January Newsletter
JANUARY 20, 2023
NEW BOARD MEMBERS
Preservation Texas has elected two new members to its Board of Directors who will serve an initial three-year term:
WILLIAM BATSON - William is an associate professor at Prairie View A&M University’s School of Architecture. He currently serves as Director of the university’s Community Urban Rural Enhancement Service Center. William's professional expertise extends to architectural design and drafting, landscape architecture, architectural conservation, urban planning and downtown revitalization.
DODIE JUAREZ-SCOTT - Dodie is a native of Houston who now resides in Wimberley. She has a passion for Texas history and culture, and is currently active in many community and statewide organizations, including the Governor’s Council and the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo International Committee.
2023 OFFICERS
CHARLES JOHN - President
WILLIS WINTERS - President Elect
SUE LAZARA - Vice President
RON SIEBLER - Treasurer
CHARLENE ORR - Secretary
Members of the Board serve as volunteers and meet quarterly around the state. This year's Board of Directors meetings are scheduled to take place in Austin (February), Mineral Wells (May), Cuero (August) and Houston (November).
STILL WATER FOUNDATION SUPPORTS PRESERVATION TEXAS
Preservation Texas is proud to announce that it has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the Still Water Foundation in support of general operations. The Foundation has been a valued partner in building the capacity of Preservation Texas and in developing plans for the long-term development of Bassett Farms Conservancy as a preservation and conservation training center. We are grateful for the continued support of the Still Water Foundation.
BASSETT FARMS CONSERVANCY
Preservation Texas has engaged Melanie Sanford of Dallas-based Conserving Threads to document and clean a collection of textiles, including quilts and quilt tops, that are associated with the Hopewell Freedom Colony at Bassett Farms Conservancy.
A workshop on the development of an exhibit related to these textiles will be presented at the 2023 Texas Association of Museums conference in San Antonio in April.
Most Endangered Places News
ABILENE: Preservation Texas lists former WTU power plant to Most Endangered Places list
The former West Texas Utilities power and ice plant has not been used for years. Yet, its smokestack stills adds to the downtown skyline..
AUSTIN: Preservation Texas places historic Austin’s Watson House on Most Endangered Places list
An 1853 house tucked among new UT development is a rare surviving antebellum residence in central Austin…
BASTROP: Bastrop business painting historic church to help with massive renovation
The Carpenter Gothic Style (theme included on Preservation Texas’s 2022 MEP list) Bastrop Christian Church has been standing for 127 years since its construction in 1895…
EL PASO: El Paso Downtown arena plan nixed by City Council
The controversial, years-long plan to build an arena in the historic Duranguito neighborhood in Downtown El Paso has been abandoned…
LINDEN: Preservation Texas grants $50,000 to help preserve Macedonia rock school
The rock school is Macedonia's central community building which traces its heritage back to 1942…
LONGVIEW: Petition to Save the Tournalaid Homes
During the WWII-era prefabricated housing boom, R.G. LeTourneau invented the “Tournalayer” - a machine that could cast houses in concrete. The last two Tournalaid homes in existence are now owned by Komatsu, and are set for demolition within the next 6-12 months…
LUBBOCK: Old Lubbock County jail building to be transformed into boutique hotel
The 1931 county jail in downtown Lubbock was included on Preservation Texas’s 2016 Most Endangered Places list…
MAUD: Epperson’s Ferry site placed on Texas Most Endangered Places list
Epperson’s Ferry site, on the border between Bowie and Cass Counties was recently named one of the state’s most endangered historic sites…
MEXIA: Texas music fans, Mexia boosters work to preserve famed songwriter Cindy Walker’s home
The Cindy Walker house was included on Preservation Texas’s 2022 Most Endangered Places list…
PALACIOS: A group of protesters continue to fight for the Luther Hotel
The Ed Rachal Foundation is set to demolish the historic Luther Hotel in January...
PORT BOLIVAR: The Future Looks Bright for Bolivar Point Lighthouse
The lighthouse stands on Point Bolivar in Galveston Bay. When built in 1872, it was the only lighthouse to guide ships through the bay, and it was the tallest of its kind in the state…
SOUTHEAST TEXAS: When the Most Endangered Places in Texas Hits a Little Too Close to Home
Preservation Texas listed the Luther Hotel in Palacios, Bolivar Point Lighthouse in Galveston County among the sites under threat...
TEXARKANA: The Jamison Building – Texas Rural African-American Heritage Grant Recipient
The Jamison-Thompson-Weatherford Building has been granted $50,000 through Preservation Texas’s Rural African-American Heritage Grants Program. Funds will be used to make improvements to the exterior of the building…
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 focused 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
Preservation Grants & Scholarships
TEXAS PRESERVATION TRUST FUND GRANTS
Applications are now available for FY 2024, which includes special funding opportunities for projects located in the Panhandle and Dallas. Grants are awarded for acquisition, survey, restoration, preservation, planning, and heritage education activities leading to the preservation of historic architectural and archeological properties and associated collections. Application deadline is 5 p.m. on Monday, February 6, 2023.
NATIONAL FUND FOR SACRED PLACES
The National Fund provides training, planning grants, technical assistance, capacity-building support, and capital grants up to $250,000 to congregations of all faiths for rehabilitation work on their historic facilities. Submit your letter of intent by February 24, 2023 for projects such as: urgent repair needs that are integral to life safety, projects that improve the usability or ADA accessibility of the property, or renovation projects that support important community outreach.
This program places undergraduate and graduate students from historically underrepresented groups in a ten-week paid summer internship with the Texas Historical Commission. Applications are open through March 19, 2023.
APT TEXAS EDUCATION AND RESEARCH GRANTS
Awards in the range of $250 each are available to undergraduate and graduate students in any Texas-based school with a project focused on or related to Historic Preservation. Application deadline in February 1, 2023.
Save the Date
Texas A&M University's Center for Heritage Conservation will hold its 24th annual symposium on March 4, 2023. This year's topic will be “Saving Social Spaces.”
