ETHA at 50

"Lone Star Historian" is a blog about the travels and activities of the State Historian of Texas. Bill O'Neal was appointed to a two-year term by Gov. Rick Perry on August 22, 2012, at an impressive ceremony in the State Capitol. Bill is headquartered at Panola College (www.panola.edu) in Carthage, where he has taught since 1970. For more than 20 years Bill conducted the state's first Traveling Texas History class, a three-hour credit course which featured a 2,100-mile itinerary. In 2000 he was awarded a Piper Professorship, and in 2012 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Wild West Historical Association. Bill has published almost 40 books, half about Texas history subjects, and in 2007 he was named Best Living Non-Fiction Writer by True West Magazine.

I spent Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, September 27-28-29, in Nacogdoches at the Fall Meeting of the ETHA. More than 200 ETHA members gathered at the Fredonia Inn to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Association. Indeed, the organizational meeting of the ETHA was held on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College on September 29, 1962 - 50 years to the day of the final day of our Fall Meeting.



Almost every Fall Meeting is held at the
Fredonia Inn in Nacogdoches.





At right is presenter Carroll Scoggins, whose father was a medic during the Korean War. Carroll provided a compelling program about MASH units.There were more than 50 presenters at the Fall Meeting.



An earlier incarnation of the East Texas Historical Association was organized on the SFA campus in 1927 by faculty members from SFA, Sam Houston State Teachers College, and East Texas State Teachers College. There were meetings until 1932, the worst year of the Great Depression, when this early version of the ETHA quietly ceased to exist.



The organization was resurrected in 1962. The major impetus came from the new president of SFA, Dr. Ralph Steen. Before assuming the presidency of SFA, Dr. Steen had established himself as a notable Texas historian. The director of his doctoral dissertation at the  University of Texas was no less a Texas history giant than Eugene C. Barker. During a 23-year career in the history department at Texas A&M, Dr. Steen was elected, then re-elected,  president of the Texas State Historical Association. In 1939 Dr. Steen produced a History of Texas, a public school textbook that continued to be used into the 1970s. He went on to author or co-author 10 textbooks.



There were vendors all along the walls as well as in the middle of the room.

 At SFA Dr. Steen proved to be a gifted administrator. When he arrived there were fewer than 2,000 students on campus, but when he retired in 1975 enrollment had risen to 11,000, and SFA had attained university status.



A panel of ex-presidents: Front row, L to R: Marion Holt, Joe White, Ralph Wooster, Beverly Rowe. Back row: Bill O'Neal, Ted Lawe, Ty Cashion.



But despite pressing administrative duties, history remained his passion. Dr. Steen had been at SFA only four years when he moved to re-establish the East Texas Historical Association. Dr. Steen allied with Dr. C.K. "Dick" Chamberlain, Chairman of the SFA History Department, and with attorneys Lee Lawrence of Tyler and F.I. Tucker of Nacogdoches.



Dr. Ralph Wooster reminisces about his term as president, 1967-68.
A charter member, Wooster contributed an article to the first Journal.




An organizational meeting was held on the SFA campus on Saturday, September 29, 1962. Lee Lawrence agreed to serve as first president; a constitution was written; and a tax exemption was arranged. Dr. Steen stated that SFA would cover the cost of publishing a twice-yearly journal, and in July 1963 C.K. Chamberlain brought forth - with the assistance of members of the history department -
the first issue of the East Texas Historical Journal.



Dr. Light Cummins, former State Historian of Texas,
with successor Bill O'Neal.

The next year a young Ph.D. from LSU, by way of Beaumont, Archie McDonald, joined the SFA history faculty. Immediately he was asked to provide a paper for the upcoming meeting of the ETHA. Like others in the department, Archie helped with the Association when needed.

Dr. Chamberlain was titled editor of the Journal, but he functioned as director of the ETHA. As a graduate student, Joe White ably assisted Chamberlain with ETHA meetings, and with the Journal, and later Joe raised funds to endow the Chamberlain Award, for the year's best article in the Journal.

Ex-presidents at the Friday night reception.  The earliest ex-president
present is Dr. Bob Glover, 1965-66, at far right.

Dr. Archie McDonald was named as Chamberlain's successor, and soon was titled executive director of the ETHA. At this point, Dr. Steen decided that SFA would provide a secretary as well as office space to the ETHA. Without its own secretary, Archie always maintained that "the growth of the Association and the prestige of the Journal would not have been possible."



Friday night banquet.



It should be added - because Archie never would - that even more essential to the growth and success of the Association and the Journal were Archie's formidable skills as executive director, his editorial expertise, his command of Association finances, and the element of continuity - the ETHA benefited fron his talents for 37 years.

Executive Director Dr. Scott Sosebee addresses the Saturday Awards Luncheon

When Dr. McDonald assumed leadership of the ETHA in 1971, there were approximately 100 members. When he stepped down four years ago, membership had risen to 600. During that same period the Association treasury had expanded from $1,500 to almost $500,000. The ETHA enjoys financial partnerships with dozens of corporations, institutions, foundations, and philanthropic individuals.

Each September the three-day Fall Meeting takes place in Nacogdoches, home of the parent institution of the ETHA. Each February a two-day Spring Meeting is hosted by some community in East Texas: Tyler, Marshall, San Augustine, Dallas, Lufkin, Paris, Texarkana, College Station, Huntsville, Waco, and again next February, Galveston. We define "East Texas" as the eastern one-third of the Lone Star State. Since Fort Worth labels itself as "Where the West Begins," we assumed that Cowtown must be where the East ends, and so we have enjoyed two well-attended Spring Meetings in that charming city.


SFA President Dr. Baker Pattillo attempts to blow
out all 50 candles on the ETHA birthday cake.



In addition to two meetings each year, the ETHA publishes two excellent Journals annually.  The Association sponsors several coveted awards, including research grants. The ETHA also has published a number of fine books. Although the ETHA is the largest regional historical association in the United States, attendance of between 100 to 200 at meetings generates warm fellowship between friends and kindred spirits. Dr. Scott Sosebee of the SFA history department succeeded Dr. Archie McDonald as executive director four years ago, and he is ably leading the Association into its second half-century.

For more information, see  www.easttexashistorical.org .

Three Days in a Row

"Lone Star Historian" is a blog about the travels and activities of the State Historian of Texas. Bill O'Neal was appointed to a two-year term by Gov. Rick Perry on August 22, 2012, at an impressive ceremony in the State Capitol. Bill is headquartered at Panola College (www.panola.edu) in Carthage, where he has taught since 1970. For more than 20 years Bill conducted the state's first Traveling Texas History class, a three-hour credit course which featured a 2,100-mile itinerary. In 2000 he was awarded a Piper Professorship, and in 2012 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Wild West Historical Association. Bill has published almost 40 books, half about Texas history subjects, and in 2007 he was named Best Living Non-Fiction Writer by True West Magazine.

On Wednesday morning, September 19, I drove to Center to provide a program for "Leadership Shelby County 2013." Leadership Shelby County is a year-long program designed to develop future civic leaders. Citizens of the county apply each year, and 15 men and women are selected. For one day each month, participants study economic development or education or quality of life or health and human services, etc.



Beautifully preserved, the picturesque Shelby County Courthouse was built in 1885.
On August 19. 2012, the historic structure hosted the opening meeting of
Leadership Shelby County.



Participants were given a tour of their fine old courthouse, including the handsome second-floor courtroom.



 The first session each year is "Heritage Day," an exploration of the county's past. The opening program was a political history of Shelby County, presented by State Representative Wayne Christian. Next a tour of Center's beautifully restored courthouse was conducted by local historian Louis Jones. In the afternoon a downtown walking tour was scheduled, along with a history of Shelbyville, the first county seat, and similar heritage programs.



Participants in Leadership Shelby County listened as Colleen Doggett
introduces me and my heritage program on the Regulator-Moderator War.



Colleen Doggett had asked me to present a heritage program on the infamous Regulator-Moderator War, which savaged the area from 1840-1844. At least 31 men were killed, women rode as scouts, and by 1844 more than 100 Moderators faced 200 Regulators. Texas experienced more blood feuds than any other state or territory. The Regulator-Moderator War was the first of these blood feuds, with the greatest number of deaths, thereby setting a murderous standard for later Texas feuds. No other blood feud had as many combatants, and only the personal intervention of President Sam Houston and 600 militia members of the Republic of Texas at last halted the violence.

I've written several books about feuds in Texas and elsewhere in the West, and I was delighted when I was asked by the East Texas Historical Association to write a book about the Regulator-Moderator War. War in East Texas, Regulators vs. Moderators was published by the ETHA in 2006.

The resulting program has proved popular, but I've never delivered it twice in two days. On Thursday afternoon, however, following the Wednesday program in Center, I drove to Tyler for an evening meeting of the Capt. James P. Douglas Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. I've provided a couple of programs in the past to the Tyler SCV camp. Previously I had discussed with them some aspect of Texas in the Civil War. But for this occasion I was specifically asked to talk about the "civil war" between Regulators and Moderators in East Texas during the 1840s.



Once each month the Capt. James P. Douglas camp of the SCV gathers in the meeting
room at Sweet Sue's Restaurant in Tyler. The Tyler group is the second-largest
among 83 SCV camps in the Texas Division.



There are 83 camps in the Texas Division, organized geographically in 11 SCV brigades across the state. The Tyler camp is part of the 8th Brigade, and it is one of the standout camps of the entire Texas Division. The camp is highly active in SCV events -- re-enactments, funeral details, educational programs at schools. An energetic recruitment program currently enlists new members, and the camp's roster now numbers 104, second only to a Houston camp with 120 members. The Tyler camp is aided in its efforts by a chapter of the Order of the Confederate Rose, which assists the SCV with historical, educational, benevolent, and social functions.

The immediate past director of the state OCR is Norma Holley; vivacious and highly organized, she remains active in affairs of the OCR. Norma's husband, Johnnie Lee Holley, is equally dedicated, and he has accepted promotion to First Commander of the Texas Division. As First Commander, Johnnie is second-in-command of the Texas Division, next in line to become Commander.



From the stage I'm watching approximately 450 sixth-graders at Lillard Intermediate School take their places.
A similar number of fifth graders came in the next period. Both groups displayed exemplary behavior, and are a credit to the Mansfield ISD.



After meeting with this enthusiatic band of Civil War historians, I drove to Mansfield to spend the following day with my oldest daughter, Lynn O'Neal Martinez. Lynn is an award-winning teacher in the Mansfield ISD. As soon as we learned of my appointment as State Historian, Lynn moved to bring me to her school, Mary Lillard Intermediate School, which teaches fifth- and sixth-graders. There was publicity about the visit of the State Historian throughout the school district, and entries -- including photos -- from my blog were shown to all classes at Lillard. When I arrived at Lillard on Friday morning I was greeted most graciously by the faculty and administration, as well as by the students.



My oldest daughter, Lynn O'Neal Martinez, once wore her Betsy Ross outfit in front
of Betsy's Philadelphia house so that she could have photos to show her students.
Of course, tourists came by and Lynn gave an impromptu talk, then posed for their cameras.



Lillard was climaxing Celebrate Freedoms Week, and I was asked to provide a program on the U.S. Constitution. As an Intermediate School, Lillard has no fourth- or seventh-grade classes with a social studies emphasis on Texas history. Of course, I was happy to provide a program on America's founding principles to more than 900 students. Lynn and I dressed in colonial garb, combined our teaching artifacts, and presented two 45-minute programs, first to 450 sixth-graders, then to same number of fifth-graders. The students were closely controlled by their teachers, and were most receptive to the presentation. I was extremely impressed by the staff and student body at Lillard.



At the end of a three-day journey of program presentations, I was given by my brother a

fine mememto of my investiture as State Historian. I'm deeply grateful for his thoughtfulness.



In three days I had visited three communities and presented programs to three diverse groups. And I stayed an extra night in Mansfield to watch an eight-year-old granddaughter play a doubleheader with her YMCA softball team. My brother and his wife, Mike and Jerilynn O'Neal, surprised us with a visit to the ballpark. Mike and Jerilynn came to the State Capitol on August 22 when Governor Perry gave me the oath of office. At Jerilynn's suggestion, Mike obtained from the Governor's office the flag that had flown over the Capitol, along with a certificate signed by the Governor. Photographs from the ceremony were added to a handsome framed display, and, of course, the flag. It is a thoughtful and splendid memento of a memorable family occasion.



History Club of East Texas

"Lone Star Historian" is a blog about the travels and activities of the State Historian of Texas. Bill O'Neal was appointed to a two-year term by Gov. Rick Perry on August 22, 2012, at an impressive ceremony in the State Capitol. Bill is headquartered at Panola College (www.panola.edu) in Carthage, where he has taught since 1970. For more than 20 years Bill conducted the state's first Traveling Texas History class, a three-hour credit course which featured a 2,100-mile itinerary. In 2000 he was awarded a Piper Professorship, and in 2012 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Wild West Historical Association. Bill has published almost 40 books, half about Texas history subjects, and in 2007 he was named Best Living Non-Fiction Writer by True West Magazine.

On Thursday evening, September 13, Karon and I drove to Jason's Deli in Longview to meet with the History Club of East Texas. I've been a member for many years, and each year I've presented at least one program. This year I was asked to provide the opening program of 2012-2013.



Bill addressing the History Club of East Texas on September 13, 2012



The History Club of East Texas originated in 1987 as the Civil War Roundtable of East Texas. David Stroud, instructor of history at Kilgore College, offered a course on the Civil War at the college center in Longview. Dr. Waymon Norman of Longview enrolled in the course, and to his surprise half of the class members were mature men -- "A bunch of grayheads like me," Dr. Norman laughed.

When the course ended Dr. Norman and his friends wanted to hear more about the Civil War. David Stroud suggested the organization of a Civil War Roundtable, and Nick Holly of Kilgore offered the use of his cafe one night each month. Nick provided coffee and tea, and David Stroud, a gifted speaker and a published author, frequently offered programs. Stroud, Dr. Norman, and Bobby Nieman, a Longview businessman and history buff, lined up other speakers. When I first spoke at Nick's Cafe, I was deeply  impressed by the gathering of history buffs who filled a room to learn about their favorite subject.

Dr. Norman organized a trip in a rented bus to a re-enactment of the Battle of Mansfield. When Nick Holly closed his cafe, the group moved to a meeting room made available by the Citizen's National Bank of Kilgore. After a time the Roundtable moved to a restaurant in Longview, where membership increased.

After a time the Roundtable moved again, to Jason's Deli in Longview. Members enjoyed the menu, and a meeting room could be closed off during the program. By this time the membership decided that they would enjoy a greater variety of programs, and there was a name change: History Club of East Texas. Modest dues were assessed -- $10 at first, $15 annually now -- so that speakers could be offered an honorarium.

Monthly meetings begin each September; there is no meeting in December; and there is a hiatus each summer. Meetings are scheduled for the second Thursday in the month. Members begin arriving at six o'clock to eat and visit, and the program begins at seven. David Stroud traditionally opens the year with a dynamic September presentation. I was penciled in as the November program, and Bobby Nieman provided a program each year. Bobby became the Official Historian of the Texas Rangers. Bobby also compiled numerous interviews with survivors of the tragic New London school explosion, but his projected book fell victim to his untimely demise.



Bill and current club president Richard Ash



Bobby served as president of the club, and so did Dr. Norman and David Stroud. A Marine in Vietnam, David suffers from combat injuries. He continues to teach at Kilgore College, but I was asked to pinch-hit for him this September. In addition to David, Dr. Ken Durham, retired professor at LeTourneau University, is a longtime member who frequently presents programs.

But aside from a few professional historians, the membership consists of men and women who simply love history. The History Club of East Texas is not a county historical society. It is not a DRT chapter, nor is it an SCV chapter. But for a quarter of a century its members have met regularly for the sole purpose of enjoying history programs with depth and color, while associating with kindred spirits. It's a privilege to meet with them.

El Paso

"Lone Star Historian" is a blog about the travels and activities of the State Historian of Texas. Bill O'Neal was appointed to a two-year term by Gov. Rick Perry on August 22, 2012, at an impressive ceremony in the State Capitol. Bill is headquartered at Panola College (www.panola.edu) in Carthage, where he has taught since 1970. For more than 20 years Bill conducted the state's first Traveling Texas History class, a three-hour credit course which featured a 2,100-mile itinerary. In 2000 he was awarded a Piper Professorship, and in 2012 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Wild West Historical Association. Bill has published almost 40 books, half about Texas history subjects, and in 2007 he was named Best Living Non-Fiction Writer by True West Magazine.



At Concordia Cemetery, the map of noted gravesites is decorated with
large photos of Wes Hardin (right) and John Selman.



Karon and I ended our trip to far West Texas with a day in El Paso. It had  been nearly 20 years since my last visit to El Paso's Concordia Cemetery, and I knew that improvements had been made to the gravesite of Concordia's most famous tenant, John Wesley Hardin. Just inside the north gate a map directs tourists to Hardin's nearby grave, as well as to the final resting place of other notables.



 

The grave of John Wesley Hardin is enclosed by a stone and metal fence,
complete with a state historical marker,
the initials "JWH," and the image of a brace of sixguns.

Hardin's grave now is protected by a fence which is decorated by his initials and fittingly, the representation of sixguns. The son of an East Texas Methodist preacher, Hardin was named after denominational founder John Wesley. But he was far less attracted to the Bible than to cap-and-ball revolvers. Incessant practice made him a crack shot and an expert handler of pistols. At 15 Wes Hardin killed his first man, and he gunned down a succession of officers who tried to arrest him. Hardin liked to drink and gamble, which caused a number of other altercations, and Wes always tried to be the first to open fire. He was imprisoned at Huntsville for 17 years, and after his release he gravitated to wide-open El Paso. Soon he clashed with another veteran gunfighter, John Selman, who sought out Hardin one night in the Acme Saloon. This time Selman opened fire first, and Wes Hardin died at the age of 42.







Several months later, in the spring of 1896, Selman was shot to death in El Paso by peace officer George Scarborough. Selman was interred at Concordia Cemetery, which is a major attraction for gunfighter buffs.



Security officer George Lopez cordially guides tourists to the gravesites of 
Hardin, Selman (shown here),
and other noted El Pasoans.



On past trips I visited the El Paso Museum of History in a single-story building that also served as a Visitor Information Center, located on the western edge of town. Four years ago the museum moved to a 44,000-square-foot facility in El Paso's downtown cultural district. Karon and I were shown every courtesy by staff members Susan Taylor, Rudy Chavez, and Director Jennifer Nielsen. There is much more room to present the 400-year history of El Paso, and to host the parade of school classes which are brought to this impressive institution.



Bill and Karon with Susan Taylor, Senior Education Coordinator

of El Paso's busy Museum of History.



Several blocks away we visited the Magoffin Home, a state historic site. Built in 1875 by a prominent merchant, the adobe Magoffin Home is beautifully preserved, with authentic furnishings and art, and a handsome central courtyard.



By that time we needed to proceed toward Arizona. But the El Paso Museum of History invited me to participate in a December event as State Historian, so in a few months it will be my pleasure to return to far West Texas.



West Texas ramble

On a recent trip to West Texas, my wife Karon and I stopped at Presidio San Saba, just west of Menard. I've been to this site many times, and on several occasions I brought traveling Texas History classes here from Panola College. The ruined presidio was partially rebuilt by the Texas Centennial Commission in 1937. But this reconstruction rapidly fell into disrepair, and was encircled by a municipal golf course.
 

The northwest tower of the presidio.

A few years ago, however, a concerted effort was launched through archaeological excavations, historical documents, and Spanish maps to compile the most accurate profile to date. A timber presidio had been built in 1757 near the new mission beside the San Saba River. But the next year a party of 2,000 Comanche warriors attacked the mission, looting and killing a number of people, including several soldiers who were sent from the presidio to the scene of fighting.

The presidio soon was enlarged and rebuilt of stone. Completed in 1764, the expanded presidio measured approximately 348 feet by 324 feet. Towers stood on the northwest and, near the river, the southeast corners. In 2011 a partial reconstruction was completed, along with a visitor center and a new entrance -- and a reconfigured golf course. A pivotal site of the Spanish mission strategy, the restoration of Presidio San Saba is well worth a visit.

A century after the massacre at Mission San Saba, Anglo settlers in the region still were battling Comanche warriors. In 1852 Fort McKavett was established near a major Comanche war trail about 20 miles west of the ruins of Presidio San Saba. There was considerable action during the 1850s, but the fort was abandoned at the outbreak of the Civil War. After the war the army returned, and Fort McKavett was rebuilt and expanded.



Karon in front of two sets of officers' quarters while touring Fort McKavett in a golf cart.

 

 Fort McKavett was decommissioned in 1883, no longer needed for frontier defense. Today it is superbly restored, with barracks, headquarters, officers' quarters, the post hospital, morgue, and post school appearing ready to resume garrison life. Tantalizing ruins include the two-story commanding officers' quarters, which once housed Col. Ranald Mackenzie, the army's most effective regimental leader during the Indian Wars. A nature trail leads to the springs which provided water for the post.



Bill and Buddy Garza

 

At Fort McKavett, Karon and I encountered park superintendent Buddy Garza, who hosted several Traveling Texas History classes from Panola College. Buddy was a key figure in the restoration work at nearby Presidio San Saba, and soon Fort Lancaster to the southwest will be consolidated under his superintendency.



Bill with Melissa Childress, who works long hours as a rancher's wife when not on duty at Fort Lancaster's visitor center.

 The highway to Fort Lancaster offers a spectacular drive along the "Old Government Road," a supply route that followed an earlier Indian trail. Fort Lancaster was founded in 1855 midway between Fort Clark and Fort Davis. Fort Lancaster was not rebuilt after the Civil War, and the fort ruins are as lonely today as the outpost of the 1850s. It was noon when Karon and I arrived, but we were the first visitors of the day.

 

Fort Stockton's guard house stands at the south end of the parade ground.



Pushing westward, we reached Fort Stockton during the afternoon. Founded in 1858, the post was strategically placed athwart the Great Comanche War Trail, only a gunshot's distance from the springs which provided water for Native Americans as well as for stagecoach and wagon travelers. Reoccupied after the Civil War, Fort Stockton was moved a short distance and rebuilt with substantial stone buildings. Most of these structures still stand around the parade ground, and several are open to visitors.



Because of the vast size of the Texas frontier and the long duration of Indian Wars in the Lone Star State, the federal government built more forts -- almost three dozen -- in Texas than in any other frontier state or territory. A great many are preserved as state or national parks. But Fort Stockton is a municipal operation, directed by Lacey Johnson from her office at the Annie Riggs Hotel and Museum, which is also her responsibility. Located just southeast of the courthouse, the adobe hotel is a sprawling structure with long porches and a courtyard. The museum collection is excellent, and Lacey is a model of efficiency with ambitious plans for the city's historical gems.  



Bill and Karon with Dr. Lacey Johnson at the Annie Riggs Hotel and Museum, built in 1899.





An hour's drive brought us to Pecos, which proudly proclaims itself "Home of the World's First Rodeo." On July 4, 1883, cowboys from area ranches staged a steer-roping contest in the streets south of the courthouse, cutting "blue ribbons" for winners from the dress of a little girl. A Texas Rodeo Hall of Fame will open in the town's handsome old depot.

  
 There are excellent displays and attractions at West-of-the-Pecos Museum and Park just north of the railroad tracks in the south part of town. Every room of the old hotel at left offers local treasures, and the 1896 saloon at right was the site of a gunfight in which Barney Riggs killed two other shootists. The bullet holes are proudly labeled. Behind these venerable buildings is a precise reproduction of Judge Roy Bean's Jersey Lily Saloon.


The Hudspeth County adobe courthouse

Karon and I arrived in Sierra Blanca before the courthouse closed. There are many splendid courthouses in Texas, but of the 254 counties in the state, the seat of government of Hudspeth County is unique. Erected in 1919, the Hudspeth County Courthouse is the only courthouse in Texas built of adobe. These adobe walls are 18 inches thick, and the courthouse is a National Registry Property. In 2003 the architecturally unique structure underwent a restoration with funding from the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program of the Texas Historical Commission.