East Texas Historical Association
Encyclopedia
The East Texas Historical Association is an organization of professional historian
s and interested laypersons dedicated to the preservation of the overall history of East Texas
, generally defined as that portion of the state east of Interstate 35
. The association was founded in 1962 after a long hiatus. It is based at Stephen F. Austin State University
in Nacogdoches
, Texas
, also the home of the Texas Folklore Society
. ETHA holds an annual meeting each September in Nacogdoches, with a second gathering in February at variable locations throughout east Texas.
Through its meetings and publications, ETHA seeks to preserve historical records, manuscripts, letters, journals, maps, and pictures relating to East Texas. It supports historic preservation
, with an interest in architectural worth. Its primary publication is the East Texas Historical Journal. There is an index of published Journal articles to assist in historical research. Regular membership is $35 per year and $400 for lifetime participation.
Past ETHA presidents include the late Claude Hall
, an American diplomatic historian at Texas A&M University
in College Station
, who served from 1976–1977; Bill O'Neal
, prolific western author from Panola College
in Carthage
, Texas, who head the association from 1991–1992, and Rober T. "Ty" Cashion (born 1956) of Sam Houston State University
in Huntsville
, Texas, the president from 2002-2003.
Archie P. McDonald (born 1935) of Nacogdoches was named the first ETHA executive director/editor in 1979. McDonald retired from the position in 2008 after thirty-seven years of service. McDonald has written or edited numerous works on East Texas. Following his retirement, Scott Sosebee replaced McDonald as executive director/editor of the Association and continues those duties in the present. Sosebee is an assistant professor of history at Stephen F. Austin State University and researches and writes on Texas and southern history.
ETHA has eight awards:
A previous ETHA functioned from 1927–1932, having been established by W.F. Garner, chairman of the history department at the then Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College. The group met in Nacogdoches in 1927 and annually thereafter on college campuses in Huntsville, Commerce
, and Nacogdoches, until it disbanded during the Great Depression
. Among those who read papers at its meetings were Eugene C. Barker
of the University of Texas at Austin
, Martha Emmons of Nacogdoches High School and later Baylor College
, and the Reverend George Louis Crocket (1861–1936), a retired Protestant Episcopal
minister from Nacogdodhes, who served as the first associational president. The organization was thereafter revived in 1962 under the leadership of Ralph Wright Steen (1905–1980), the Stephen F. Austin University president and C.K. Chamberlain, then history department chairman at Stephen F. Austin. Two of the ETHA awards are hence named for Steen and Chamberlain.
In February 2010, ETHA held its first ever joint meeting in Fort Worth
with the older West Texas Historical Association
, based at the Southwest Collection of Texas Tech University
in Lubbock
.
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
s and interested laypersons dedicated to the preservation of the overall history of East Texas
East Texas
East Texas is a distinct geographic and ecological area in the U.S. state of Texas.According to the Handbook of Texas, the East Texas area "may be separated from the rest of Texas roughly by a line extending from the Red River in north central Lamar County southwestward to east central Limestone...
, generally defined as that portion of the state east of Interstate 35
Interstate 35
Interstate 35 is a north–south Interstate Highway in the central United States. I-35 stretches from Laredo, Texas, on the U.S.-Mexico border to Duluth, Minnesota, at Minnesota Highway 61 and 26th Avenue East. Many interstates used to have splits or spurs indicated with suffixed letters , but I-35...
. The association was founded in 1962 after a long hiatus. It is based at Stephen F. Austin State University
Stephen F. Austin State University
Stephen F. Austin State University is a public university located in Nacogdoches, Texas, United States. Founded as a teachers' college in 1923, the university was named after one of Texas' founding fathers, Stephen F. Austin. Its campus resides on part of the homestead of another Texas founding...
in Nacogdoches
Nacogdoches, Texas
Nacogdoches is a city in Nacogdoches County, Texas, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the city's population to be 32,996. It is the county seat of Nacogdoches County and is situated in East Texas. Nacogdoches is a sister city of Natchitoches, Louisiana.Nacogdoches is the home of...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, also the home of the Texas Folklore Society
Texas Folklore Society
The Texas Folklore Society is a non-profit organization formed in 1909. John Avery Lomax and Leonidas Warren Payne, Jr., conceived the idea for the Society and served as its first officers....
. ETHA holds an annual meeting each September in Nacogdoches, with a second gathering in February at variable locations throughout east Texas.
Through its meetings and publications, ETHA seeks to preserve historical records, manuscripts, letters, journals, maps, and pictures relating to East Texas. It supports historic preservation
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
, with an interest in architectural worth. Its primary publication is the East Texas Historical Journal. There is an index of published Journal articles to assist in historical research. Regular membership is $35 per year and $400 for lifetime participation.
Past ETHA presidents include the late Claude Hall
Claude Hall
Claude Hampton Hall, Sr. , was an historian of primarily American diplomacy who spent his entire academic career at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas...
, an American diplomatic historian at Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
in College Station
College Station, Texas
College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, situated in East Central Texas in the heart of the Brazos Valley. The city is located within the most populated region of Texas, near three of the 10 largest cities in the United States - Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio...
, who served from 1976–1977; Bill O'Neal
Bill O'Neal
John William O'Neal, known as Bill O'Neal , is an American author who has written some thirty books and more than three hundred articles and book reviews on the American West, including gunfighters, lawmen, and ghost towns; Country music, with emphasis on Texas artists; baseball, such as his study...
, prolific western author from Panola College
Panola College
Panola College is a community college located in Carthage, Texas. The name derives from Panola County, Texas, of which Carthage is the county seat.As defined by the Texas Legislature, the official service area of Panola College is the following:...
in Carthage
Carthage, Texas
Carthage is a city in Panola County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,664 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Panola County, and is situated in East Texas near the Louisiana state line.-Geography:...
, Texas, who head the association from 1991–1992, and Rober T. "Ty" Cashion (born 1956) of Sam Houston State University
Sam Houston State University
Sam Houston State University was founded in 1879 and is the third oldest public institution of higher learning in the State of Texas. It is located in Huntsville, Texas. It is one of the oldest purpose-built institutions for the instruction of teachers west of the Mississippi River and the first...
in Huntsville
Huntsville, Texas
Huntsville is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Texas, United States. The population was 35,508 at the 2010 census. It is the center of the Huntsville micropolitan area....
, Texas, the president from 2002-2003.
Archie P. McDonald (born 1935) of Nacogdoches was named the first ETHA executive director/editor in 1979. McDonald retired from the position in 2008 after thirty-seven years of service. McDonald has written or edited numerous works on East Texas. Following his retirement, Scott Sosebee replaced McDonald as executive director/editor of the Association and continues those duties in the present. Sosebee is an assistant professor of history at Stephen F. Austin State University and researches and writes on Texas and southern history.
ETHA has eight awards:
- C.K. Chamberlain Award—the best article appearing the previous year in the East Texas Historical Journal (September)
- Ralph W. Steen Award—outstanding service to historical efforts in East Texas (February)
- Fellows Award—authors of East Texas history of outstanding quality or interest (September)
- Lucille Terry Preservation Award—recognizes preservation of historical landmarks (February)
- Best of East Texas Award—greatest honor for those promoting East Texas history (September)
- Educator Award—to outstanding educator in the field of East Texas history (by March 1)
- Best Book on East Texas History -- $250 award and plaque
- Research Grants—for scholars in East Texas history
A previous ETHA functioned from 1927–1932, having been established by W.F. Garner, chairman of the history department at the then Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College. The group met in Nacogdoches in 1927 and annually thereafter on college campuses in Huntsville, Commerce
Commerce, Texas
Commerce is a city in Hunt County, Texas, United States, located in rural East Texas. The population was 7,669 at the 2000 census, however recent growth and its proximity to Interstate 30 and the eastern Metroplex has put the population around 9750...
, and Nacogdoches, until it disbanded during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. Among those who read papers at its meetings were Eugene C. Barker
Eugene C. Barker
Eugene Campbell Barker was a distinguished professor of Texas history at the University of Texas at Austin. He was the first living person to have a UT campus building, the Eugene C. Barker Texas History Center, named in his honor. The structure is part of the Center for American History and was...
of the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
, Martha Emmons of Nacogdoches High School and later Baylor College
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
, and the Reverend George Louis Crocket (1861–1936), a retired Protestant Episcopal
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
minister from Nacogdodhes, who served as the first associational president. The organization was thereafter revived in 1962 under the leadership of Ralph Wright Steen (1905–1980), the Stephen F. Austin University president and C.K. Chamberlain, then history department chairman at Stephen F. Austin. Two of the ETHA awards are hence named for Steen and Chamberlain.
In February 2010, ETHA held its first ever joint meeting in Fort Worth
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
with the older West Texas Historical Association
West Texas Historical Association
The West Texas Historical Association is an organization of both academics and laypersons dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of the total history of West Texas, defined geographically as all Texas counties and portions of counties located west of Interstate 35.-Formation of the...
, based at the Southwest Collection of Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
in Lubbock
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
.