Save Texas History

On this day in 1817, Louis Michel Aury, French privateer turned Mexican commissioner, gave up his post and control of Galveston Island.

After helping declare Galveston a rebel port during Mexico’s fight for independence, Aury’s leadership was marked by conflict with fellow commanders and tension with other expedition leaders.

While he escorted Francisco Xavier Mina’s forces in 1817, Jean Laffite seized the chance to weaken Aury’s fragile government.

Aury soon left for Florida and likely died in 1821, though some accounts place him in Havana years later.

Read more:
https://www.tshaonline.org/texas-day-by-day/entry/83

A new index at the Texas General Land Office makes navigating county boundary files faster and easier than ever.

Designed to simplify research, the tool helps users quickly locate historical and geographic records across Texas’s 254 counties.

This streamlined system enhances access for historians, surveyors, and anyone exploring the state’s evolving borders.

Click below to learn more:
https://medium.com/save-texas-history/new-index-streamlines-navigating-the-texas-general-land-offices-county-boundary-files-91d2d034a113

This week in Texas history, a battleship returned to Houston.

The Battleship Texas has endured more than a century of challenges. Christened in 1912, it survived World War I, witnessed Germany’s surrender in World War II, supported Omaha Beach on D‑Day, and withstood kamikaze attacks at Okinawa.

After returning to Texas in 1948, the ship deteriorated, rusting and leaking, until a campaign raised millions for its restoration.

More recently, the Battleship Texas Foundation received $70 million in state and federal grants to repair the ship. Today, the Battleship Texas rests safely in Galveston.

Watch the video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnG8VSmpz90

Meet Dr. Carolina Castillo Crimm at the 2026 Save Texas History Symposium!

Dr. Carolina Castillo Crimm, a respected historian and Professor Emeritus from Sam Houston State University, is a native of Mexico and holds degrees from the University of Miami, Texas Tech University and the University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Castillo is known for her work on early Texas history, including her book "De León: A Tejano Family History."

Her research highlights Texas’s surprising role in the American Revolution, where Governor Bernardo de Gálvez relied on Texas cattle to sustain his troops during the long 1781 campaign against British forces along the Gulf Coast.

Learn more about our speakers and register for the Symposium here:
https://sthsymposium.vfairs.com/

Below is a historic county map of Texas showcasing the state’s full layout along with portions of neighboring states and territories.

This detailed illustration highlights Texas’s expansive geography, early county boundaries, and its connections to the regions surrounding it—offering a snapshot of how the state fit into the broader landscape of the time.

Learn more:
https://medium.com/save-texas-history/county-map-of-the-state-of-texas-1873-by-w-h-gamble-ccd616d52c59 #.5khrgzca1

On this day in 1865, German immigrant August Siemering, who opened the first public school in Fredericksburg, launched the German-language newspaper "Freie Press für Texas" in San Antonio.

With it, he established a strong Republican and abolitionist voice during Reconstruction.

Soon after, he created the English-language San Antonio Express, still in publication today. The Freie Presse continued publishing until 1945.

Read more:
https://www.tshaonline.org/texas-day-by-day/entry/1098

Bringing Texas history to life, the GLO’s StoryMapping project transforms archival maps and documents into interactive, captivating experiences.

Using GIS technology, these digital stories reveal deeper layers of Texas’ past, from early memoirs and historic borders to railroads, epidemics, and oil booms.

Click below to learn more:
https://medium.com/save-texas-history/bringing-historic-documents-to-life-through-glo-storymapping-0c19a9d54fab

This week in 1969, Apollo 11 made one giant leap for mankind, and a massive leap for Texas!

With mere seconds of fuel left in their lunar module, U.S. astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were in pursuit of history as they descended to the moon’s surface.

Before they took their first step on the moon, Armstrong reported to Mission Control in Clear Lake south of Houston, "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.”

Watch the video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRyBt4cY5Ow

Meet Dr. Andrew J. Torget at the 2026 Save Texas History Symposium!

Dr. Torget is a leading nineteenth‑century North American historian at the University of North Texas and a University Distinguished Teaching Professor.

He’s spoken at major institutions including Harvard, Stanford, Duke, Johns Hopkins, Rice, and the Library of Congress.

Torget will chart the improbable rise of Galveston from an abandoned sandbar in 1836 to its emergence as the most important port city in the American Southwest (and the second wealthiest city in the United States) by 1900.

Exploring the transformations of Galveston as a window into forces remaking all of North America, Dr. Torget will explain how Galveston had become the jewel of the American Southwest by the eve of the devasting Storm of 1900.

Learn more about our speakers and register for the Symposium here:
https://sthsymposium.vfairs.com/

George W. Colton and William S. Bernard’s 1855 map covers the United States, Central America, the Caribbean, and part of South America.

The detailed border of the print illustrates America’s natural abundance with images of grapevines, farming, fishing, and ranching.

Other decorative features include Mexico City’s Cathedral and the U.S. Capitol.

The map captures the essence of westward expansion and showcases changing geopolitical borders and newly acquired territories.

Learn more:
https://medium.com/save-texas-history/map-of-the-united-states-of-america-the-british-provinces-mexico-the-west-indies-and-central-e9615be9841f #.rx4fdma9p