In my previous blog, Alma Woldert Spence Letter dated June 4 1915, I mentioned the portraits found in the 1915 Alcalde school annual. We have identified four out of the five as follows: Louise Marsh – Her senior picture is on page 35 with a different pose from what is printed in the 1915 Alcalde school annual. She is mentioned in the yearbook on pages 77 and 144. [Object Id: BSF060] F ...[Read More]
Louise Marsh, Frances Prestwood, Lovie Roberts and Ruth Hambrick Portraits 1915
Alma Woldert Spence Letter dated June 4 1915
Recently SCHS employee Candis Lively was entering information in our museum software from a donation I made to the Archives of a 1915 Alcalde yearbook of Tyler High School. I had bought it at the antique mall in the Fair Foundation Bldg also know as the old Sears store location. When I bought it I found four portraits and a full length head to toe picture that was photographed by Denison”s S ...[Read More]
UPDATE: CLIR Grant Awarded
UPDATE April 2019: CLIR Grant Awarded UPDATE 3/13/2020: Recordings being uploaded. Go to Archive.org and YouTube.com “Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you that our review panel has recommended Smith County Historical Society, Inc. for a Recordings at Risk grant in the amount of $25,258.43 to support the project Historical Magnetic Tape Preservation Project. Your p ...[Read More]
Things to Do in Tyler, Texas
Are you looking for things to do in Tyler, Texas? The population of Tyler is growing at a fast rate, and so is tourism. The Keepin’ Tyler Rosy Destination Training tour is hosted by The Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce for employees of the hospitality industry of Tyler. I was fortunate enough to be a part of this tour along with 22 fellow associates and Susan Travis, Vice President of Tourism ...[Read More]
Alliene Gaston Coker, The First Woman Elected as an Officer of a Tyler Bank
At our April 2019 monthly meeting, Kathy Gaston, a Smith County Historical Society Board member, spoke about Alliene Gaston Coker, the first woman elected as an officer of a Tyler bank. Alliene Gaston Coker was born in 1891 to a prominent Tyler dentist, Finis Ewing Gaston, and his wife, Bessie Clarinda James. A lifelong resident of Tyler, Alliene was proud of her family and her city. She wa ...[Read More]
Historic Preservation Mark A. Thacker, AIA
Mark Thacker is a Board member of the Smith County Historical Society. Mr. Thacker presented the program for our March 2019 meeting on Historic Preservation. Mark is a preservation architect by profession and serves as a member of the Texas Archaeological Stewards Network, a program of the Texas Historical Commission. A lifelong resident of Smith County, Texas, Mark received his architectural educ ...[Read More]
Yearbooks Added
This Is a listing of new acquisitions for our collection of yearbooks. We have been very fortunate to receive the yearbooks listed below through the generosity of our members and others. We have received elementary, junior high, middle school, high school, college and even one military yearbooks. These help us add to our ancestors’ stories. If the year that you are interested in is no ...[Read More]
Robert Lee Falkner and the R.L. Falkner Collection
Robert Lee Falkner was born Nov. 10, 1911, in Garden Valley in Smith County, Texas to Eugene L. Falkner and wife, Eunice Jackson Neill. He attended Tyler Public Schools and lived in Tyler most of his life. He was a member of Calvary Baptist Church. He was an award-winning photographer for the Tyler Courier-Times-Telegraph for four years. He was owner of R. L. Falkner Photography Shop in Tyler for ...[Read More]
The Cut
The Cut was the title of the Smith County Historical Society program at our Annual meeting on Tuesday, February 5, 2019. We are happy to say the Payne Auditorium was full of members and visitors! The highlight of the evening was our Board member Larry Wade’s presentation! The Cut was a booming African American business district in north Tyler. Larry spoke of his memories of growing up and living a ...[Read More]
Carnegie Hero Medal Commission
The Smith County Historical Society’s January 2019 Monthly Program was about the Carnegie Hero Medal Commission. Our program speaker was Carol Kehl, our Society’s Past President. I found the subject very interesting and informative, so I reached out to Carol. She was kind enough to send me some more information about the Carnegie Hero Medal Commission. Here is what she sent: “Andrew Carnegie ...[Read More]