Thursday, August 13, 2015

Fifth Annual Houston History Conference - “On the Cusp of War: Houston in the 1860s”

The Houston History Alliance is hosting its fifth annual Houston History Conference on Saturday, September 12, 2015 at the M.D. Anderson Library at the University of Houston, from 9 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m.

Titled “On the Cusp of War: Houston in the 1860s,” the conference will address not only the social, institutional and economic changes in the Houston area as a result of the Civil War, but also address historical movements since the 1860 through presentations and discussions with Houston leadership, scholars, academics and the public. The format includes keynote speakers, breakout sessions with the choice of two or more panel presentations per session, and exhibits/interactive displays from local history and neighborhood organizations.

At the conference, former Mayor Bill White will present two special awards to living history legends J.P. Bryan (Houston History Hero Award) and John Britt (Betty Trapp Chapman Houston History Award), in appreciation of their tireless work in the field of history.
Presentations scheduled for the program include:

·         Juneteenth – former Texas legislator Albert "Al" Edwards—author and sponsor of House bill making June 19th a paid holiday in Texas; Alvia Wardlaw, Ph.D., Texas Southern University; Merline Pitre, Ph.D., Texas Southern University; Naomi Carrier, Independent Scholar; Portia Baker Hopkins, Lee College
·         Worrying Women, Working Women: Houston Area Women during Civil War and Reconstruction - Angela Boswell, Henderson State University
·         The Slaves of Houston from Steamboat Arrival to Emancipation - Kelly M. Ray, Chicago, Museum Curator and Independent Scholar
·         Civil War on the Upper Gulf Coast - Ken Grubb, Battle of Galveston, Wharton County College; Brady Hutchinson, Sabine Pass, San Jacinto College
·         Reconstruction in Houston – Ronald Goodwin, Ph.D., Prairie View A&M University
·         Antebellum Wilderness: The Natural History of the Houston Area - Jaime Gonzalez, Independent Scholar
·         The Changing Images of Houston, 1860-1900 - Ann Becker, Harris County Historical Commission.
·         Houston Activism - Houston History magazine staff:
o       Yates High School Principal William Holland the Third Ward Community - Debbie Z. Harwell, managing editor
o       Animal Rights Activism in Houston - Lindsay Scovil, associate editor
o       Chicana Activist Maria Jimenez - Denise Gomez, oral history intern
o       Houston’s Graffiti Art: Visual Activism - Nimra Haroon, magazine intern
o       Can Catholicism Win America? Kennedy, Anti-Catholicism, and the Election of 1960 - John S. Huntington, University of Houston
o       Our Endurance is Exhausted! The Black Campus Movement in Houston, Texas, 1960-1969 - Stephanie Weiss, University of Houston
o       A Troubled Relationship: Gay Houstonians and the Police, 1975-1995 - Chris Haight, University of Houston
o       The Texas Federal Writers Project’s Houston City Guide: Travel For Change - Michael Mitchell, College Library Director, Houston Community College Southeast
o       Oveta Culp Hobby: How a Small-town Texas Girl became a National Treasure - Debra Winegarten, independent scholar and author of “Oveta Culp Hobby: Colonel, Cabinet Member, Philanthropist”
o       The War on Poverty and the Struggle for Democracy in Houston during the 1960s - Wesley G. Phelps, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of History, Sam Houston State University
o       Houston in 1860 - Eddie Weller, Ph.D. San Jacinto College
o       Race and Faith in the Bayou City: African American, Latina/o, and Anglo Baptists in Houston’s Civil Rights Movements - David Cameron, Texas A&M University
o       Hidden Heritage: The History & Legacy of African American Planning in Houston-Area Freedom Colonies - Andrea Roberts, University of Texas (Paper and Workshop)
Sponsorships are welcome; all sponsors will be invited to attend a private cocktail reception and tour of the Nau Civil War Collection on Friday, September 11, 2015 Hosted by Bobbie and John Nau and Silver Eagle Distributors, the event will be held at Silver Eagle Distributors, home of the collection at 7777 Washington Ave.

Sponsors of this year’s conference include Ralph and Miki Lusk Norton, Jan and Jack Cato, Bill Barnett, Betty Trapp Chapman, The Strake Foundation, Humanities Texas, University of Houston-Center for Public History, Summerlee Foundation, Texas Historical Foundation, University of Houston Libraries, University of Houston Honors College and Texas State Historical Association.

“It has been an extremely successful year for Houston History Alliance as it becomes a model for preserving and disseminating local history for the rest of the state,” says Cecelia Ottenweller, Co-President, HHA. “Besides this incredible annual history conference which is also the launching place for articles and scholarly papers about Houston’s history, HHA is dissipating history through a monthly local history radio program, a bimonthly newsletter and—soon—its Handbook of Houston History project that will be available online. HHA also recently finalized partnerships with TSHA for the funding of an editor position to direct the Handbook project, and an affiliation with the Center for Public History at the University of Houston to provide us office space.”

The cost of the conference is $50 per person before September 11; $40 for seniors, for those presenting in the breakout sessions, and for representatives of exhibiting organizations; and $25 for teachers not covered by scholarships from their respected school systems. If space allows, on-site registration will be available for $60 per person. All tickets include lunch and admission for a full day of activities.

For more information on the conference, to register or inquire about exhibition opportunities, visit www.houstonhistoryalliance.org, email info@houstonhistoryalliance.org or call 713-828-3030.