Recently Digitized Collections from the Galveston and Texas History Center

Photo Captions and Credits: Two girls playing tennis at the Young Women’s Christian Association administration building, Galveston, Texas. Circa 1925. G-6794_FF003_002, Galveston Photographic Subject Files: Organizations. Rosenberg Library, Galveston, Texas.

By Sean McConnell, Senior Archivist

Staff at the Galveston and Texas History Center continue to digitize manuscripts and photographs that document Galveston’s and Texas’ rich history. Digitization provides patrons both local and remote access to historically valuable material. Digital access remains especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic because many patrons cannot visit the collections on site. Staff at the GTHC are committed to providing as much access as possible during this trying time. Recently digitized collections include:

• Slave deeds collection—a collection of deeds relating to the sale of enslaved individuals in Austin and San Antonio in the 1860s.
• The Slave’s Friend—a children’s magazine published circa 1836 by the American Anti-Slavery Society.
• G-Files: Transportation—historic photographs of horses and buggies, automobiles, locomotives, and railway stations.
• G-Files: Organizations—photographs of various organizations, including the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, masonic groups, the YMCA and YWCA, the Red Cross, fraternal organizations, and veterans’ organizations.

The majority of this work has been done by GTHC’s Senior Archivist, Sean McConnell, and GTHC Archivist Kevin Kinney. These collections have been digitized in-house, which kept them available to researchers throughout the process. The GTHC has also sent Kempner family papers and copies of the Galveston Tribune to the University of North Texas for digitization and inclusion in the Portal to Texas History. The Portal to Texas History is free to access. The Galveston Tribune collection currently includes editions of the newspaper from 1885 to 1904, but later editions are continually being digitized. The project is funded by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services through a grant to the Texas State Libraries and Archives Commission (grant number TXT-21009).

How can you find more? Click on “Search Archives Catalog” at the bottom of this page. For more information, contact Lauren Martino Henry, Special Collections Manager, at 409-763-8854 x117.

Front cover of "The Slave’s Friend." Circa 1836. The Slave's Friend, MS84-0012. Rosenberg Library, Galveston, Texas.

Last updated: 3/9/2021 KK, 3/27/21 LMH