Members: You are invited to an exclusive event about President John F. Kennedy, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and the 60th Anniversary of their visit to Houston with LULAC. RSVP to info@heritagesociety.org. Need to renew your membership or join to be invited to special events? Please click here: https://www.heritagesociety.org/membership-join.

Thank you to our platinum sponsor Constellation Energy.

JUNETEENTH SPEAKER SERIES PROGRAM

Saturday, June 17, 2023    11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Join us for our second annual Juneteenth educational program experience “From Plantation to Emancipation”. This year, our program is free to the public thanks to our sponsors at Constellation Energy.

Special Guests: Georgia Nolan, Past Texas State President, Chairperson NACW and Past President of Houston; Trinity United Methodist Church; Rae Bryant of the Houston Suffragists Project; Descendants of the Reverend Jack Yates and Members of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church

SPEAKERS

Opening by vocalist Sheryl Brady, Member of NACW

• Brady researched music that was sung by the NACW members in the early part of the 20th century

Dr. Donald Williams recites the Emancipation Proclamation, General Order No. 3

• Union General Gordon Granger and his troops traveled to Galveston, Texas to announce General Order No. 3 on June 19th, 1865.  Williams is a Texas historian, veteran, and THS board member who performs poetry for organizations

Welcome and Juneteenth Introduction by Martha Whiting-Goddard, great granddaughter of Jack Yates

• Whiting-Goddard is a THS board member who helped relocate the 1870 Jack Yates House to Sam Houston Park, wrote our Black History Tour Program and headed our UNESCO historic house designation project

175th Anniversary of Trinity UMC Church by Anita Lee-Punch, TUMC Historian

• Lee-Punch will be sharing how Trinity was formed in 1848 by enslaved men. It has been located at Live Oak and Holman streets in Third Ward since 1951.

B.H. Grimes of the Ancient Order of Pilgrims by Dr. Kevin J. Williams, descendant of Buchanan H. Grimes

• The Ancient Order of Pilgrims was established in Houston in 1882 to address economic issues faced by the city's African-American population during the difficult years following the period of Reconstruction.

The Pilgrim Temple Memorabilia Collection by Cheryle Cavitt, daughter of Roscoe A. Cavitt, the former Executive Secretary of National Negro Chamber of Commerce

• In 1926 the fraternal organization of The Ancient Order of Pilgrims erected a headquarters building called the Pilgrim Temple. The structure is long-gone from the corner across from THS, but an historic marker for the organization has been placed in Sam Houston Park.

The Reverend Jack Yates House by Devaron Yates, descendant of Jack Yates

• Yates, a preservationist, will share an architectural review of the 1870 Jack Yates House that was originally located at 1318 Andrews Street in Freedmen's Town and now in Sam Houston Park.  Reader’s Digest has named the house the most famous house in Texas for two years in a row.

The UNESCO Slave Route Project and Slavery Migration Studies by Summer Perritt of Rice University

• Perritt will share segments of her dissertation on the migration of Black Americans to the U.S. South in the post-civil rights era and her primary research interests include Black southern identity, Black culture, slavery, and memory.

Video about Willie Blount, first graduate of a Texas law school

• Very little was known about this female trailblazer until now.

Each October, the Texas Historical Commission celebrates the spirit of discovering Texas' past. It's an opportunity for Texans to understand the depth and richness of our heritage. 

Celebrate with us on Saturday, October 15, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., at 1100 Bagby Street for an Archaeology Day with free hands-on activities and demonstrations, activity kits, and a museum gallery tour about Texas history.  We will also be making Smores for dessert! No R.S.V.P. needed, just bring the family, class, or troop at 1:00 p.m.

This event is generously being sponsored by Cypress Environmental Consulting and Colliers Engineering & Design. This STEM event is being directed by senior archeologist Kaity Ulewicz, MSc, RPA who is a member of the following professional organizations: American Anthropological Institution, Archaeological Institute of America, Council of Texas Archaeologists, Register of Public Archaeologists, Society for American Archaeology, and Texas Archaeological Society.

Join us at 7 PM, Wednesday, August 3 and THS board member Mister McKinney of Historic Houston as he interviews authors of Oldest Houston —Lydia Schrandt & Biju Sukumaran. Their book creatively walks through some of the oldest attractions found in Houston. The author shows the city's diverse culture by taking readers on a journey through the oldest buildings, businesses, and neighborhoods.

Chance to win prizes from The Heritage Society and learn about the exciting exhibits coming to The Heritage Society from Executive Director Alison Bell. This program is free, thanks to our donors.

Our Speaker Series has returned! Come have lunch with us in-person or participate via Zoom! Our Speaker Series invites HOUnique subject matter experts on Houston and Texas history. Meet like-minded Houstonians at these events, bring your work colleagues, and invite your friends. Proceeds from the event go to preserving Houston history.

Join historian Cheryle Cavitt for stories about Houston’s Black-owned businesses located at the sophisticated Pilgrim Temple. This is a unique Black History lecture, because Cheryle and her mother were responsible for attaining the historical marker The Ancient Order of Pilgrims in Sam Houston Park. Cheryle has a mini-museum from the Pilgrim Temple’s days of glory and we are looking forward to seeing what she brings to the Tea Room.

A Zoom meeting link will be shared with those who register.

If joining us in person, we will send you instructions with a lunch menu or you may click here to see the lunch menu to place an order. We will pick up your lunch at Rosalie located at the C. Baldwin Hotel (named after Charlotte Baldwin, “the mother of Houston”). You may also bring your own lunch. Drinks are available for sale in our gift shop.