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Online Exhibits (newest to oldest)
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From humble beginnings with
little money or public support, the Texas
prison system eventually transformed into
a self-supporting network of sugar and cotton
farms. But hellish conditions
and brutal punishments led to one of the
greatest scandals in Texas history, and began
a cycle of reform that brought Texas to a new
era of professional penology. |
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Though Texans had fought for many years
to achieve annexation to the United States,
they voted decisively to secede from the
Union and join the Confederacy in 1861. From
the embattled cotton port of Galveston to
the besieged Indian frontier, from the Louisiana
border to the Rio Grande, Texans would spend
the next four bitter, desperate years learning
the reality of war.
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Created in 1923, the State Parks Board struggled
until the New Deal poured millions of federal
dollars into creating state parks for Texas.
In the decades to follow, Texans who loved
the outdoors promoted state parks as a public
good that provides fun and serenity to the
public while preserving the natural beauty
of Texas. But always the parks have competed
with other state needs and priorities.
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At the time of the Texas Revolution, most
Texans and Americans assumed that the Republic
of Texas would be swiftly annexed to the
United States. Instead, the process of annexation
took nine long and bruising years. In hindsight,
Texas annexation seems inevitable. But it
all could have been so different. |
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For the next ten years, four very different
men led the Republic of Texas down a difficult
and unknown path as an independent nation.
Although these men were different--sawmill
operator, soldier, poet, doctor--they were
also much alike. To a man they had known
crushing failure. Each had the heart and
nerve to take the helm of a penniless, lawless
land and dream of the mighty Texas it might
one day become. Each of them, for good and
for ill, shaped that destiny. This is their
story. |
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The sailors of Texas were vital to the survival
of the Republic; they defended the coastline,
ensured Texas supply lines, and brought in
much-needed revenue from prizes and captures.
In this exhibit, adventure in the Gulf is
paired with a political blood feud which
brought the Navy crashing down amidst charges
of piracy, mutiny, and murder.
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For more than three centuries, relations
between whites and Indians occupied a central
place in Texas life. The Texas State Library
and Archives is home to a massive collection
called the Texas Indian Papers. These and
other documents and photographs from our
collections tell the story of an epic clash
of cultures. |
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Government
documents, photographs, political cartoons,
and other artifacts help tell the story
of the agency founded in 1891 on a tide
of populist resentment of the railroads
that went on in the 20th century to wield
legendary power over the supply and price
of oil and natural gas. |
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In
the years from 1877 to 1900, the
Gilded Age in American history, F.
E. "Ernst" and Oscar Ruffini
were part of the first wave of professional
architects to practice in Texas. A
large collection of their drawings,
specifications, and correspondence
can be viewed on site at the Texas
State Library and Archives. Representative
examples of their work are included
in this exhibit. |
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Diaries
and letters of Texas women, political
cartoons, government documents, and
photographs and postcards tell the
little-known story of the women activists
who fought to overcome societal attitudes
and entrenched power and won the rights
of full citizenship. |
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Fifty-two
African-American men served Texas as
either state legislative members or
Constitutional Convention delegates
during the last half of the 19th century,
representing the
first significant political achievement
by the African-American citizens of
this state. |
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Henry McArdle's battle paintings, Dawn
at the Alamo and The Battle of San
Jacinto, have become Texas icons. The
painstaking detail of the paintings was
reflected in exhaustive research. McArdle's
notebooks are packed with letters, notes,
and photographs documenting the paintings
and the events they depict. |
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Biographies of all of the governors
of Texas, complete with official portraits,
timeline of events, revealing documents,
and rare photos. |
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This
exhibition highlights the greatest treasures
of the Texas State Library and Archives, from
Travis' Letter from the Alamo to the original
Ordinance of Secession, from historic flags
to wanted posters for Sam Bass and Clyde Barrow.
New treasures and topics will be added on
a periodic basis.
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