As the Center for Public History celebrates thirty years at the University of Houston, director Marty Melosi looks back at the journy.
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Quality Hill, Houston’s First Elite Neighborhood
By Sidonie Sturrock Sometimes the quest to find historical information becomes a story in itself, revealing a different history than expected. My research on Houston’s Quality Hill neighborhood began thanks to hints left in unlikely places: two turn-of-the-twentieth-century houses next to Minute Maid Park downtown (a strange juxtaposition visible from Highway 59) and the words “Quality Hill” and “Houston’s […]
Dawson Lunnon Cemetery
Nestled in the middle of an industrial neighborhood where many awake to the vigorous hustle and bustle of everyday life lies an area where thirty-five, and possibly many more, black Houstonians share their final resting place. Situated by a bayou that is lined with trash and home to squirrels, birds, rabbits, snakes, and herons, this […]
The Legacy of Leland
Leland dedicated his political career to caring for his fellow man at home and abroad, demonstrating the importance of helping those in need. In the process, he left a legacy of humanitarianism that remains a model for us today.
Houston Brings Home a Shuttle for Everyone to Share
Space Center Houston plans to open the exhibit in the summer of 2015 that will feature the mock-up shuttle Independence sitting atop the Boeing 747, in the “ferry position.” Visitors here will have a far more tangible, hands-on educational experience than those who visit sites housing the formerly active shuttles. They can explore the insides […]
Houston’s Graffiti Culture
Graffiti. This disruptive, colorful, and self-boasting style of popular art has permeated walls for centuries, including in Houston. Modern graffiti has been around since the 1960s when gangs or “crews” created social order with preservation of writing and began spray painting names and messages on walls, as expressions of protest, violence, or leisure. Undoubtedly graffiti […]
Donald Barthelme and the Adams Petroleum Center
One of Houston’s most important literary figures was the late writer and novelist Donald Barthelme (1931–1989). But for many years Barthelme labored in the shadow of his better-known father, Donald Barthelme, Sr. (1907–1996), a nationally prominent architect.
Dredged to Excellence, 100 Years on the Houston Ship Channel
Houston History celebrates the Houston Ship Channel’s centennial. The Fall 2014 issue explores the deep-water channel from its initial concept in the 1830s to one of the world’s largest ports today. The magazine also pays tribute to the men and women who make the Port of Houston a success, like lineman Bobby Kersey, shown on […]
Deep Water Houston: From the Laura to the Deep Water Jubilee
The Allen brothers’ mission to create a city where none had been before was fueled by the same philosophy that led to Houston’s long-term success: dream big, and do everything possible to realize your dreams. The realization of Houston and the Houston Ship Channel is a tale of promotion, ingenuity, and decades of dedicated effort […]
What a Deep-water Channel to Houston Created
Fifty-two miles long and recognized as a public works engineering marvel, the Houston Ship Channel gave birth to the nation’s busiest port, its leading export port, its leading break bulk port, and its largest petrochemical complex. Indeed, the town that built a port that built a city sums up the Houston Ship Channel’s first century.