<p>Elisabet and her husband, Dr. Edmund Montgomery, moved to
Texas in 1872. They were drawn to the state because they perceived it as highly
valuing freedom. The couple purchased Liendo Plantation, one of the earliest
cotton plantations in Texas, in 1873 and made it their home. Ney built a studio
in Austin, which she called Formosa, in order to create the statues of Stephen
F. Austin and Sam Houston that she was commissioned to do for the Chicago
World’s Fair in 1893. Today, the Elisabet Ney Museum is housed there. </p>

<p>She married Dr. Montgomery on November 7, 1863. Montgomery
was a Scottish medical student, scientist, and philosopher. They met in
Heidelberg, Germany in 1853. They kept in touch for the years to come; however,
Ney did not want to get married due to her views on marriage as a fundamentally
unequal contract in which women are subjugated. Although she did eventually
marry, Ney still advocated for equality for women and kept her maiden name. She
once said, “Women are fools to be bothered with housework. Look at me; I sleep
in a hammock, which requires no making up. I break an egg and sip it raw. I
make lemonade in a glass, and then sip it, and my housework is done for the
day.”</p>

Ney's art studio, Formosa, and now the Elisabet Ney Museum

"The Art of the Woman: The Life and Work of Elisabet Ney" by Emily Fourmy Cutrer

Book

Video

Texas State Historical Association page on Elisabet Ney

More Info

This museum honors the life and work of its namesake, Elisabet Ney (1833-1907), a sculptor of world renown who lived and worked in Texas for thirty-five years. Born in Muenster, Westphalia, Germany, She began working with stone at an early age; her father was a stonecutter and she helped him growing up. At the age of nineteen, she began studying at the Academy of the Arts in Munich, where she was the first female sculpture student. She was an accomplished artist before the age of thirty, having already created statues of German royalty and European statesmen. Ney bought the property in 1892 and built the studio shortly thereafter. Her friends established the museum after she passed away in 1907. The studio was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

Elisabet Ney Museum

This trail includes historical landmarks and museums that preserve and share the historical experience of women in Austin. The tour also includes historical markers and other landmarks related to some of the prominent women who called Austin home. The map is designed for ease of travel and does not include several landmarks beyond the selected route that are listed in Clio.

<div>Constructed in 1876, the wood frame, Greek Revival house served as the private German American Ladies College for four years, from 1877 until Austin's public school system began operations in 1881. Its emergence demonstrates the difficulties Austin enjoyed after the Civil War in establishing a public school system; thus, private schools proved critical to the community.&nbsp; As well, it serves as evidence of the significance of German immigration into Central Texas, including Austin.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>For much of the nineteenth century, few public schools existed throughout Texas, leaving most of the educational responsibilities to local communities, who regularly relied on private schools. However, when Texas formally returned to the Union in 1870 (post-Civil-War), the state legislature passed a bill that made attendance in schools compulsory as a means of establishing a public education system. However, the law mainly went ignored until the enactment of the new Texas Constitution in 1876, which provided outlines for a permanent public school fund. As a result, Austin attempted to establish a public school system in 1871, but a lack of teachers and funding hindered that progress, which allowed for private schools to thrive. Indeed, thirty-four private schools operated in Austin (with nearly a dozen of them all-girls schools) between 1871–1875, which correlates to a period of explosive population growth in Austin. By 1881, the number rose to forty-eight private schools operating in the city, including German American Ladies College.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The German American Ladies College, under the direction of two German immigrants, Alice Nohl and Natalie Von Schenck, opened its doors in 1871 at a rented building. By the end of the first semester, the two women hired four additional teachers and enrolled another 50 students. One of the rules of the institution obliges the pupils to speak English three days a week and German on the remaining days so that young ladies not acquainted with the former or the latter language have the opportunity to learn it in the shortest time.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The attachment to the German language speaks to a German-immigrant population that sought to maintain its motherland culture.&nbsp; Many Germans departed Germany as political or economic refugees and then arrived in the Hill Country during the mid-nineteenth century. So, although they felt compelled to leave, they strove to maintain their strong cultural identity, which is also evidenced in the area by local architecture and churches.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Though it is not clear why they needed to move to a new location, the directors moved the school in 1877 to the historic wood-frame building, having leased the two-story house Julius Moreau had contracted with Frederick Braun to build the previous year.&nbsp; Four years later, in 1881, Anna Von Schenck Ritz arrived in Austin to teach alongside her sisters at the German American Ladies College. However, but by the time of her arrival, the school had closed alongside an abundance of private schools that same year; the public school system in Austin took over as the primary education system that year.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>After the school closed, the house continued to function as a home to numerous, prominent and influential family of teachers. Anna Von Schenck Ritz remained in the home despite the closing of the college, and her daughters Helene and Maria taught music and language courses at the nearby Stuart Female Seminary for more than a decade. Maria married Gustav Sievers, and the two of them went on to train a generation of young musicians. In short, the need for private schools combined with the influx of German immigration provided the impetus for the house, and its residents, to have a significant impact on the community's culture and education.&nbsp;</div>

The German American Ladies College was constructed in 1876 and functioned for a few years as a private all-girls day school from 1877 to 1881. The college represents a period when private colleges were widespread but opportunities for higher education was generally limited to those from wealthy and middle-class families. The college also serves as a reminder of the significance of German immigration into the region and the desire of recent immigrants to create the kinds of institutions that would preserve the traditions and culture of their homeland. The college was founded by Alice Nohl and Natalie Von Schenck, and when their school closed in 1881,  Anna Von Schenck Ritz maintained the home and many of her family members worked as teachers, including her daughters Helene and Maria who taught music and language courses at Austin's Stuart Female Seminary.

German American Ladies College (1877 to 1881)

<p>The museum houses an extensive collection of books, photographs, manuscripts, maps, and other materials that document the history of African Americans. It also hosts exhibitions that focus primarily on black history and culture, featuring photographs and artifacts that illuminate different aspects of African American history and culture. The museum is housed in a 1,720 square foot, city owned building that was originally the main public library in Austin and the first library for blacks in the town. The building was moved to east Austin in 1933, where it became the Austin public library's first branch. </p><p>The museum was located in a former library that was known as the "Colored Branch" between its establishment in 1926 and 1947, when the building was renamed the George Washington Carver Library in honor of the famous scientist, activist, and educator. Carver was raised in the Great Plains, having attended the segregated schools of Fort Scott and enduring both Jim Crow and rejection from colleges before achieving an advanced degree in Iowa. In the mid-1970s, east Austin residents lobbied for a larger branch library, which was completed in 1980 on a site adjacent to the old building Janie Harrison, Fanny Lawless, Onie B. Conley, and other community members decided that the original building would be an ideal site for a Black-history museum. Renovations of the old library building began in September 1979, and the museum opened to the public on October 5, 1980, and was expanded with a new facility in 2001. The museum provides invaluable support to Black artists by organizing solo exhibitions of their work and has been hosting the Regional Black Artists exhibition since 1983.</p><p>The Carver Museum's permanent collection consists of paintings, prints, family papers, and memorabilia related to Austin African Americans. The museum supplements many programs within the site. It exhibits educational tours, concerts, storytelling, and other activities. It also operates a Youth at Risk program in which people are taught black-and-white photography during sixteen-week courses that culminate in exhibitions of their work. </p><p>The museum is funded by the city, government grants, and donations from corporations and private foundations. The Friends of the Carver, a support group that has been operating since the museum's inception, also provides financial support. The museum had developed an ambitious $11.5 million three-phase plan by 1992 to establish a Black heritage and cultural center with a theater and expanded exhibition and storage space. The Carver Museum is a member of the Texas Association of Museums and the African American Museum Association.</p>

<p>The George Washington Carver Museum is the first neighborhood museum in Austin dedicated exclusively to African American history. The museum and center are located next to a public library that was created in 1926 to serve the African American community of Austin in the era of segregation. That library became home to a small museum in 1980. A 1998 bond initiative led to the construction of the expansive museum next to the original library. The museum offers exhibits that share the experiences and contributions of African American residents. The museum is housed in a 36,000-square-foot facility with four galleries, a conference room, a classroom, studio, 134-seat theater, and archival space. The galleries feature a core exhibit on Juneteenth, a permanent exhibit on Austin's African American families, an artists’ gallery, and a children’s exhibit on African-American scientists and inventors.</p>

George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center

<p><span>Barbara
Jordan was born in Houston, Texas on the 21st of February 1936. She
and the rest of her siblings were raised by their parents to be a Christian
Baptist. They were also taught by their father to “believe in the principles of
Booker T. Washington, and [he] taught his daughters that discipline, dignity,
and education were the keys to success”<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[1]</a>. As a child of the Great
Depression, Jordan and her family experienced financial hardship. In addition
to that, as a young African American girl in the pre-civil rights south she had
to attend all segregated schools. “While many of her classmates aspired to be
school teachers, she determined that there were higher aspirations for women
and for Blacks, and she refused to settle for the traditional path her peers
chose to accept.”<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[2]</a>&nbsp;Jordan</span> worked
very hard and <span>showed early signs of intelligence and a flair for
politics, persuasions, and logical reasoning, becoming “a champion debater in
high school and at Texas Southern University, where she graduated magna cum
laude in 1956,”<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[3]</a>.
She was an incredible public speaker and used it to her advantage. She returned
to the Lone Star State to open her own law firm after graduating from Boston
University Law School. She was one of only two Black females in her graduating
class. After just a short while back in Texas, Jordan decided to pursue a
career in politics.</span></p>

<p><span>Starting out small,&nbsp;Jordan got her first job as a politician trying to encourage registered voters to vote in the 1960 election.&nbsp;Although
she struggled at the beginning of her journey into the world of the American
political system, she was eventually very successful. Her first few attempts to
be elected into office failed, but in 1966 she become not only the first
African American to be elected to the Texas senate in 83 years, but the first
woman in history to be elected to such a position<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[4]</a>. The Texas senate was a
hard place for an African American woman to work, but Jordan simply did her
best to avoid confrontation with difficult colleagues<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[5]</a>.</span></p>

<p><span>Jordan's involvement with politics in Texas and generally in the South helped African Americans hold a position&nbsp;and a voice in power. This later allowed decisions on African American growth and programs to be made on priority and to be discussed in Congress such as her approval of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 Jordan sponsored legislation that broadened the provisions of the act to include Hispanics, Native Americans, and Asian Americans. Jordan was extremely active in immigration reforms and strongly felt that it should be of national interest to people.&nbsp;In
1972, Barbara Jordan was elected into the House of Representatives, the first
Black women to ever be elected from the south. Her experience in federal
politics were more welcoming than those in the state senate, and “she received
a warm welcome from her fellow House members from Texas, and was clearly a
rising political star.”<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[6]</a> Thanks to her friendship
with Lyndon B. Johnson, she was able to be placed in the House Judiciary
Committee. In 1974, she gained national recognition from the broadcasted
impeachment trials of Nixon, for which she was heavily involved. Each member of
the House Judiciary Committee was allowed a certain amount of time to talk
during the hearing, and Jordan’s speech on her views of the importance of the
constitution was so incredible that “her brief remarks affected millions of
viewers who watched her on television, and her office received thousands of
letters thanking her for her clear explanation of what was at stake”<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[7]</a>. In fact, she was such an
amazing speaker that she gave the keynote address at the Democratic Nation
Convention. She was the first African American woman in history to give this
address<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[8]</a>. “Republican Barry
Goldwater, a presidential candidate in the 1964 election, remarked that if he
had had a keynote speaker like Jordan, he would have won the election.”<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[9]</a> Based solely on her
incredible speech, there were campaigns that insisted she become Jimmy Carter’s
running mate for the presidential election. Jordan did not think she should be
considered to be a running mate just because of one speech, so she declined. She
also declined a spot in Carter’s cabinet, because she wanted to be Attorney General and she was not given that role.</span></p>

<p><span>Jordan
suffered from multiple sclerosis, although she very much wanted to keep her
health private. It was probably one of the reasons that she did not choose to
run for re-election in 1978, and instead “accepted a post at the Lyndon B.
Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas,
stating that she wanted to help train future leaders of the nation and to bring
the government back to the people.”<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[10]</a> Although “Jordan had
never taught before, but she was excited at the prospect of influencing
students who might enter government. Students flocked to her class.”<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[11]</a> Even as she taught, she
remained active in politics. She died from multiple sclerosis on January 17,
1996.</span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<div><br>





<div>

<p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[1]</a> Hively, Todd. “Barbara Jordan.”
Our States: Texas (September 2015): 1. MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed
April 22, 2016)</p>

</div>

<div>

<p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[2]</a> Oliver, Bonnie J. 2006 The life
and times of Barbara Jordan: a twentieth-century Baptist and political
pioneer: the world was a different place for women in 1962 when Barbara Charline
Jordan lost her first race for the Texas House of Representatives. The Free Library
(June, 22), EBSCOhost (Accessed April 23, 2016)</p>

</div>

<div>

<p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[3]</a> “Jordan, Barbara (Charline).” Funk
&amp; Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia (2016): 1p. 1. Funk &amp; Wagnalls
New World Encyclopedia, EBSCOhost (accessed April 23, 2016)</p>

</div>

<div>

<p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[4]</a> Ibid.</p>

</div>

<div>

<p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[5]</a> Hively, Todd. “Barbara Jordan.”
Our States: Texas (September 2015): 1. MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed
April 22, 2016)</p>

</div>

<div>

<p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[6]</a> Ibid.</p>

</div>

<div>

<p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[7]</a> Ibid.</p>

</div>

<div>

<p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[8]</a> “Jordan, Barbara (Charline).” Funk
&amp; Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia (2016): 1p. 1. Funk &amp; Wagnalls
New World Encyclopedia, EBSCOhost (accessed April 23, 2016)</p><div><p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[9]</a>&nbsp;Hively, Todd. “Barbara Jordan.” Our States: Texas (September 2015): 1. MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed April 22, 2016)</p></div><div><p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[10]</a>&nbsp;Oliver, Bonnie J. 2006 The life and times of Barbara Jordan: a twentieth-century Baptist and political pioneer: the world was a different place for women in 1962 when Barbara Charline Jordan lost her first race for the Texas House of Representatives. The Free Library (June, 22), EBSCOhost (Accessed April 23, 2016)</p></div></div><div>

</div>

<div>

<p><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[11]</a> Hively, Todd. “Barbara Jordan.”
Our States: Texas (September 2015): 1. MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed
April 22, 2016)</p>

</div>

</div>

Denoting the final resting place of Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, this grave marker includes the word "Patriot" - a tribute to a teacher, lawyer, and civil rights leader. Barbara Johns's political career began in 1966, when she became the first Black female to serve in the Texas Senate. In 1979 she retired from politics and taught at the University of Texas at Austin Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. Jordan died from multiple sclerosis on January 17, 1996 at the age of 59. 

Barbara Jordan's Grave, Texas State Cemetery 

Founded in 1984, the Texas Music Museum celebrates the state's rich musical heritage. Its collection is comprised of artifacts, photographs, documents, reference materials, and oral histories. Genres covered are: Texas Historic and Patriotic, Country, Gospel, Classical, Cowboy, Big Band, Western Swing, Blues, Rock ‘n’ Roll, Jazz, Ragtime and Barrelhouse, Soul, and Popular, as well as Texas ethnic music, including Tejano, Czech, African American, German, and Native American. The museum is housed in the Marvin C. Griffin Building.

Texas Music Museum

The non-profit Mexic-Arte Museum was founded by artists Pio Pulido, Sylvia Orozco, and Sam Coronado in 1984 to preserve and share Mexican culture. Originally located at the Arts Warehouse in downtown Austin, the Museum moved to its current location on Congress Avenue in 1988.<br>The Mexic-Arte Museum's permanent collection includes some 1,500 works of art ranging from paintings and sculptures to masks and photographs. These include the Contemporary Latino Artists Collection, the Serie Print Project Archive, the Ernest F. de Soto Collection, and the Taller de Grafica Popular Collection. The majority of permanent items are ceremonial and decorative dance masks, important components of many Mexican cultural activities. There is also a library containing over 5,000 books dating back to the 19th century. In addition to the permanent collection, the Museum also hosts a number of temporary art exhibits year-round.<br>The Mexic-Art Museum has presented a variety of educational programs and social events throughout the years to share Mexican and Latin American culture. These include an annual Day of the Dead festival and parade, a Catrina Ball, poetry nights, and a Screen It! program that teaches students screen printing.<br>

Founded in 1984, the Mexic-Arte Museum is one of the few Mexican art museums in the country. It promotes and celebrates Mexican, Latino, and Latin American culture through art exhibitions and various educational programs. Since its inception it has grown to be an important part of Austin's thriving cultural scene. The museum's permanent collection is comprised of 1,500 historical and contemporary works, the majority of which are dance ceremonial masks from Mexico. Another large portion of the collection consists of prints, featuring artists such as Alejandro Colunga, Jose Luis Cuevas, and Ernest F. de Soto. The museum, which moved to this location in 1988, also features a library that holds 5,000 books. Programs include guided tours, family days (with free admission), and printmaking classes. Around 75,000 people visit the museum each year.

Mexic-Arte Museum

<span><p>The Austin Women’s Liberation was a cultural movement of local groups aiming to change society’s expectations of women. As part of the New Left, women’s liberation grew out of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), whose leadership was largely male-dominated. Issues of sexism were raised in the Austin SDS chapter, but they were often ignored, which is why this feminist movement gained traction only after the demise of SDS. Underground media played a large part in furthering the women’s liberation agenda. Women’s Liberation groups also addressed topics such as birth control, job discrimination, and other shared experiences of women, with many conversations taking place at the feminist Austin Women’s Center located at 711 San Antonio Street.&nbsp;</p><p>Most of the Women’s Liberation movement in Austin, Texas emerged from already-established New Left organizations, as was also largely the case nationally. In the Austin chapters of SDS and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), whose leadership was male-dominated, women raised the issue of sexism but were generally ignored. Sara Evans, a women’s rights activist noted that “although the new left was engaged in a cultural revolt… it reflected more than it challenged the underlying sexual stereotypes [of the period].” The demise of SDS revealed the opportunity for a feminist left. Some of the first activists, such Alice Embree, were involved with SDS. Other leaders such as Linda and Judy Smith were never attracted to SDS.&nbsp;</p><p>In keeping with leftist ideology, the women’s liberation wanted to redefine society’s expectations for women. They worked to dismantle the socialization of Americans that led to the traditional gender roles and development of certain ideas: “Women’s liberation means liberation from the role of woman that we have had built inside us by our society.” Women’s liberation was concerned with the psychology of sexism, aiming to divest themselves and others of the sex roles that penetrated their psyches. Feminists believed that liberation from a society with such absurd and restrictive gender roles would benefit all people, not just women. Many women essentially refused to participate in a society that oppressed women by refusing to embrace traditional gender roles, beauty standards, and relationships.</p><p>The tactics used by these Women’s Liberation groups were heavily influenced by the New Left. &nbsp;For example, women in Austin “planned seminars on automobile mechanics, printing, gardening, and cooking, continuing the broader counterculture’s emphasis on self-sufficiency.” &nbsp;Inspired by the counterculture, the ‘cultural feminism’ that was a part of the Austin Women’s movement since its very beginning became a form of political protest. One of the most common forms of Women’s activism was guerilla theater performances designed to raise awareness of the inequalities suffered by women. One of the most memorable examples of this was a “Make a Man Feel Like a Sex Object Day” organized by Pat Cuney and Lori Hansel, among others. On this day, women ‘whistled and catcalled’ men walking by, in an attempt “just to kind of make [men] feel like [women] were made to feel every day, and they didn’t like it a bit.”</p><p>The New Left ideology of the Women’s Liberation movement separated it from other national feminist movements. The National Organization for Women (NOW) wanted for women to share full and equal participation in society with men. While Women’s Liberation focused on changing consciousness and culture, NOW focused on gaining equality through political and legal action. NOW had a very active Austin chapter that worked closely with other women’s rights groups such as the Women’s Equity Action League (WEAL) and the Texas Women’s Political Caucus. In contrast with the young, leftist rebels of the Liberation movement, members of these women’s rights groups were mostly older professional women, who were unfavorable of women’s liberation radicalism.</p><p>Newspapers and newsletters facilitated communication between and within cities. One example was the Rag, an underground newspaper published in Austin, Texas. The Rag was home to many former SDS members and New Left activists such as Judy Smith and Alice Embree, who both were very active in women’s liberation. The Rag became a platform for feminists to highlight the prevalence of sexism and to spread information on topics such as safe methods of abortion and upcoming workshops. Another important example of feminist media is the Red River Women’s Press, which originally started as Fly by Night Printers. This Press printed everything from general ‘movement printing’ to feminist songbooks. The Press’ slogan was: “The Rising of the Women Is the Rising of Us All,” which originated from a Massachusetts textile strike in 1912.</p>A particularly important focus of Austin Women’s Liberation was abortion. Strict laws in Texas prohibited abortion, forcing women who could afford it to travel to Mexico, where it was legal. Women who could not afford to travel were left without a safe way to end their pregnancy. Activists began writing articles in the Rag about safe and unsafe methods of abortion. In 1970, the Austin Women’s Liberation Committee to Repeal Abortion Laws began engaging with statewide abortion rights activists. Judy Smith formed a team of lawyers— Sarah Weddington, UT Law School grad, and Norma McCorvey, who used the pseudonym Jane Roe—and began challenging the state to legalize abortion. The court case, known as Roe v. Wade, shaped abortion law after a dividied United States Supreme Court decision.&nbsp;</span>

In 1970, the feminist Austin Women's Organization opened the Austin Women’s Center at 711 San Antonio Street. The Center was located across the street from the Austin Woman’s Club was referred to as “Everywoman’s Center” to reflect the inclusive orientation of the founders who sought to better understand the experiences of diverse women as they explored how social norms affected women. The Women’s Center also sponsored many different workshops on sexuality, career advising, and birth control. During meetings at the Women’s Center, many women realized for the first time that frustrations and anxieties they experienced daily were also shared by many other women. Women began to link personal problems with larger social and political issues, which they then worked together to change. The Center operated throughout the 1970s and early 1980s.  

Austin Women’s Center (1970-1982)

<p>

</p><p>The Austin Public Library has its origins in 1913, when Mayor A. P. Wooldridge petitioned the Texas state legislature to re-designate a vacant lot to be used for a public library. Permission was granted, but the lot remained empty for another decade. In 1925, the Austin Chapter of the American Association of University Women, under the leadership of Grace Delano Clark, began a campaign to create a public library in the city of Austin, Texas. A temporary building was constructed by 1926, and in 1928 voters approved a $150,000 bond to build a permanent structure. In the 1932 architect Hugo Franz Kuehne, one of Austin’s most noteworthy architects, was commissioned to design the library. After one year of construction, the first permanent library in the city’s history opened on March 10, 1933.</p><p>

</p><p>The Italian Renaissance style building was created almost entirely by local contributors. The library’s architect, Hugo Kuehne, was an Austin native and first dean of the University Of Texas School Of Architecture. The ornamental wrought iron on the balconies, windows, and doors were made by Fortunat Weigl. Interior woodwork was made by master woodcarver Peter Mansbendel, an immigrant from Switzerland. The tracery frescoes on the ceilings were painted by Jessen and Peter Alidi.</p><p>

</p><p>The building served as the main library until 1979, when library functions moved to the John Henry Faulk Library, a newer and far larger facility next door. In 1981, restoration architectural firm Bell, Klein and Hoffman formulated plans to convert the old library into research and archives facilities for the Austin History Center.&nbsp;In 1983, the building was restored, refurbished, and reopened as the Austin History Center. With its prominent location, fine architectural detailing, and continued strong role in the cultural life of the community, the Austin Public Library building survives as a significant local landmark until today.</p><p>

</p>

The Austin History Center, one of the foremost local history collections in Texas, was founded in 1955 as the Austin/Travis County Collection of the Austin Public Library. It houses thousands of documents, photographs, maps, artifacts, and personal histories of the city and region. It contains the Austin Public Library's local history collection as well as the city's historical archives. The building originally opened as the Austin Public Library in 1933 and served as the main library until 1979. The Italian Renaissance structure is considered to be the most prominent public work of Austin native Hugo Kuehne, founding dean of the University Of Texas School Of Architecture.

Austin History Center

<p>Located in Austin's Capitol Complex, the Bullock Museum is a part of the State Preservation Board, a prestigious state agency that also preserves, restores and maintains the State Capitol, the Texas Governor's Mansion, and other Texas landmarks. The museum collaborates with more than 700 other museums, libraries, archives and individuals to display original historical artifacts and produce exhibitions that illuminate and celebrate Texas history and culture. It is the only museum in Texas that tells the complete story of the state’s history from pre-European contact to the present. A link to an online timeline of this history is included at the bottom of the page.</p><p>The museum houses three floors with themed interactive exhibits: “land” for the first floor, “identity” for the second floor, and “opportunity” for the third floor. The first floor features the 17th-century French shipwreck, <i>La Belle</i>. La Belle was an expedition ship sent down the Mississippi River by French nobleman René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, on a mission to establish a colony and trade routes on the mouth of the Mississippi by the Gulf of Mexico. However, <i>La Belle</i> wrecked in a storm, dooming La Salle’s Texas colony to failure. In 1996, the ship was located and many artifacts, including the ship, were recovered and can now be found on display in the Bullock Museum<sub>1</sub>.&nbsp;</p><p>The second floor explores Texas history from 1821 to 1936. It follows the events that shaped Texas during this period such as its revolution, its annexation, immigration, slavery, the Civil War, Reconstruction, the Depression, and many others. The Texas Spirit Theatre shows many videos such as footage of the 1936 exposition that showcased Texas’s western identity and future, a 4D film about Pierre Talon, a child survivor of the <i>La Belle</i> shipwreck, and Star of Destiny, a history of Texas narrated by the character of Sam Houston.</p><p>The third floor shows Texas’s emergence into the 20th century. The artifacts vary from ranching and oil tools to a World War II advanced flight trainer airplane that helped the Women Airforce Service Pilots make their mark on history<sub>1</sub>. A new addition is the Texas Story Project exhibition, which allows Texans to share their story for everyone to read.&nbsp;</p><p>















</p><p><span>Overall, the museum’s mission is to recognize the power of history to inspire present and future generations, and to interpret the continually unfolding Story of Texas through meaningful educational experiences.</span></p>

Bullock Texas State History Museum was founded in 2001 by the former Lieutenant Governor Robert “Bob” Douglas Bullock, Sr. (1929—1999). It is a dynamic institution that engages visitors in the exciting “Story of Texas” through a variety of exhibits, films, and programs. The museum features Austin’s premier IMAX Theatre and The Texas Spirit Theatre, which hosts a feature presentation entitled Star of Destiny (special effect/4D theatrical experience on Texas history and culture).

Bullock Texas State History Museum

<p>The Blanton was established in 1963 as the University Art Gallery (UAG).&nbsp;A portion of the cost
for the museum's construction &nbsp;in 1963 was raised&nbsp;from sale of four acres on Galveston island donated years earlier&nbsp;by&nbsp;Archer Milton Huntington, the son of railroad magnate
Collis P. Huntington, in support of the museum’s founding. The museum's collection was created by donations
of eminent persons including the novelist James Michener and his wife, Mari (the
Blanton's new gallery building is named after them), then John and Barbara
Duncan, C. R. Smith, Charles Clark of McAllen and many others. </p><p>The museum's collections were originally displayed in the
Art Building. In 1972, the museum's permanent collection moved to gallery spaces
in the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center (then called the Humanities
Research Center). UAG continued to use the gallery in the Fine Arts Building for temporary exhibits.&nbsp;In 1980, the museum was renamed the Archer M. Huntington Art Gallery,
and in 1997 the Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art, in honor of Houston Endowment
Inc. former chairman Jack S. Blanton (the company donated $12 million for
expansion of the museum). </p><p>



</p><p>The Blanton collection today comprises more than 17,000 individual
pieces, including the museum’s Latin American collection of modern and
contemporary art which contains more than 1,800 modern and contemporary works, and
represents more than 600 artists from Mexico, South and Central America, and
the Caribbean. Widely recognized for its breadth and depth, the collection is
considered one of the finest in the nation.&nbsp;</p>

Founded in 1963, the Blanton Museum of Art is one of the largest university art museums in the United States and houses the most comprehensive collection of art in Central Texas. Home to some 17,000 works, the museum is recognized for its modern and contemporary American and Latin American art, Italian Renaissance and Baroque paintings, and also its encyclopedic collection of drawings and prints. The museum also serves as a research center of the University of Texas at Austin.

Blanton Museum of Art

The Research and Collections Division is located in Sid Richardson Hall Unit 2, on the main campus of The University of Texas at Austin. It is the Center's main research facility and the repository for the vast majority of the Center's book, manuscript, map, newspaper, photographic, sound, and ephemera collections. These include the Eugene C. Barker Texas History Collection, the George Littlefield Southern History Collection, and the Congressional History Collection.&nbsp;

The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History is one of the premier centers for Texas history and US History. The Center collects and preserves documents and artifacts of key themes in Texas and United States history and makes the items available to researchers. The Center also has permanent, touring, and online exhibits available to the public. 

Dolph Briscoe Center for American History

<p><i>“Think what a better would it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about three o’clock every afternoon and then lay down on our blankets for a nap.”</i></p>

<p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Barbara Jordan&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Barbara was born in Houston, Texas on February 21, 1936, daughter of a Baptist Minister, Reverend Benjamin and Arlyn Jordan and youngest of three girls. She grew up in a poor neighbored in the Fifth Ward in Houston while segregation lacerated the state. Her family raised her with strong moral values; however, her grandfather John Ed Patten influenced and molded her confidence and determination. He told her, “You don’t have to be like those others… You just trot your own horse and don’t get into the same rut as everyone else.” Barbara carried three pictures of Grandpa Patten in her wallet; in one he wore a hat, in another, he was in a barber chair, and lastly one in a wagon. Her grandfather was an entrepreneur who collected scraps of the street. Jordan was captivated by her grandfather’s aptitude to “put together whatever combination of things necessary and just kind of make it,” stating, “That had an impact on me.” He also, taught her everyday lessons about life, using the Bible and other readings about literature and philosophy to grow intuition, judgement, and understanding.1-25</p><p>Barbara Jordan attended Phillis Wheatley High School, where her gift of public speaking, developing arguments and language was showcased. Living in the time of segregation, prejudice surrounded her. Early on she saw nothing that demonstrated Black and white people coming together on a friendly basis. Segregation was embedded in her school system were teachers were ‘color- strucked’ (“the term students used to indicate a bias that favored those with”) lighter skin color, the church, the city, and her bus route. The only posters she saw of Black women were in maid uniforms. “The idea of a Black person going to a hotel for any other purpose than a back-door delivery was impossible.” Barbara wanted to witness an end to segregation, but she knew it was going to be a long road. In her mind, Jordan noticed she needed to gain a degree of acceptance to prove to people what she could do. This way, she could begin making a stand against segregation. In the course of her time at Phillis Wheatley High School, she found public speaking to be her way to change the outlook of the world; this approach was one way out of “oppression of racism.” The Dean of the Girls, Evelyn Cunningham, gave Barbara Jordan an opportunity to become the tenth grade attendant to Ms. Wheatley. Whoever was elected became a “symbol of the high school.” However, she didn’t run feeling out of place, feeling “she wasn’t the right color.” Instead she put her energy into becoming “Girl of the Year.” She put all her effort and energy into developing her public speaking abilities she grew up with all her life. The more she practiced, the more teachers started to notice her skill. Mr. Ashton Jerome Oliver referred her to the National Ushers Convention Oratorical Contest in Chicago, Illinois, were she won first place. Later in 1952, she was awarded the Girl of the Year Award and was established as a well- known speaker all over Texas.1-25</p><p>She graduated from Phillis Wheatley High School in 1952 with honors. Jordan later graduated in top of her class at Texas Southern University majoring in political science and history. After she graduated she went to earn a law degree from Boston University in 1959. Barbara attributed a speech from Edith S. Sampson she heard in high school with motivating her to become a lawyer. She excelled at the debate team at Texas Southern University and defeated students from other high-status schools including Harvard and Yale. While she was winning many debate tournaments and gaining further recognition for her talents, Jordan was sleeping in ‘colored only’ hotels, eating at ‘colored’ restaurants, and drinking from ‘colored’ water fountains. Barbara’s need to end segregation, and “overcome adversity by her own will” was as strong as ever. “It was the heart and soul of who she was.” At Boston University law school, Jordan was one of six women, and one of two Black women in her class. While in school she established a “theological autonomy”, developed critical thinking skills, and “fell in love with the language of law”. Additionally she gained a sense of independence, the drawn to the chapel, and a deeper passion to change the world she saw around her. Barbara Jordan passed the Massachusetts and Texas bars to practice law in both states. Then she moved back to Houston to open a law office in the Fifth Ward.1-25</p><p>Jordan worked as a lawyer briefly out of her parent’s house and then became employed as an administrative assistant to a county judge. Her political world changed when she worked with the presidential campaign in 1960 for John F. Kennedy. During this time, Barbara managed an extremely prepared “get- out- the – vote” program. Through promoting this program and John F. Kennedy’s election, she gave many speeches to multiple “political groups, meetings, civic organizations, churches, and clubs.” In 1962 and 1964, Barbara Jordan ran for the Texas House of Representatives; however, she lost both years. In 1966, she ran and won for the Texas Senate becoming the first Africa American state senator in the US since 1883 and the first African American women to be elected to the body. Jordan was ready to start the movement of change, first by creating the first law on minimum wage, in addition, to forming the Texas Fair Employment Practices Commission, deleting of discriminatory language in business contracts, and established the environmental legislation.1-25</p><p>







</p><p><span>In 1972, Jordan’s colleagues voted her to be a president pro tempore of the state senate- the first Black woman to hold this position. She continued to have a successful year by winning the election for the U.S. House of Representatives. When she arrives to Washington D.C., she was termed to assist Lyndon Johnson to secure a place on the Judiciary and Ways and Means committees. During her term in the House, the Watergate scandal was brought to light. Barbara pressed for President Nixon’s impeachment. "I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction of the Constitution," Jordan spoke on screen during her speech throughout the proceedings for Watergate. Barbara didn’t pursue reelection and completed her term in 1979. She sought to use her time to educate students who were to become future politicians and public officials and became a professor at the University of Texas at Austin.1-25</span></p>

“More is required of public officials than slogans and handshakes and press releases. More is required. We must hold ourselves strictly accountable. We must provide the people with a vision of the future."
                                                                         Barbara Jordan

The glass ceiling cracked in 1966 when Barbara Jordan “the voice that stirred the nation” was elected the first Black women to the Texas State Senate. In 1972, the ceiling was smashed when Jordan fought to represent Texas in the United States House of Representatives. Barbara Jordan pursued to better the lives of citizens in Texas by helping begin the first law on minimum wage. She, also, developed the Texas Employment Practices Commission; a state agency has given the task to manage and deliver the workforce development services to employers and people in search of jobs in Texas. “Their major functions of the commission include: implementing child care amenities, training and adult education, literacy services, equipping tax programs, maintaining services for people with disabilities to gain training and employment opportunities, and moreover strive for eliminating discrimination in the workplace.”

Barbara Jordan also made a big leap in her career by joining the House Judiciary Committee, and developing “a national spotlight on the Watergate scandal”. In 1974, she gave a significant speech for Nixon’s impeachment for her illegal political initiatives. Jordan refused to “sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction of the Constitution” under Nixon’s command as President. She gave a clear definition of the role of impeachment and the importance of the check and balance system between the branches of government. In addition, Jordan stated her points about the debate of Pres. Nixon’s relation to the break-in. The nation had questions, “Did Nixon commit this crime, and will he be impeached?” Barbara Jordan gave her view in the matter, ending her televised speech with, “We know this question…”, “We should now forthwith proceed to answer the question. It is a reason, and not passion, which must guide our deliberations, guide our debate, and guide our decision.”


Barbara Jordan Statue 

<p>After returning from Europe in 1898, Clara settled in San Antonio where she became concerned about the state of the Alamo. The Alamo’s mission chapel was already owned by the State of Texas; however, the city had done nothing to improve or preserve the structure. In 1903, Clara took charge of the De Zavala fund-raising committee to acquire the rest of the structure. She ended up paying most of the $75,000 out of pocket and was later reimbursed by the State of Texas. In 1931, Clara again donated a substantial amount of her own money, $70,000, to aid the state legislature in purchasing more of the property surrounding the structure. In 1945, Clara died and her body lay in state in the Alamo chapel.</p>

<p>&nbsp;A true Renaissance woman, Clara also had a successful writing career, was involved with politics, and had several other civic and philanthropic endeavors besides her lifelong dedication to the preservation and upkeep of the Alamo. She published <i>The Girl of La Gloria</i> in 1905 and <i>In the Shadow of the Alamo</i> in 1906. She served as the Texas national committeewoman for the Democratic Party from 1922-1938. When she died, <i>Time Magazine</i> said of her political know-how, “ She could drink, battle, cuss and connive with the best of them . . . She made quadrennial $25,000 donations to national campaigns, but know-how, not money, worked her up to national committeewoman.”&nbsp;</p>

Located outside the Texas Federation of Women’s Clubs, this historical marker commemorates the life of Clara Driscoll, a leading donor of this organization who is best known for saving historic structures around the Alamo by purchasing and gifting land and buildings to prevent developers from building in the area. Driscoll was a woman of many talents and was a descendant of the Battle of San Jacinto, the decisive battle fought on April 21, 1836, in which General Sam Houston’s Texian Army defeated General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna’s Mexican Army during the Texas Revolution. Driscoll was a businesswoman, philanthropist, and historic preservationist who served as the President of Daughters of the Republic of Texas. 

Texas Federation of Women’s Clubs and Clara Driscoll Historical Marker

<p><span>Jane
Yelvington McCallum was born in La Vernia, Texas on December 30, 1877, to
Alvaro Leonard and Mary Fullerton Yelvington. She attended school in Wilson
County and Dr. Zealey’s Female College in Mississippi from 1892 to 1893.&nbsp; She studied at the University of Texas for
four years between 1912 and 1924 but never received a degree.&nbsp; She married Arthur McCallum Sr. in 1896 and
they eventually moved to Austin, where he served as the school superintendent
from 1903 to 1942.&nbsp; The couple had five
children together, one daughter and four sons.<sup>1</sup></span></p>

<p><span>Jane McCallum
first entered politics by campaigning for women’s suffrage and prohibition.&nbsp; In 1915 she became president of the Austin
suffrage association and began years of lobbying for the right to vote, giving
pro-suffrage speeches, and writing for two local newspapers, <i>The Austin American </i>and <i>Austin Statesman.&nbsp; </i>During World War I, as the chairman of
the Liberty Loan Drive, she led Austin women in raising nearly $700,000 for the
war effort yet they still did not have the right to vote.<sup>2</sup></span></p>

<p><span>After the ratification
of the 20th amendment, she concentrated on political reform.&nbsp; She headed publicity efforts for the League
of Women Voters of Texas and served as executive secretary of the Women’s Joint
Legislative Council.&nbsp; The Petticoat Lobby
as it was often called was a coalition of six statewide women’s organizations
that lobbied for education bills, prison reforms, prohibition control, maternal
and child health, and eradication of illiteracy and child labor.<sup>3</sup></span></p>

<p><span>In 1926 she
led the Petticoat Lobbyists in campaigning for Daniel J. Moody’s bid for the
position of governor.&nbsp; After his win,
Moody appointed her Secretary of State in January 1927, and she retained the
position under Governor Ross Sterling from 1931 to 1933.&nbsp; This made her the only person in Texas history
to hold the position under two governors and for more than two terms.&nbsp; In 1927, shortly after taking the office, she
discovered in the State Capitol an original copy of the Texas State Declaration
of Independence.&nbsp; Her restoration and
displaying of the Declaration became one of her proudest moments in the office
she held.<sup>4</sup></span></p>

<p><span>During the
1950s, <i>Texas Parade </i>published some of
her works, including excerpts from her unpublished manuscript “All Texans Were Not
Males.”&nbsp; After leaving the political
arena she participated in numerous organizations including the Texas Fine Arts
Association, the American Association of University Women, the Colonial Dames
of America, the League of Women Voters, the Austin Shakespeare Club, and the
Austin Women’s Club.&nbsp; On August 14, 1957,
Jane McCallum died and is buried in the Oakwood Cemetery in Austin.&nbsp; She is remembered for her lifelong dedication
to giving women a voice in the political process and making sure that their
voice was heard.<sup>5</sup></span></p><div><div>

</div>

</div>

Jane Yelvington McCallum was one of the most prominent leaders of the women’s suffrage movement in Texas.  Jane McCallum lived in this house with her husband and their five children.  As a member of the Texas Joint Legislative Council, nicknamed the Petticoat Lobby, she worked for political and social reform through the Texas legislature.  She was appointed to the office of Secretary of State in 1927 by Governor Dan Moody and was reappointed in 1931 by Governor Ross Sterling.  While in office she discovered and had preserved an original signed copy of the Texas Declaration of Independence.

Jane Yelvington McCallum House

<div>Victorian-era design is known for heavy ornamentation. Its characteristics include a use of Middle Eastern and Asian influences in the interior decoration. Movements that mark their beginnings in the Victorian era and gothic period include the Arts and Crafts movement, the aesthetic movement, Anglo- Japanese style, and Art Nouveau style. The classical revival style, popular in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, exhibited features of Roman structures of antiquity. Buildings of this style are often rectangular and symmetrical in a manner similar to classical temples. The walls are often of brick, stucco, stone, or wood construction. Buildings of this style also often feature a two-story monumental portico, painted white, with a triangular pediment containing a semi-circular window within its tympanum, an entablature above the columnns, and a pediments roof supported by four columnns resting on square bases. The style experienced a revival in the late nineteenth- mid twentieth centuries.&nbsp;<br><br></div><div><div>The 1853 State Capitol building was the second of three buildings to serve this purpose. It burned down in 1881. The current Capitol building was completed in 1888 and designed by Elijah E. Myers. Construction on the building began in 1882 and was supervised under civil engineer Reuben Lindsay Walker. The building is 308 feet (94 m) tall, making it taller than the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC and the sixth tallest state Capitol in the nation.</div><br></div>

This historic house was built by Elvira T. Manor Davis (1841-1918), the widow of Blackstone H. Davis, whose family owned a prominent area quarry responsible for supplying the stone for the 1853 Texas Capitol. She purchased the land surrounding the house in 1896 and the house was completed by 1904. Design features of the house, such as the porch columnns, balustrade, and bay windows exhibit a transition from Victorian-era to classical revival design.


Elvira T. Manor Davis House - Historical Marker

<p>Annie Webb
Blanton was born on August 19, 1870 in Houston, Texas.&nbsp; She was one of seven children born to Thomas
Lindsay and Eugenia (Webb) Blanton.&nbsp; Upon
her graduation from LaGrange High School in 1886, she began teaching at a rural
school in Fayette County.&nbsp; Her father died
in 1888 and she then moved to Austin and began teaching in both elementary and
secondary schools.&nbsp; She supported herself
through teaching while attending the University of Texas, where she graduated
in 1899.1</p>

<p>Blanton
served on the English faculty of North Texas State Normal College, now called
the University of North Texas, from 1901-1918.&nbsp;
It was here she became active in the Texas State Teachers Association
and was elected President of the association in 1916.&nbsp; She was the first woman to hold this
position.2</p>

<p>In the July
1918 primary, when Texas women exercised their state voting rights for the
first time, Blanton defeated two men by a large margin for the office of State
Superintendent for Public Instruction.&nbsp; Her
victory in the general election in November made her the first woman in Texas
elected to state office.3</p>

<p>During her
time as the superintendent, a system of free textbooks was established, teachers’
salaries were raised, and efforts were made to improve rural education.&nbsp; She served as the State Superintendent
through 1922, when she did not seek a new term but instead ran unsuccessfully
for the United States Congress.&nbsp; She
returned to the University of Texas where she received her Master’s Degree in
1923 and received her PhD from Cornell University in 1927.&nbsp; She returned to the University of Texas in
that same year and remained an educator there the rest of her life.4&nbsp; While teaching at the University of Texas,
Blanton founded the Delta Kappa Gamma Society, an honor society for women
teachers which is still in existence today and has over 150,000 members.5</p>

<p>Blanton died
in Austin on October 2, 1945, and was buried in Oakwood Cemetery.&nbsp; Public schools are named for her in Austin,
Dallas, and Odessa, and a women’s dormitory at the University of Texas also
bears her name.&nbsp; In 2013, Blanton was the
first woman of Denton County to be the subject of a state historical marker.6</p>

<div><br>





<div>

<p><br></p></div><div>

</div>

</div>

Annie Webb Blanton was a suffragist, educator, and author from Texas.  She wrote a series of grammar textbooks including Review Outline and Exercises in English Grammar (1903), Advanced English Grammar (1928), and The Child of the Texas One-Teacher School (1936).  She was the first woman in Texas elected to statewide office as the Superintendent of Texas Public Instruction in 1918.  This historical marker was placed in her honor for her contributions to education in Texas.

Women's History of Austin Heritage Trail

Elisabet Ney Museum

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