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Witness to the Day of Reckoning: Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
On March 24, 1989, the U.S. oil industry encountered a day of reckoning. Just after midnight, the Exxon Valdez supertanker carrying Alaskan crude to California ran aground on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska, spilling nearly eleven million gallons of oil into one of the nation’s most beautiful coastal habitats. At the time, this […]
Remembering Foley’s
Houston History Archives emerged as a relatively new enterprise in realms of archiving when Joe Pratt relocated The Houston Review: History and Culture of the Gulf Coast journal to the University of Houston (UH) from the Houston Public Library.
Recalling Houston’s Early Days and its Oilmen: A Conversation with Jane Blaffer Owen
Jane Blaffer Owen, an arts patron, social activist, and preservationist, was the daughter of Robert Lee Blaffer, one of the founders of Humble Oil & Refining Company (now ExxonMobil), and the granddaughter of William T. Campbell, who established the The Texas Company, which became Texaco.
Third Ward, Steeped in Tradition of Self-reliance and Achievement
The historic Third Ward was originally an area east of Main Street, south of Congress Street and extending to the city limits. For the residents of the Third Ward, their identity with the ward went beyond the original intent of the nomenclature as a political division.
Two Worlds a Mile Apart, A Brief History of the Fourth Ward
Clatter of light rail running down Main Street, cars roaring by, crowds gathering at the crosswalk champing to get on with the day—hectic life fills twenty-first century downtown Houston. But when a Houstonian takes a short stroll from the busy intersection of Congress and Main to nearby Sesquicentennial Park and wanders down the walk to […]
Freedman’s Town: A Lesson in the Failure of Historic Preservation
The struggle to preserve the history of Freedmen’s Town in Houston, Texas is entangled in the questionable systems of urban renewal and development, which inevitably work to displace many of the poor African American residents from the community.
Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder: Third Ward Art Treasure but a Memory
Harvey Johnson came to Houston from Port Arthur to study art at Texas Southern University under world-renowned artist, sculptor, and teacher, John Biggers, who founded the school’s art program in 1949.
Oil in Houston
Wildcats and sweet crude. Live in Houston long enough and you’ll learn that wildcats are exploration oil wells and the price of sweet crude – the high-quality, low-sulfur oil used for processing gasoline – is a closely watched economic indicator. But if you just got here or want a refresher on what the oil industry […]
Houston History Archives: Saving Stories of Region, Place and People
By Teresa Tomkins-Walsh Click here to read the full pdf of this article
Volume 8, Number 2
Oil in Houston Vol. 8, No. 2 (Spring 2011) Download PDF Letter from Editor 2 Faces of Texas Oil by Story Sloane III 8 We’re Sticking by Our Union: The Battle for Baytown, 1942-1943 by Michael Boston 15 Witness to the Day of Reckoning: Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, March 24, 1989 A Conversation […]