Dr. Evelyn Montgomery worked for 18 years caring for and interpreting the historical structures at Dallas Heritage Village, an outdoor museum that contains two of the cabins recorded by Dr. Jordan. She holds degrees in architecture and history, with a particular interest in American houses and domestic life, especially Victorian and on the American frontier. She frequently presents on these subjects to both academic and popular audiences. She supports historic preservation through volunteer efforts, including service on the Dallas Landmark Commission. Dr. Montgomery is now the Curator at the Old Red Museum of Dallas County History and Culture, in Dallas’ historic courthouse, as well as work as a consultant for historical research, historic preservation and museums.

Project Title: House Proud in Texas: The Struggle For a Proper Frontier Home

Project Description: This project will mine the wealth of information available in the records of Texas log cabins collected by the late Dr. Terry G. Jordan, to see how Texas pioneers made their frontier cabins as homelike as possible. Pioneers were also Victorians, with high domestics standards for comfort and propriety. Texans need ingenuity and resourcefulness to make the materials at hand resemble their memories of fine homes back east, so they could be house-proud in their new state.