Historical Commission
Chair -- Barry Hutcheson ... (512) 892-4938
Vice Chair -- Rosemary Morrow ... (512) 251-7212
Secretary -- May Schmidt... (512) 478-4898
Treasurer -- Nancy Hamilton... (512) 327-8161
Feature: Historic Rural Black Schools Project
The Travis County Historical Commission is an arm of Travis County and the State of Texas. Its purpose is to initiate and conduct programs for the preservation of the county's heritage and its influence on Travis County's political, governmental, and cultural history. The Travis County Commissioners Court appoints commission members, who are required to be county residents.
Travis County has been designated a Certified Local Government (CLG) by the Texas Historical Commission and the National Park Service. The Travis County Historical Commission is responsible for carrying out the duties of a CLG.
Meeting Dates and Times
The commission meets from September through June at 5:00 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month. Meetings are held in the County Commissioners Courtroom, which is located in the Travis County Administration Building at 314 W. 11th St., at the northeast corner of 11th and Guadalupe streets in Austin.
Current Projects
Ongoing
- Assist individuals and groups researching the history of buildings or locations within the county and, where appropriate, assist in obtaining and funding historic markers. The commission is focusing efforts on increasing the number of African-American and Hispanic markers in the county.
- Sponsor dedication ceremonies for Texas State Historical Markers.
- Sponsor an annual Cultural Essay Contest in Travis County schools grades four through eight. Students from various county ISD's and private schools participate. The essays are compiled, made available for purchase, and presented to county school libraries.
- Develop a system for surveying and inventorying historic properties in Travis County
- Review of and recommendation of properties to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Special
- Research and compile a supplement to the county schools' 1936 publication, The Defender, which contained information on rural schools in the county to include the African-American and Mexican-American county schools previously omitted.
Last Modified: Friday, July 17, 2009 3:15 PM