Category Archives: Today in Texas History

Today in Texas History – August 29

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From the Annals of the Big Storms –  In 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall as a category 3 hurricane.  The storm’s direct impact was directed most famously at New Orleans, but much of the Gulf Coast from  Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle was effected.  The storm killed more than 1,800 and caused over $115 billion in damage.  The indirect impact on Texas was the outmigration of people from Louisiana many of whom have stayed in Houston and other cities.  The devastation wrought by Katrina was also instrumental in triggering the mass evacuation from the Houston area in advance of Hurricane Rita which resulted in several deaths.

Today in Texas History – August 26

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From the Annals of All the Way with LBJ –  In 1964, Lyndon B. Johnson was nominated to as the Democratic candidate for president at the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, NJ.   LBJ had of course been elevated to the presidency upon the assassination of John F. Kennedy the previous November.  Shortly before his nomination, the seeds of trouble had been planted when LBJ began the escalation of the Vietnam War based on the now discredited Gulf of Tonkin incident.  Vietnam and the domestic unrest that it unleashed would be the undoing of Johnson’s presidency and he would decline to run again in 1968.

Today in Texas History

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From the Annals of Extremely Partisan Politics –   In 1860,  7 defendants were  found guilty of killing 3 men that were taken from the Marion County Jail in Jefferson on the night of October 24, 1868. The 7 defendants along with 17 others who were acquitted were accused of dragging 5 men out of the jail and killing 3 of them. The jailed men were Republicans who had been arrested the night before after a gun fight with local Democrats.

Today in Texas History – August 22

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From the Annals of Art Spaces – In 1971, the De Luxe Show opened in the remodeled De Luxe movie theater in Houston’s Fifth Ward. The show ran from August 22 to September 29.  The Menil Foundation sponsored the show in response to a brewing controversy over the lack of opportunities for black artists.  The exhibit was notable in that it was one of the first racially integrated exhibitions of contemporary art.

The De Luxe Theater was an important part of the Fifth Ward as it provided a family-oriented alternative to residents of the neighborhood.   However, as white theaters integrated it’s business declined and was closed in 1969.   The theatre was transformed into an exhibition space in a matter of weeks by the Jones and Bynam Construction Company.

The exhibition was curated by painter Peter Bradley.  Bradley chose 40 abstract works by 19 artists including Virginia Jaramillo, Ed Clark, Larry Poons, Jules Olitski, William T. Williams and Sam Gilliam along with constructions from Alvin Loving, Richard Hunt, Michael Stiener and Anthony Caro.

Photo from http://www.thedeluxetheater.com

 

 

Today in Texas History – August 19

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From the Annals of “How Low Can You Go” –  In 1962, Homero Blancas  of Houston shot a 55 at the Premier Invitational Golf Tournament in Longview. Blancas was playing for the University of Houston golf team.  Blancas had 13 birdies and an eagle to go 15 under par on the par 70 course.  It remains the lowest score in U.S. competitive golf history.  Blancas went on to join the PGA tour where he was rookie of the year in 1965.  He won four events in his career and played on the 1973 Ryder Cup team.  He is a member of the Texas Golf Hall of Fame.

Today in Texas History – August 16

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From the Annals of the Temblors –  In 1931, an earthquake in Texas shook the ground near Valentine in Jeff Davis County. The quake measured 6.5 on the Richter Scale.  No casualties were reported, but the quake caused damage to almost every wooden structure building in Valentine.   The local school building was damaged beyond repair.  There were also reports of landslides as far away as the Guadalupe Mountains.  The Valentine temblor remains the most powerful recorded earthquake in the entire state.

Figure showing  felt area and Modified Mercalli Intensities experienced by Texans from the Valentine earthquake from www-udc.ig.utexas.edu.

Today in Texas History – August 15

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Thomas Flintoff - Sam Houston - Google Art Project.jpg

From the Annals of the Republic –  In 1836, following winning independence from Mexico, Sam Houston was nominated to be the first president of the Republic of Texas.  The nomination was placed by Phillip Sublett who had come to Texas in 1824 and settled near San Augustine.  Sublett was engaged in the early conflicts of the Texas Revolution including the Battle for Bexar, but returned to his home after the Battle of Concepcion.  Houston recuperated in Sublett’s home after the Battle of San Jacinto.

Houston won the election handily despite declaring his candidacy only 11 days before the election.  Until that point, it seemed all but certain that Stephen F. Austin would be elected, but once the Raven entered the race, Austin’s defeat was inevitable.  Austin finished third behind Houston and Henry Smith of Wharton.

Portrait of Houston by Thomas Flintoff.

Today in Texas History – August 11

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From the Annals of the Political Machines –  In 1914, the Duval County Courthouse in San Diego burned down taking with it most of the evidence that might have revealed the criminal activity of legendary South Texas boss Archer Parr.  Parr ran a powerful political machine that controlled Duval County and beyond. Parr was 22 when he settled in Duval County in 1882.  By 1907 he had control of the local Democratic Party and was the undisputed political boss of Duval County.  He maintained his control with the help of local Hispanics who kept voting Parr and his cronies into office in elections stained by corruption and fraud.  He ran Duval County as his personal business enterprise parsing out County funds to himself, his machine and the local poor folks who did receive some modest benefits from their boss.  The fire occurred during an audit of County finances that resulted in the indictment of Parr – by then a Texas State Senator.  But the fire likely destroyed the evidence needed to secure a conviction and Parr escaped further prosecution.  Parr’s control over the County was consolidated and he built a considerable personal fortune on the backs of his constituents.  The Parr family continued to control the County with Parr’s son George taking over after his death in 1942.  Parr family domination continued until at least 1975.

Today in Texas History – August 10

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From the Annals of the State Police – In 1935, the Texas legislature established the Texas Department of Public Safety.  As the name implies, the function of the agency was to provide for public safety meaning primarily crime prevention and investigation.  The DPS was under the oversight of the three-member Public Safety Commission who were appointed by Gov. James Allred.  The Commission hired the director and assistant director who were responsible for day-to-day operations.  The original DPS was organized into six divisions: the Texas Highway Patrol, Texas Rangers, Bureau of Communications, Bureau of Intelligence, Bureau of Education, and Bureau of Identification and Records. The DPS is still in business today with its headquarters on N. Lamar in Austin.

Today in Texas History -August 9

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From the Annals of the Veterans –  In 1946,  the last Confederate reunion was held at Camp Ben McCulloch near Dripping Springs.   The first reunion of Texas Confederate veterans was held in 1896 at a site near CBM.  CBM began to hold the annual reunions in 1904.  The reunion expanded and by the 1930s, the event was the largest annual reunion of the elderly Confederate vets with as many as 6000 attendees.   The reunion of actual veterans lasted until 1946 when the last two Hays County veterans died.  CBM still hosts an annual event for the Sons and Daughters of the Confederacy.