TEXAS INSTITUTE FOR THE PRESERVATION OF HISTORY AND CULTURE

The mission of the TIPHC is to collect, preserve, study, and make available research information, records, documents, artifacts, and other items relating to Texas history and culture.  The Institute places special emphasis on collecting, preserving, and studying the role and contributions of African Americans in Texas history and culture.  This is an important mission because the documents, artifacts, and resources collected by the Institute will serve as the primary source materials for research on the black experience in Texas.

WHO WE ARE
WHAT WE DO
PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES

WHO WE ARE

The Texas Institute for the Preservation of History and Culture (TIPHC) was established by the 76 th Texas Legislature and legally came into existence on, May 29, 1999. The mission of the Institute is to collect, preserve, study, and make available for research: information, records, documents, artifacts, and other items relating to Texas history and culture--with special emphasis on the role and contributions of African Americans to the settlement and development of the state and to its cultural heritage.

The history of African Americans in Texas is being lost at an alarming rate due to a lack of resources and trained professionals engaged in preservation. Historical structures, such as the Colombia Rosewald Colored School in Brazoria County erected in 1922, and other abandoned buildings in the black community, need restoration.

Housed in the School of Architecture, the TIPHC will not only accomplish its mission of preserving, collecting, and making available information on the black experience in Texas, but will also seek to collaborate with organizations engaged in the preservation of the cultural history of Texas Communities. 

The institute will serve as a conduit for renovating older black neighborhoods throughout the state by assisting communities in developing strategies to restore historical buildings. An example of this is the Houston Freedmen Town in the Third Ward area. The National Historic Preservation Society and the Texas Historical Commission would provide resources for similar projects. 

TIPHC?s affiliation with the School of Architecture means that the Institute will occupy new facilities in the year 2005 as a part of the new School of Architecture and Art building, designed by award-winning architect, Michael Rotondi and his partner Clark Steven of Roto Architects in Los Angeles in conjunction with Jess Corrigan of HKS in Dallas.

WHAT WE DO

Texas culture has been enriched by the contributions of African Americans in agriculture, business, education, science, law, medicine, politics, the military, the arts and humanities, sports, and entertainment. Buried in closets, attics, trunks, family photo albums, and under beds?much of the material related to African Americans in the state is disappearing because of a lack of information, access, resources, or sufficient numbers of trained professionals engaged in research, cultural resource management, and preservation. TIPHC (the Culture Institute) strives to encourage and coordinate the collection and preservation of this material; promote historical research and investigation; develop educational programs along with outreach and training activities; develop and display exhibits; and, to provide automated systems for data retrieval to various publics.

The TIPHC networks and cooperates with heritage organizations throughout the region and the state, along with all those who are interested in Texas history and culture. The goals of the Culture Institute are in accordance with the statewide plan for preservation set forth by the Texas Historical Commission. Thus, our institution also aims to:

• meet the needs of a culturally diverse population in sensitive ways;

• broaden appreciation of diverse historical and cultural resources;

• encourage community stewardship of these resources;

• strengthen programs that promote heritage tourism and the use of preservation as an economic tool;

• utilize new technologies to do conservation work and to make history accessible to a wider public;

• seek and develop historical designations for underrepresented cultural topics and resources;

• create digital databases and make information available on-line;

• promote the development of local cultural resource management capabilities;

• support the development of technical training and education programs;

• develop public programs that serve the campus and alumni; teachers and students in local communities; and, a broader public beyond the university.

PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES

Examples include:

• The Visionary Heritage Fellows Program : The Visionary Heritage Fellowship Program, sponsored by the National Visionary Leadership Project (NVLP), co-founded by Dr. Camille O. Cosby, and Renee Poussaint, offers talented undergraduate college students, selected from partnering institutions around the country, to learn from National and Local Visionaries through direct dialogue, informal mentoring, and video documentation. This year Prairie View A&M University has four Visionary Heritage Fellows.
  
• The Woolfolk Lecture Series: recognizes the enormous contribution of Dr. George Ruble Woolfolk to public higher education in Texas, and to Prairie View A&M University and its students. Each year this program brings to campus a speaker who exemplifies Dr. Woolfolk?s commitment to learning. The lecture takes place during Alumni, or Homecoming Week and draws an audience from well beyond the campus community.

• Black History Month: The Culture Institute co-sponsored events in February 2003 around the theme: "The Souls of Black Folk: Centennial Reflections" The theme for 2004 is, Brown v. Board of Education (1954) commemorating the 50 th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision on school desegregation and equal protection. Our activities will highlight the significance of the Texas case, Sweatt v. Painter (1950) to the litigation strategy that led to Brown. We hope to develop out of this series of activities, other public programs and events to assist K-12 teachers and students in commemorating these important cases and exploring their meaning.

• Galveston Historical Update: 1986 -2000: The Galveston district of the army Corps of Engineers has commissioned the TIPHC to conduct primary and secondary research on the history of its accomplishments over the period. Researchers from the Culture Institute will examine records and materials at the Galveston Army Corps of Engineer facility, other archives, court records, reports, Congressional testimony, and journals; as well as, conduct interviews.

• Restoration, Documentation and Preservation of Photographs and other Primary Records at Prairie View A&M University: As a part of a larger effort to document the visual and cultural history of PVAMU, the Culture Institute is engaged in the preservation, restoration, and organization of photographs and records currently held in temporary storage. This process will halt the deterioration that threatens to destroy irreplaceable material for the study of African American history in Texas.

• Oral History Project:

PAST EVENTS

On, October 22, 2003 , at 2 PM , the Texas Institute for the Preservation of History and Culture, along with the Division of Social Work, Behavioral and Political Sciences and the John B. Coleman Library, will co-sponsor the annual, George Ruble Woolfolk Lecture Series. This year the program will feature a panel that includes: Dr. Albert S. Broussard, Dr. Jewell Prestige, Dr. E. Yvonne Moss, and Dr. James Jones , addressing the theme: ?Dreams Deferred: Re-visioning Equal Opportunity in the 21 st Century.?

The program will be held from 2 PM to 4 PM , in the A. I. Thomas Administration Building, on the campus of Prairie View A&M University. This event is free and open to the public.