Barbara Smith Conrad at The University of Texas
Born in 1940, Barbara Smith grew up in a rural home near a dirt crossroads known as Center Point, about ten miles east of Pittsburg, Texas. She was the youngest of seven children, one of whom died in childhood. Both her parents were teachers, though her father had to give up teaching to fight in World War II.
Tracing Genealogy
It is impossible to conduct genealogical research without having to search the collections of local and federal archives. While some of the records you will need to consult are conveniently available online, others may require a visit to an archive, where you can sift through original documents that will provide invaluable insight into your family history.
Segregation and Civil Rights in Texas, 1865-1965
In 1847, enslaved African Americans comprised approximately 17 percent of Travis County's total population. Although there may have been close to 1,000 free African Americans in Texas in 1850, the majority of Texas' African American population in the mid-nineteenth century was enslaved.
African American Pathfinders
The Carver Museum and Cultural Center is dedicated to the collection, preservation, research, and exhibition of African American historical and cultural materials reflecting all dimensions of experiences of persons of African descent living in Austin, Travis County, Texas, and in the United States. The Texas African American Pathfinder serves as an extension of the museum by providing resources for students, teachers, and others to conduct research using high-quality, web-based information.
The Black Press
This project is meant to increase interest in and access to the rich history found in local newspapers. Of particular interest is the Black Press, which is a valuable primary source for documenting the history of African Americans.
Busing and Basketball
A federal lawsuit closed the doors of L. C. Anderson in 1971, scattering the students of Austin's only all-Black high school. The school busing project that followed its closure incited riots at one school and drew national news attention.
The Business of Burying the Dead in Early East Austin
This website provides a history of two African American mortuaries and the families who owned them. Both funeral homes still operate in East Austin, now named King-Tears Mortuary, and Fuller Sheffield Funeral Services.
Monuments & The Confederacy at UT
Monumentality and Meaning: The University of Texas Confronts the Legacy of the Civil War.
Sirens and Symbols: Clarksville Residents Reflect on the Texas Confederate Home
The African American community of Clarksville and The Texas Confederate Home for Men coexisted in the hills west of downtown Austin for over seventy-five years. Yet, there is little documentation of any relationship between them in local archives. This exhibit provides brief histories of both Clarksville and the Texas Confederate Home for Men and examines the significant and unexplored linkages between the two.
