Black Galveston

African-American Family photographic collection, Special Collections #72.4 Rosenberg Library, Galveston, Texas.

The Galveston and Texas History Center is home to many resources documenting African-American life in Galveston, from slavery, Juneteenth, Jim Crow, the Civil Rights movement, to the present day. Included in our collection are slave deeds documenting the sales of enslaved Black men and women, papers and photographs of modern-day celebrations of Juneteenth, which marks the day when newly emancipated African Americans in Galveston learned of their freedom, and books and photographs of figures such as businessman Norris Wright Cuney and famous boxer Jack Johnson. Rosenberg Library was also proud to serve as a venue for an interview with local civil rights activist Reginald Moore, where he talks about the history of convict leasing in Texas.

Our collection also contains the personal papers of noted Black Galvestonians such as Bert Carson Armstead Jr., Alfreda Houston, and Leon A. Morgan, as well as the records of historically Black institutions such as Rosewood Cemetery and Avenue L Baptist Church, Texas’ first African-American Baptist Church.

Research Guides:

• African-American History Resources: From Slavery to Juneteenth
• African-American History Resources: Reconstruction to the Present

Selected Online Resources:

• Voices from the Past online exhibit includes oral history videos and late 19^th-early 20^th century photographs. Watch and listen to personal stories from Galveston residents on topics such as segregation, discrimination, recreation, and childhood adventures.
• African American History in Galveston photo exhibit featuring late 19^th-early 20^th century photographs of the places and people that collectively portray the island’s rich African American cultural heritage.
• Galveston in the Green Book examines local sites listed in The Negro Motorist Green Book between 1939 and 1967.
• Notable Black Galvestonians online exhibit features Norris Wright Cuney, “Uncle” Newton Taylor, Jack Johnson, Lillian Davis, Jessie McGuire Dent, Leon Morgan, and Alfreda Houston.