December Newsletter

DECEMBER 6, 2022

WELCOMING CONOR HERTERICH

Thanks to the generous support of the Dealey Family Foundation and The Summerlee Foundation, Preservation Texas has hired Conor Herterich as our Northeast Texas Program Officer and Endangered Properties Manager. Conor is a native of Northeast Texas and attended Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches for both his undergrad and masters degrees. He qualifies under the National Park Service standards as an architectural historian, has served as a municipal preservation officer in Indiana, and has experience with hands-on preservation.

Based in Tyler, Conor will serve as a first point of contact for members and stakeholders in the Northeast Texas region, and will also oversee our Rural African American Heritage Grant Program and future revolving fund projects. Conor will begin working with PT on January 3rd.

MOST ENDANGERED PLACES UPDATES

SAN MARCOS (Hays County) - Preservation Texas staff organized a day of documentation of the 1964 Jackson Chapel, an African-American mid-century modern church which has been slated for demolition due to major structural issues. A measured drawing of the building was made while volunteers recorded oral histories with long-time members of the congregation. Extensive photographs were taken and several artists from the Austin-based Urban Sketchers group made drawings and paintings of the exterior. Jackson Chapel is located in the Dunbar Historic District, which was included on our 2021 Most Endangered Places list.

*Painting of Jackson Chapel by Cindy Schiffgens with Urban Sketchers Austin*

STATEWIDE - Preservation Texas announced its 2022 list of Texas's Most Endangered Places on December 1st.

Since 2004, our list of Most Endangered Places has served as a reminder that there are some places that must not be lost because they are too important. It has served as a call to action to ensure that treasured sites will endure for generations to come. And through statewide collaboration, it has empowered those working to save them.

TAYLOR (Williamson County) - Preservation Texas's Board of Directors has voted to serve as a fiscal sponsor for the reconstruction of the Dr. James Dickey House, which was burned by an arsonist in July after years of preservation efforts. The house was included on our 2008 list of Texas's Most Endangered Places.

The Dickey House Museum will be applying for a major grant from the St. David's Foundation towards the project, which will adhere to the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Reconstruction.

2023 PROGRAMS

FEBRUARY

1st - 3rd: Preservation Texas will be an exhibitor at the Texas Historical Commission's Real Places Conference in Austin, February 1-3. Feel free to stop by and visit with PT staff and board members to learn more about our plans and programs for 2023.

25th: Volunteers are needed to assist with cleanup of the historic Hopewell Cemetery at Bassett Farms Conservancy in eastern Falls County on Saturday February 25th.

Much of the cemetery is overgrown with thick, woody vegetation that needs to be removed before the cemetery's headstones can be documented and assessed. We also plan to use ground penetrating radar to identify the locations of the many unmarked gravesites in the Freedom Colony's cemetery, including the graves of Union veterans Dred Williams and Robert Green.

Volunteers who have never been a PT member will receive a free introductory membership. If you'd like to volunteer, please e-mail us at bassettfarms@preservationtexas.org

MAY

May is National Historic Preservation Month, and Preservation Texas is planning to coordinate a range of events focusing on sites that have been included on our Most Endangered Places list. Activities will range from public open houses to special media events that will draw increased awareness to these significant places, whether they have been saved or still await preservation work.

If you are interested in participating, email hunick@preservationtexas.org

BOARD OF DIRECTORS UPDATES

Preservation Texas's Board of Directors met last month in Jefferson for its Fall quarterly meeting. Board members toured a number of historic places in Marion and Cass Counties. Preservation Texas was welcomed at a reception hosted by former board member Dick Collins at his magnificent House of the Seasons, where PT's board and staff were joined by local preservationists.

Our 2023 Board of Directors meetings are scheduled to take place in Austin (February), Mineral Wells (May), Cuero (August) and Houston (November).

ADVOCACY UPDATE

The 2023 Texas legislative session is just around the corner, and Preservation Texas's Advocacy Committee is inviting our current Nonprofit/Local Government members to participate in a virtual meeting on Thursday December 14th at 4:00pm CST.

If your organization is not a currently a member of PT, but is interested in discussing the upcoming legislative session and plans for a statewide Preservation Day at the Capitol, be sure to join or renew before the 14th.