The finding aid for the Houston National Bank Records (1889-1964) has recently been published as part of our Houston and Texas History collection area.  The records for the Houston National Bank, founded in 1876, contain administrative files as well as scrapbooks from individuals associated with the bank.

The Houston National Bank was founded in 1876, moved into the bustling and growing downtown area in 1928, and remained a financial cornerstone in the city until it merged with the Tennessee Bank and Trust Company in 1964.  Its former home, a beautiful neoclassical construction of limestone on a black granite base, sat vacant as the 20th century came to a close.  University of Houston alumnus Hakeem Olajuwan purchased the property and it now breathes new life as the Islamic Da’wah Center.

The Houston National Bank Records consist primarily of correspondence, photographs, news clippings, and promotional material related to the 75th and 85th anniversary celebrations in 1951 and 1961 respectively.  Personal papers and scrapbooks belonging to the likes of former bank president Melvin Rouff round out the collection.

Of course, we are excited about this new finding aid.  Please give it look and, should you find something of import to your research, please visit us at your earliest convenience.

The finding aid for the Andrew Brown Texas Music Collection is now available online.

The collection consists of the research files of the Texas music historian Andrew Brown, who writes biographies and histories of music artists and record labels for books, magazines, and album liner notes.

The files are particularly strong in documenting the lives and legacies of Houston-affiliated musicians and record labels. Music scholars will be especially interested to learn that the collection includes administrative and financial files of Duke/Peacock Records. The collection also contains especially strong material pertaining to biographical information for various recording artists, publicity photographs, and songbooks.

Take a look at the contents of the collection by perusing the finding aid, or come and visit us in Special Collections to see the materials up close and in person!

The George Fuermann Collection has been housed in our archives for years and remains a sizeable, invaluable resource for the study of Texas and Houston history. Fuermann was a columnist, editor, and writer of Houston history who also voraciously collected historical materials. The results of his efforts are 41 boxes of rich materials that document the history of the state, beginning with its origins as a republic, the history of Houston, and Fuermann’s own professional activities.

The collection is divided into two primary series: the George Fuermann Historical Collection, 1836-1988 and the George Fuermann Professional Papers, 1951-2001. Highlights of the historical series include 19^th century maps of Houston and Texas, over 800 photographs of Houston and its geography and industry, and documents pertaining to the history of 19^th century Texas, including materials with the signatures of notable Texans like Sam Houston and Augustus C. Allen.

The historical collection series is supplemented by Fuermann’s professional papers, which include information about items in the historical collection, materials documenting Fuermann’s life and professional engagement, and creative materials — like typescripts and correspondence — pertaining to Fuermann’s work as a historian and writer. This series also includes correspondence from the prominent Texas writers Roy Bedicek and J. Frank Dobie about Fuermann’s work.

For a taste of the materials in the Fuermann Collection, take a look at our fun Historic Texas Postcards drawn from the collection. For a more in depth look at the Fuermann Collection, visit Special Collections!

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!

Hurricane season is here, and people up and down the Gulf Coast have started crossing their fingers that we’ll be spared a major storm this season. That includes those of us in the Houston-Galveston area.

Galveston is most know for the powerful storm of 1900 that devastated the island and killed more than 10,000 people. After that storm, the city built the seawall, which was tested when the hurricane of 1915 hit the island. While the 1915 storm caused $50 million worth of property damage, only 275 people lost their lives — not a trivial number, but a far better outcome than in 1900.

To see more photos of the hurricane damage and repairs, take a look at the Galveston 1915 Hurricane Photographs in the UH Digital Library, taken from the collection of the same name located in UH Special collections.