The Portal to Texas History is a gateway to rare, historical, and primary source materials from or about Texas.

The Portal to Texas History

This system will be undergoing maintenance May 24th between 8:00AM and 12:00PM CDT.

A gateway to rare, historical, and primary source materials from or about Texas.

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This section provides ways for you to get periodic updates about the site, and links to share it on popular social media networks.

Collection Highlights

This section provides a sampling of some of our collections.

Texas Digital Newspaper Program

Check out the News from:

 25 years ago in May, 1997 50 years ago in May, 1972 75 years ago in May, 1947 100 years ago in May, 1922 150 years ago in May, 1872 This day in history
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Mount Vernon Optic-Herald

The oldest business in Franklin County is the Mount Vernon Optic-Herald. It began in 1874 when W. J. Johnson …

Private Papers of Daniel Kempner Thorne

Family papers from the first and second generation of the influential Kempner Family of Galveston.

The Austin Weekly Statesman

Originally a Democratic newspaper, the Statesman covered local, national, and international news in the Texas capital. These issues are from …

Dallas Parks and Recreation Department Photographs

Photos of historic parks, facilities, and activities from the early 1900s to 1970s from the Dallas Parks and Recreation Department.

Explore all 732 Collections

Featured Partner

Every time you visit this page, we'll highlight a different partner in this section.

Texas State University

Nestled in the hills of San Marcos, the University was authorized in 1899 and Southwest Texas State Normal School first opened its doors in 1903. The original institution was formed to train teachers, and the school has only expanded in the century since.

About This Partner Browse Contributed Items
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News and Announcements

Horse Photos Featured in New Book

The UNT Libraries recently published Through the Lenses of Ray Bankston and Don Shugart, a captivating sample of the extensive collection of prints and negatives held in the Libraries’ Special Collections.

Ray Bankston and Don Shugart were two of the most prolific photographers of American Quarter Horses and horse show events in the South and Southwest during the last four decades of the twentieth century.

Their work is also featured in The Portal to Texas History’s Ray and Joyce Bankston Dalco Photography and Don Shugart Photography Collections.

What we do: Educate, Preserve, Build

Hundreds of years of Texas' cultural heritage exist in the physical holdings of communities across the state. The Portal seeks to digitize originals, preserving and presenting online copies for the long-term. Doing so highlights hidden collections, builds statewide connections, and provides access to you, regardless of the time or your location.

Texas History for Teachers

Texas History for Teachers provides Texas social studies teachers access to evidence-based historical content and resources for teaching Texas history, with all content mapped to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards.

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Texas Digital Newspaper Program

Learners of all ages can use TDNP to stand in the shoes of people from over 180 years ago to the present. Through our newspaper collection, we provide an understanding of the lives of Texans across history and miles.

"The newspaper digitization project places our library in position to reach out toward the future. By taking a piece of the past and bringing it with us, we are sure to grow and learn, appreciate and respect what was, what is and what will be."

Leslie Whitaker, Claude Public Library
About the Program

Rescuing Texas History

The Portal to Texas History periodically offers mini-grants for its Rescuing Texas History series. Each grant provides up to $1,000 of digitization services to libraries, museums, historical societies, and other groups that house historical materials. All of the materials are scanned at UNT Libraries and hosted on the Portal.

"I collect old Texas photographs. Thanks to the Portal, they can now be viewed by the world."

Brad Willis — T. B. Willis Photograph Collection
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Help Us Save Texas History!

Last month, we counted 2,227,967 uses of items on the Portal by people all over the world. Many were provided by small communities and funded by the generosity of donors like you.

Become a Partner

Information for libraries, museums, schools, historical societies, civic groups, and individuals interested in the digital preservation and sharing of cultural heritage materials on this site.

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On-line Giving

You can support the preservation of small, disappearing, and at-risk communities and provide free access to them for students, educators, and researchers of all ages and abilities.

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