Legacies: A History Journal for Dallas and North Central Texas, Volume 6, Number 2, Fall, 1994 Page: 3
48 p. ; 26 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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JF rom the Editor
Historical research is often compared to a detective story, and with good reason. Historians
usually begin with a puzzle to solve, a question about events or people in the past. They search
for clues, which can turn up in unexpected places. Some lead to dead ends, others produce
evidence to be analyzed. Sometimes the puzzle remains unsolved, but other times, with
persistence and luck, the historian succeeds in putting all the pieces together.
Polly Smith, whose photographs grace this issue of Legacies, was a mystery to the staff
and visitors at the Hall of State for years. Her evocative photos were mounted in the East and
North Texas rooms, but no one knew more than her name. Some information lurked within the
voluminous records of the 1936 Centennial Exposition, but not until a dedicated volunteer began
systematically inventorying the 256 boxes, file by file, was this clue discovered. It consisted of
correspondence documenting her work for the Centennial, as well as additional photographs
taken by her. But who was she?
Then, by chance, a Dallas Historical Society board member learned of the staff's search
for more information about Polly Smith. She knew the name and address of Polly' s sister, now
living in California, and through this contact the researchers were able to answer a great many
questions. Now Polly has a face, literally as well as figuratively, since her sister donated a
wonderful self-portrait of her, which appears on page 21.
Similar challenges were faced by the other historians represented in this issue. Why did
Dallas legend Karl Hoblitzelle get involved in the entertainment business, and what was his true
role in founding the Interstate Theater circuit? Were the Dallas garment workers who went out
on strike in 1935 really the tools of the national union? Why did it take so long for decent housing
to be built in Dallas for African Americans?
The answers to such questions don't come easily. But the satisfaction is all the greater
when the historian/detective can at last assemble his hard-gained evidence and present to an
audience his "solution," a new insight into the past.
-Michael V. Hazel3
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Dallas County Heritage Society. Legacies: A History Journal for Dallas and North Central Texas, Volume 6, Number 2, Fall, 1994, periodical, 1994; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth35113/m1/5/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Historical Society.