2015 Activities Around the State

Each year during May, Preservation Month is celebrated across the United States. Preservation Month, initiated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, was designed to raise awareness about the social, cultural, and economic power of historic preservation. The intent is to broaden awareness of local historic assets by holding events and activities that reach out to the general public. Many preservation organizations hold activities at sites they care for or own, ranging from historic museums, houses, churches, forts, missions, commercial establishments, courthouses, and other public and private buildings and places. In 2008, the Trust launched the This Place Matters campaign as part of this overall effort. This Place Matters encouraged people nationwide to tell stories about any place “…large or small, nationally significant or personally priceless, historic or maybe just old—that played a role in your life.” That campaign continues today nationwide. In 2011, the Texas Main Street office traveled the state with a “This Place Matters. Texas Main Street Matters” sign to celebrate our 30th anniversary. Managers and board members across the state were photographed in their downtowns with the signs. The sign’s year-long trip began with a group shot at Main Street Professional Development in Paris in late February. (The sign still has a place of honor in the Main Street State Coordinator’s office in Austin!)

Recognition of Preservation Month and the concept of This Place Matters continues to be widely celebrated in Texas Main Street communities. We are dedicating this issue of Main Street Matters to share some of the many interesting and impactful National Preservation Month activities that Texas Main Street programs undertook in their communities last month. To name a few, activities included Georgetown’s inaugural foodie event; a “celebration” of Bonnie and Clyde in Winnsboro; 20- and 100-year anniversaries in Kerrville; events to welcome new businesses in downtown Caldwell; and a celebration of a long-time business in San Augustine with a THC Texas Treasure Business Award. Read on for those stories and more.

Kerrville

Kerrville held a series of activities during May and used Preservation Month as the stage to celebrate the 100th anniversary of its Depot and the 20th anniversary of Main Street designation. The busy month also included a wine and cheese reception at the Rails Café at the Depot; an “Imagine the Possibilities” open house at several properties with available spaces; a month-long scavenger hunt; and a mayoral proclamation. 

Properties that were open for tour included The Tomlinson Building (223-225 Earl Garrett Street – for sale), The Heckler Building (215 Earl Garrett Street – for sale), the former Bank of America building (741 Water Street – for lease), and 631 Water Street (for lease). Refreshments were provided courtesy of five downtown food merchants. Part of the event also included cutting a cake celebrating 20 years of Kerrville Main Street! “On event day, the rain poured, however the turnout was still significant. We do plan on hosting more open houses in the future, as we can see how these tours are beneficial for our downtown economic development,” said Kim Snyder, Main Street manager.   

The events provided an opportunity to share many stories about the community and downtown’s heritage. The original wooden Depot, for instance, was destroyed by fire in 1912 and replaced by a brick structure in 1915. The end of the line for the San Antonio and Aransas Pass train line, local children would run to the turnaround to help turn the train around. The lucky ones caught one of the coins the conductor would toss out to them. These are the sorts of stories that make a community authentic and an example of “Real Places Telling Real Stories”—the Texas Historical Commission’s tagline. Today, the restored 1915 Depot is home to a restaurant called Rails…a Café at the Depot, which won a statewide award in 2004 from the Texas Downtown Association. All month long, the restaurant featured special dishes inspired by the history of the Depot. As a 20-year Main Street city, more than $77 million has been reinvested into downtown, 92 businesses, and 330 jobs created.

The Kerrville Daily Times also ran an editorial May 12 in their How We See It column under the heading “Heritage Matters” that recognized and listed 29 historic buildings in Kerrville as “a visual reminder of the city’s rich heritage.” 

This campaign helped build appreciation and support for downtown businesses, as well as encouraging business owners to promote their local roots. Increasing awareness about the importance of shopping locally was one of the main goals and is imperative for keeping the downtown district relevant and thriving. 

Harlingen

Downtown Harlingen undertook two Preservation Month projects this year.  The first project was the May 1st Historic Preservation and Rehabilitation Tax Credits for South Texas Symposium organized by Downtown Harlingen, the Texas Historical Commission, Texas Southmost College, and the City of Brownsville Heritage Office, along with many local sponsors.  The event was a huge success, with attendance by more than 125 participants from throughout the Rio Grande Valley and as far away as Bexar, Burnet, Harris, and Kleberg counties.  Stories on the event were published in the Brownsville Herald, The McAllen Monitor, and the Valley Morning Star, and in the Valley Business Report.  This symposium, which brought together city administrators and elected officials, architects, developers, realtors, property owners, educators, media, preservationists, and others, is being hailed as a milestone event for the Valley, and hopefully will spur more historic preservation projects in the region.

The second project was organizing and co-sponsoring an exhibit of 75 historic photos in Downtown Harlingen entitled Gone But Not Forgotten: Historic Photos of Harlingen’s Lost Heritage.  The exhibit opened at D’Arte Centre, 115 E. Jackson, on Friday, May 29th, in conjunction with Harlingen Art Night.  The show is free and open to the public (Tue-Sat), until June 27th.  The exhibit includes photos of buildings that were torn down due to hurricane or fire damage, or to make way for new developments and parking lots.  

It features images of early frame buildings in Harlingen’s central business district as well as train depots, military facilities, churches, schools, hotels, theatres, and more.  According to local historian Norman Rozeff, this exhibit makes a strong case for preservation by illustrating how many unique and iconic buildings have been lost over the years.  “That makes it even more important to preserve and adapt those that remain,” he said.  This is the third year that Downtown Harlingen and the nonprofit Harlingen Art Forum, which runs D’Arte Centre, have collaborated on a Preservation Month exhibit.

Georgetown

As part of its recognition of Preservation Month, Georgetown launched a fundraising event “for foodies” called The Table on Main. Originally designed to be alfresco, weather threats forced the event indoors. Nonetheless, it sold out with 160 participants dining on “cuisine flights” personally introduced by downtown’s chefs and restaurant owners. Flights included drinks, hors d’oeuvres, sit-down appetizers, salads, vegetables, and “savory protein” concluding with desserts. Six restaurants and two wineries participated. 

Proceeds from the event will benefit Main Street’s Downtown Beautification and Public Art projects. Shelly Hargrove, Georgetown Main Street manager, says she saw photos of Downtown Fort Worth’s Main Table event two years ago on Facebook and was fascinated by the concept. “I thought we could adapt it and make it work for the Georgetown square to help showcase all our great downtown restaurants and chefs. So one of my board members Cindy Harrington, and I attended last September to scout it out, and we made plans to adapt it as a fundraiser for downtown public arts and beautification projects and to help celebrate National Preservation Month”. A photo album from the successful event can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.895888367124124.1073741837.109034472476188&type=3

San Augustine

Article written by Tracy Cox, San Augustine Main Street manager

The day was warm, sunny, and laid back for the first Main Street Texas Treasure Heritage Festival. I should say the first in a series! Not being a native to San Augustine puts me at a disadvantage to know all of the many activities, events, and possible heritage festivals  have been held in years past! I’m sure there have been some!  

Not only was it a day to reflect on the historical “days gone by,” but 
to anxiously look to the future with its prospects of growth and development.  

For those of you that don’t know, the City of San Augustine Main Street program is a city/state program that is dependent on support from local individuals, businesses, organizations, and volunteers.  Support comes by way of financial donations, volunteering time, and all other “in-kind” support. This year’s festival drew at least 100 volunteers to put together such an event. Various civic and religious organizations along with its members banded together to do raffles, sales, demonstrations, and  more. Individuals within the community participated in the entertainment phase by telling stories and recalling good memories of the past.  Food vendors were invited to come and give festival goers a taste of yesteryear. Historical and cultural demonstrations were held on Heritage Row. The gathering was also entertained by various local and out of town musicians.  Besides great shopping and dining experiences, the event also offered the Pinto Bean Cooking Contest, Car Show, and Main Street Junk in the Trunk. This event was fortunate to have both the opening day of Farmers Market and Sale on the Trail the same day. A major highlight was the noon presentation of the Texas Historical Commission’s Texas Treasure Business award to San Augustine Drug Company. The Jackson and Bridges family were present to accept the award. They were nominated by Texas State Representative Trent Ashby. On hand to do the presentation were Mayor Leroy Hughes, County Judge Samye Johnson, Marshall McMillan, Betty Oglesbee, and Linda Goller.   

We had a great day and are looking forward to next year! The festival expenses were paid for by donations to the San Augustine Main Street Patrons and Loyal Supporters, a 501C3 organization.  

Winnsboro 

Winnsboro held a new event for Preservation Month that focused on a piece of infamy in Winnsboro’s history–the time notorious gangsters Bonnie and Clyde spent in their town. “This was the first year for the event and it was a big success. There were old cars downtown, Bonnie and Clyde were dowtown, our historian Bill Jones gave a one hour walking tour of places B&C frequented in Winnsboro, stores had posters about B&C in their windows–all in all it was a fun and educational day for everyone,” says Denise Miranda, Main Street manager. “They used to hang out here quite often,” says Miranda of Bonnie & Clyde.

Palestine

Article written by Laura Westgate, Palestine Main Street manager

Palestine Main Street hosted a “Historic Wooden Window Workshop” which brought together experts in the field of wooden window restoration, locally sourced products for the repair, and hands-on examples of restored and in progress windows. Historic Preservation Officer Jacob Morris rescued a number of historic windows from a recent demo. He refurbished the windows and had them on display as interactive displays. Conversation also covered appropriate replacement parts, what the components of a wood window are and why they play a pivotal role in the design, and what not to do.

For Preservation Month 2015, Main Street Supports rallied around the places downtown and in the supporting neighborhoods that matter to them. Armed with an orange tear-drop sign, they snapped pictures in historic places and shared why it mattered to them. I then shared it on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram over the course of the day. We had children up to senior adults that participated. The local paper loved the story and ran a front page feature on why historic preservation matters and how Main Street is the repository of our history. The campaign translated from the online success to print to web. It was a snowball of goodness that just grew. Telling your story is the most important thing you can do

Waxahachie

Article written by Anita Brown, Downtown Development Director

The Waxahachie City Council issued a proclamation designating May as Preservation Month in Waxahachie at their meeting on May 4, 2015. A Resolution from State Representative John Wray, District 10, lauding Waxahachie’s achievements in preservation and downtown revitalization was also presented. 

Members of the Waxahachie Heritage Preservation Commission distributed historic property coloring books to second graders in the Waxahachie Independent School District and spoke to them about the importance of preservation during the month of May. Peggy Spalding Crabtree addressed the second grade students and teachers at Clift Elementary. Mrs. Crabtree’s ancestors were some of the first settlers in Waxahachie. Her cousin, Robert Benton, wrote and directed the Academy Award winning film “Places in the Heart”, which was filmed in Waxahachie and is based on several of her family member lives.

Caldwell 

Under the leadership of Caldwell Main Street’s brand-new Main Street Manager Michelle Mahfouz and the Advisory Board, a Meet and Greet was held May 28 to get to know business owners, Caldwell history, and the Main Street program. About 75 people attended and by all counts, the event was highly successful. Attendees included the mayor and council members, city manager, advisory board members, and the county judge, along with many members of the public. Both businesses that hosted Meet and Greet events in their locations reported strong business sales that evening. The event also provided an opportunity to introduce a new business to the Main Street district.

2014 Activities Around the State

This year’s theme “New Age of Preservation: Embark, Inspire, Engage” encouraged Main Street organizations to showcase how they are celebrating and saving historic places in their downtowns. Several Main Street communities around the state participated in the festivities. Here is a brief look at some of those preservation activities: 

Brenham
Brenham held its second annual local history day program, which included educating students from local schools about the history of the 1800s. They saw the clothing and architecture of the 1800s, heard stories and music of the era, and were actively engaged for a day of historical learning and fun. 

Clarksville
Clarksville held several preservation month activities including a proclamation from Mayor Rushing, special programing from the elementary school and the Red River Historical Society, historic home tours, and ghost walks to share the history of the Main Street district. Furthermore, they held a program called “Parallel Memories,” which interviewed several of our older life-long residents; and artists painted the stories they heard and presented the painting to the public at a reception at the library.  

Georgetown
A proclamation for National Preservation Month was held at both the city council and the Williamson County Commissioner’s Court. An unveiling of a new mural called “The Square” took place at the end of the month with presentations on Preservation Month. 

Harlingen
Harlingen Main Street coordinated three preservation month events to celebrate preservation downtown. The first, “Downtown Harlingen Back in the Day,” exhibited 46 historic photographs of downtown Harlingen, including images of buildings, people, and events. A photo contest entitled “New Views of Historic Downtown Harlingen,” encouraged participants to capture new images of downtown. Also, throughout the month, they coordinated the “Harlingen Oral History project” as a new undertaking to interview and record stories and memories about the community from those who grew up in Harlingen.  

La Grange
La Grange celebrated Preservation Month by holding an interactive social media campaign focused on historic downtown buildings. They also promoted their heritage by sharing historic photos and trivia on their facebook page.  

Luling
The mayor proclaimed May as National Preservation Month and honored a local property owner who had recently restored his downtown building. The Main Street manager wrote five weekly columns in the local paper dedicated to preservation topics in the Main Street program, including articles about iconic structures, lost structures, creative solutions for preservation, improving community pride, and engagement in preservation.   

Nacogdoches
Nacogdoches hosted a second story tour event which featured five residential units above storefronts in their historic downtown. The tour brought more than 75 attendees to downtown to tour the historic homes and get a feel for downtown living. Furthermore, they hosted the “Living History of Oak Grove Cemetery” the same day and had 100 in attendance.

San Augustine
Mayor Leroy Hughes signed a proclamation declaring May as Preservation Month in San Augustine. They also ran a media art contest with a theme of downtown architecture to create art to be used for Main Street promotions.
In addition to planned preservation month activities, property owners are getting in on the preservation action. The Matthews Building in downtown is restoring its sign back to the original state.

San Marcos
San Marcos hosted guided and self-guided tours of its square during the annual Swing on the Square Heritage Festival. Historic photos were displayed in the windows of the buildings in which they were taken. 

Seguin
Mayor Don Keil presented a proclamation marking May 2014 as National Historic Preservation Month in Seguin, which recognized the Seguin Main Street program as instrumental in preservation. 

Texarkana
Better Block Texarkana was held on May 10 in downtown Texarkana as part of May Historic Preservation Month. It was held in conjunction with two other events:  Railfest and Dining Downtown. It was a great day with many families coming downtown to see a vision of downtown with temporary trees, plants, bike lane, and “pop up” businesses. Approximately 40 businesses came down for the day and setup in vacant spaces. Railfest also occured during the Better Block event, which drew a lot of vendors and food concessions. Jack Ingram played that evening, creating a whole day of festivities.

The Downtown Dining was a progressive dining experience that let people visit all the restaurants downtown and taste two menu items. An exhibit was placed at each location that showed old/original menus, building information, and the story of the current business.  Foods that reflected the “melting pot” of early Texarkana cultures were served, including Tex-Mex, Italian, German, and Southern cuisine. A Chuck Wagon setup served chicken fried steak, peach cobbler, and biscuits from scratch! Chefs were in pioneer costume.

Waxahachie
On May 5th, the Waxahachie City Council issued a proclamation designating May as Preservation Month. Members of the Waxahachie Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) made visits to several local elementary schools during the month to deliver copies of the Waxahachie Historic Preservation Coloring Book to all second graders in the WISD school system. The coloring book was updated this year to make it more child-friendly and educational. It is the goal of the HPC to nurture love of historic properties in future generations so they can carry on the work of preserving our heritage.