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]
Alliene Gaston Coker, The First Woman Elected as an Officer of a Tyler Bank
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]
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]
Egg Art Eggshibit through April 27, 2019
Come see our Egg Art Eggshibit through April 27, 2019! The Fall 2018 through April 27, 2019 newest exhibit at the Smith County Historical Society is of Egg Art! We have approximately 180 hand blown eggs painted and decorated into whimsical characters. The collection was donated to us by Dr. Kerfoot Walker and family, longtime residents of Tyler, TX. The Walker’s and their three children (now adul ...[Read More]
Tyler’s Music Man ‘Doc’ Witt Celebrates the Armistice in 1918
John Franklin Witt was known to many as ‘Doc’ Witt, Tyler’s Music Man. Mr. Witt was a trumpet player, band leader, composer and teacher of music. He made a name for himself in Smith County Texas through his extraordinary musical talent. He was Bandmaster for the Tyler Kid Band in 1908, then the Tyler Municipal Band in 1916. It is no wonder that this leader of bands helped lead the Armistice ...[Read More]
FUN AT THE MUSEUM
History Mystery Fun at the Museum – in Tyler, TX! Smith County Historical Society has a way of continuing the learning process children need through their Summer, Fall, and Winter breaks. Fun At The Museum Studies show that student’s achievement scores decline over summer break. This decline is referred to as Summer Learning Loss. In response to this issue, the Smith County Histor ...[Read More]