HISTORY ON TAP

History on Tap is a free program for the community held at North Shepherd Brewing 4816 N. Shepherd Drive HTX 77018

Tuesday, February 11, 2025, at 6:30 PM

Speaker: Rion Braddock “Texas Tales Untold in a Textbook”

Please join us for a rousing discussion of Early Texas and stories you will not find in a school textbook!!  Most of us know the story of the Texas Revolution and how Texas won its independence from Mexico.  But… is there more to the story?

·    Why did our Texas heroes come to Texas in the first place?

·    What did they want once they got here?

·    What did they do once they were here?

·    What did Santa Anna do during his march through Texas?

·    What about the Yellow Rose of Texas?

Let’s explore some of these questions and discover “the rest of the story”.

History on Tap is a free program for the community held at North Shepherd Brewing at 6:30 p.m. 4816 N. Shepherd Drive HTX 77018

Tuesday, January 14, 2025, at 6:30 PM

Speaker: Dr. Brian Riedel “Whose Montrose?: a Neighborhood History”

Elite suburb, “gayborhood,” crime-ridden urban core, cultural mecca, gentrified contradiction – Montrose has been all these things and more. In this talk, Brian Riedel of Rice University will discuss the history of this iconic Houston neighborhood and its place in the city’s imagination of itself.

Bio:

A native of North Carolina, Brian Riedel has called Houston home since 1997.  In his role as Associate Director for the Center for the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Rice University, he connects community conversations and academic resources through teaching, research, and public events.  He is currently completing a book manuscript, 'Sex, Race, and the City: New Histories of Houston,' a history of the city that centers its sexual and racial past.  Outside these pursuits, he enjoys spending time with his husband and their two dogs.  You can learn more about him at https://profiles.rice.edu/faculty/brian-riedel.

August 30th is Houston's birthday!  Come see how tomorrow's leaders rally for Houston's future with today's City leadership in celebration of Houston's history. This is an energetic, rally event on Saturday, August 24.  

Free Houston History Bus Tours at 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. First come, first serve.

Join us on Wednesday, 5/1, on Facebook or Instagram at 7 p.m. with Mister McKinney of Mister McKinney's Historic Houston as he hosts Facebook Live with author Richard Cunningham speaking about West University History in this free, online program.

West University history is Harris County history, and Cunningham’s book West University Place will take you on a journey of how it transformed then flourished. The real estate development called West University Place was part of a trend in the early 20th century of building affordable neighborhoods away from city centers; it was never meant to be a city on its own. West University Place evolved from treeless farmland into one of the most livable small towns in Texas—but the journey was not easy. More than once, the enterprise could have failed. If not for the actions of visionary leaders and dedicated residents, things may have turned out quite differently.

Cunningham, who is a freelance science writer, is author of the novel, Three Good Leads, a sequel to Maude Brown’s Baby, his debut novel. Three Good Leads is set in Houston and Galveston during the 1918 Influenza pandemic.  These fictional books were inspired by authentic vintage photographs that had a life of their own. 

Today, Cunningham serves on the City of West University Place Parks and Recreation Board. In 2021, he originated research into the location of the 1894 Harris County Poor Farm, which led to the approval of a historical marker on the Edloe Street pathway. He and his wife live in a 1948 cottage in West U that they remodeled in 2007.

Join Executive Director Alison Bell and Mister McKinney for a night of Houston history!

Join us on Wednesday, 4/3 on Facebook or Instagram at 7 p.m. with Mister McKinney of Mister McKinney's Historic Houston as he hosts Facebook Live with guest Robert Kimberly speaking about Legacy of Sig Byrd in this free, online program.

Robert Kimberly is the author of The Digital Sig Byrd Archive, “Houston Press Columnist Sigman Byrd, a Mid-Century Chronicler of Houston People and Places Long Gone”. The Digital Sig Byrd Archive is an online repository of Houston Press columns by Sigman Byrd, the mid-century chronicler of a Houston long gone. Byrd’s writings about underdogs and “the drifts of life”, from 1947 – mid 1950s, leave behind a unique portrait of Houston’s demimonde: its junkies, hookers, hustlers, street-corner preachers, pawnshop owners, honky-tonk angels, boogie-woogie boys, dealers, and more. However, upstanding Houstonians made appearances as well. The site looks to offer an accessible introduction to his writings, reward deep exploration of the archives and provide names, places, maps and calendars to offer a broad overview of his writings during his time at the Houston Press.

Kimberly works at the Blaffer Art Museum at the University of Houston and previously worked for the Museum of Fine Arts - Houston and the Houston Center for Photography.

Join Executive Director Alison Bell and Mister McKinney for a night of Houston history!

The New Red Book Exhibit presents: Life in the Nickel Film Screening and Conversation with Filmmaker Keda Sharber

Saturday, July 29

1:30 - 4 p.m.

Life in the Nickel is a short documentary that examines the notions of community, education, and wellness through the eyes of three people whose roots run deep in Houston's Historic 5th Ward.

CAST:

Jotina Buck

Alvin David Byrd, Jr.

Bianca Dugas

FILMED/DIRECTED/EDITED BY:

Keda Sharber

We will be in the Tea Room.  This event is free to the public.  Donations are appreciated.

*Funded by the 5th Ward Go Neighborhoods Spark Arts Grant.  

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.

Join Cian and Kennedy as they demonstrate toys from yesteryear and share toy history at our booth at HEB’s Art Car Parade Children’s Zone.

Free giveaways while they last. Free event at Sam Houston Park at 1000 Bagby Street.

Watch this Wednesday on Facebook or Instagram at 7 PM and learn about the past stories of Pearland. Mister McKinney of Mister McKinney's Historic Houston hosts Facebook Live with Donald Hayes in this #free online program. Hayes is a Board Member at Pearland Foundation for the Performing and Visual Arts and is an officer of the Pearland Historical Society. He also is the founder of Untold Tales Marketing. Join us for education, trivia, and prizes.

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.