Postcards from Texas Blog

We are so excited to be starting off season two of Postcards from Texas with what we feel is one of the most fun shows to date. Both of the stories have to do with having fun, so that could be part of the reason. You'll also see some new graphic looks from our art director, George Burnett, and our editor, Ken Crawford. They've done a fine job.

The first story is a two parter about the Maceo Family and gambling in Galveston from the 1920s through 1957. To say that the longtime Galvestonians we talked to have fond memories of the island in those days would be an understatement. There is certainly a glamour associated with those days of fancy dinners and casino clubs.

Frank Chalfant, who wrote a book about the subject called Galveston: Island of Chance, is a collector of some of the vintage poker chips and memorabilia from that era on the island. He is far from alone, however. There is an entire chip collecting organization that is active here in Houston. They meet the first Wednesday of each month at the Tracy Gee Community Center in west Houston. You can learn more at their website houstonchipclub.com.

As far as the story about the World's Championship Barbeque Cookoff that kicks off the Rodeo every year, our story is following a year that broke the attendance record. Around 221,000 folks went out to Reliant and had some 'cue and a good time last weekend. Personally, I didn't get to go, and I've been craving ribs and brisket ever since.

We are just about ready to come back with new shows. March 7 will start a run of 15 weeks of brand new episodes of Postcards. The first two weeks will feature a couple of two-part stories that should be extra fun and entertaining.

March 7 will include a story about the Maceo Family and gambling on Galveston Island. There are some great memories from lots of native Galvestonians and good history about illegal casinos, big name entertainment and raids by the Texas Rangers. Our other story will be a history of the Rodeo BBQ cook-off.

The following Sunday will have another two-parter about POW camps that were located in the region during WWII. One interview subject is a former German Army enlisted man who spent time as a prisoner at Camp Hearne. Very interesting stuff! I hope you'll mark your calendars or set your DVRs.

Take care,
Mike

Did you know that one of the nation's largest local preservation organizations is right in our own backyard? Galveston Historical Foundation is a non-profit organization that works to preserve and revitalize Galveston's historic neighborhoods and buildings. In addition to managing some of Galveston's most significant historical properties (including the 1838 Michel Menard House, 1839 Samuel May Williams House, 1859 Ashton Villa and Heritage Visitors Center, 1859 St. Joseph Catholic Church and 1880 Garten Verein), GHF also operates the Galveston County Historical Museum and the Texas Seaport Museum. GHF makes it possible for you to set sail on a ship built in 1877 or find out information about your ancestors who entered the U.S. through Galveston (called the "Ellis Island of the West"). This organization also provides educational programming to more than 25,000 Texas students every year and manages to host major, award-winning events that highlight the city's historical significance, such as Dickens on the Strand (December 5-6, 2009) and the Galveston Historic Homes Tour.

I'm sure you're wondering how the organization manages to continue its important work in these difficult economic times just a year after Hurricane Ike devastated Galveston – great question! GHF has made tremendous strides to repair and rebuild during the past 15 months, but the organization needs your help. George P. Mitchell and the Wortham Foundation promises to donate $105,000 to GHF IF the organization can match the funds by March 31, 2010. Visit their website at galvestonhistory.org to learn more about GHF and how YOU can help bring back the glory to Galveston.

Levi Jordan Plantation

Ken Brown of the University of Houston has been digging into the ground and the history of the Levi Jordan plantation for a very long time. During that time he estimates that over 600 people have had a hand in helping with the project, almost all of them volunteers and students. He even held some workshops for elementary school archaeologists at the site. Ken said he took a little heat for letting kids dig but said under close supervision they did a terrific and careful job, as good as some of his grad students. With close to 1 million separate artifacts coming out of the ground at that rich site, it would definitely take more than just one or two people to painstakingly find, mark, graph, clean, preserve and catalog everything.

The Texas Historical Commission has stabilized the house and continues working toward an interpretation of the site which will be different than that found at other plantations of the period. There will be no richly furnished house museum but rather a chance to learn about things like archaeology and life for African-Americans both in slavery and as tenant farmers after Emancipation. It is a complex and layered tale, and it should make for a fascinating place to visit. I can't wait.

Republic of Texas Money

As Dallas's John Rowe mentioned in the story, he has been collecting Republic of Texas currency and other Texas-centric bank notes for over 50 years. They now reside at a museum on the campus of SMU. Part of his collection came from the acquisition of early collections through estates. The names of past collectors of Texana include many of the most recognizable names in the state such as Amon Carter of Ft. Worth and the Moody family of Galveston. As for who might be collecting today, John said that there are maybe 25 to 30 Texans whose goal is to acquire a sample of each Republic monetary instrument. If he runs across a nice example of something he already has, Rowe buys it because he said he knows there are five or six folks who will bid on it. Sounds like a small but dedicated group of collectors.