The Portal to Texas History

Museum in Denton, Texas

This photograph from the Austin History Center at the Austin Public Library shows the class that graduated from Austin High School in 1887. Check out more of Austin's pedagogic history in The Portal to Texas History! http://bit.ly/2iwseWp

This photograph shows a Japanese submersible, captured at Pearl Harbor, being paraded around Beaumont, Texas, as part of a fundraising campaign in 1942.

The reactions of the crowd are as fascinating to look as the craft itself-- take a closer look in the Portal: http://bit.ly/2iu2QAK

This photograph shows an external view of the Tyrrell Historical Library building, located on Pearl Street in Beaumont, Texas. The building was initially a church, before it became the town's library. Many original stained glass windows remain, making the site an interesting destination.

Check it out in The Portal to Texas History! http://bit.ly/2i70Vyg

This photograph shows two little girls named Clara and Pearl Juhl sitting on the front porch of their home, dipping their toes in the the flood water that surrounds the porch of their home.

This piece of history comes to the Portal from the Danish Heritage Preservation Society-- see more in The Portal to Texas History! http://bit.ly/2is0VN8

This is a photograph of the Grand Hotel (located at 101 1/2 South El Paso) in El Paso, Texas. The collection of items from the Texas Historical Commission in the Portal includes hundreds of local landmarks from cities all around the state. Check them out here: http://bit.ly/2B04Moj

This photo shows three men and a boy constructing wheels in Alex Cline's blacksmith shop. The wheels are intended to be used for farm equipment.

Learn more about the Cline shop in the Portal! http://bit.ly/2B0txjV

One of the nation's most famous name trains - the "Overland Limited" - train No. 1 (westbound) on Union Pacific rails in Echo Canyon, Utah. The train is headed by a Mountain, type 4-8-2 locomotive with a Vanderbilt tender (oil burner) headed by Engine No. 7038 with a consist of eleven cars, all standard heavyweight equipment. This train was a joint-operation of three rail entities: Chicago and Northwestern from Chicago to Omaha; Union Pacific from Omaha to Salt Lake City; and Southern Pacific from Salt Lake City to San Francisco and on to Los Angeles. In the Roaring Twenties, the "Overland Limited" was the flagship of the Union Pacific's fleet.

See more locomotive history in The Portal to Texas History!
http://bit.ly/2B12pkZ

This is a postcard of a large ship sailing through the deep water channel, the left bank forming the edge of a city. The edge of the postcard reads, "Port Arthur, Texas, showing Deep Water Channel, Sub-Court House and Business Section." The back of the postcard adds, "Port Arthur, one of America's leading ports, one of world's important oil refining centers, site of a great synthetic rubber manufacturing development, offers excellent recreation - salt water fishing, swimming, a million-dollar Pleasure Pier. Motto: 'We Oil The World.'"

Learn more about Port Arthur in the Portal! http://bit.ly/2AXGA5G

This photograph depicts a derrick at a salt well in Oklahoma, operated by the Gulf Oil Co., which has been almost completely covered in icicles. This sight might not be too crazy now that it's starting to get a little chilly.

Check out more wintry Texas History in The Portal to Texas History! http://bit.ly/2AXHbEJ

This photograph shows a post office in Richardson, TX, near the turn of the twentieth century. A notation on the back says "Aunt Sarah Allen third post master" with no additional explanation. Richardson's first Post Office was established September 27, 1858. Before, mail was tossed into a barrel in the general store and residents picked out their own mail.

Find more history like this in the Portal today! http://bit.ly/2AXOlsl

This is a photograph of the San Antonio Grand Opera House on Alamo Street in San Antonio, Texas. A horse-drawn carriage is parked in the street in front of the building, as just one clue that the photo is from 1889. See more materials like this in The Portal to Texas History! http://bit.ly/2AWwZft

This postcard from 1908 uses an illustration of two turkeys and their young to wish a friend a happy holiday. In sharing this item, we'd like to pass along a Happy Thanksgiving from The Portal to Texas History!

You can find more items like this to share with friends and family in the Portal: http://bit.ly/2AW0fDi

This photograph is a portrait of Mamie McFaddin Ward. Many of the postcards in the Portal's collection are those sent or received by her. Materials in the Portal from the McFaddin-Ward House Museum include over a thousand postcards from all around the country.
Check them out in The Portal to Texas History! http://bit.ly/2AXeV54

This postcard shows Pearl Street in Beaumont, TX. Carriages can be seen on the left and right sides of the street with men and women. The trolley car is visible in the center of the picture. Written on the bottom of the postcard is "Beaumont Cigar Co" "Pearl Street, Looking South" and "Beaumont, Texas." In handwriting is also written "Thought maybe you would like this." In addition to the Beaumont Cigar Co., the back of the postcard also credits the Albertype Co., Brooklyn, N.Y.

The postcard collection in the Portal offers some of the most interesting glimpses into history-- see more here: http://bit.ly/2AXkOz6