston History Archives

The finding aid for the Terry Tarlton Hershey Papers is now available online. The materials described in this finding aid include biographical information on the environmental activist and materials on the local groups she supported. The collection also includes background information on groups who have solitcited or recieved philanthropic support from Hershey or the Hershey Foundation.

Terry Hershey became involved in environmental activism in the Houston area in the 1960s, when she joined the Buffalo Bayou Preservation Association (later the Bayou Preservation Association). Hershey was outraged by the condition of the bayou and Harris County Flood Control District’s plan to re-route the bayou without public notification. She eventually testified before the House Appropriations Sub-Committee, and this testimony led to a halt to the work on Buffalo Bayou.

Hershey continues to be a central figure in Houston’s environmental activism. Other organizations dealt with in the collection include the Citizens’ Environmental Coalition, the Houston Audubon Society, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, and Urban Harvest. Special Collections also holds archival records from the Citizens’ Enivronmental Coalition and the Bayou Preservation Association.

The original materials are available for use by the public in the Special Collections Reading Room.

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