Modern Times Lecture Series

The end of the 19th century saw the birth of numerous women's lineage organizations in the United States. We will explore the early history of all of these organizations and the ways in which their efforts shaped and continue to influence the field of historic preservation.

Filmmaker Jeff Kerr leads us on an entertaining look at Austin’s first streetlighting system that carried the city into the modern age.

The financial crash of 1893 created suffering throughout the United States. It also motivated fundamental changes in American politics and economy. Jeremi Suri, PhD, discuss the sources of the crash and its consequences.

Dr. Edmund T. Gordon sheds new light on Black influences on the founding of the University of Texas.

Bird’s eye views of Texas cities and towns became very popular in the decades after the Civil War. They were often commissioned as advertisements to promote new towns and/or to document they tremendous growth of these places between 1870 and 1900.

Elyssa McCuistion presents the life of William Porter (O’ Henry) —from reticent country boy to dashing man-about-town, from pharmacist to bookkeeper to musician to artist.

Karen Pope takes us back in time to discover how the Exhibition in Philadelphia connected to the young state of Texas.

This lecture will ground Homer in his early career to then explore the ways in which his work shed light on a fractured nation coming to grips with a new modern world in the years that followed the Civil War.

The Shankleville Historical Society was organized in 1988, and immediately began taking steps to formalize the community’s “origin story” into a vehicle for education and cultural programs that have broadened the story of Texas.

Walter Buenger takes us on a ride through Texas rail history to illuminate the challenges faced in bringing rail travel to the state as well as the economic and cultural impact of the rail lines as they expanded through the 1870s and 1880s.