The Alden B. Dow Office Museum REOPENS this Saturday!

Issue 25.........September 2022

The Lake Jackson Historical Association provides education relative to the

history and culture of Lake Jackson, Texas.

Lake Jackson Historical Association continues to mix the

OLD with the NEW

You're Invited!

We are so excited to announce the Grand Re-opening of the Alden B. Dow Office Museum this Saturday, Sept. 10th from 10am-4pm! Tour this newly restored building that served as Lake Jackson's first City Hall, the first post office, and Alden Dow's architectural office. Lake Jackson was designed within these walls! See where Alden worked, read some of the highlights of Lake Jackson's history in our new timeline exhibit, watch oral history interviews with local citizens, and more.

Admission is free, and everyone who attends our opening day will be entered into a drawing for a free copy of the beautiful book After Alden: Mid-Century Architecture in Brazosport, Texas by Marty Merritt. Can't make it this weekend? The Alden B. Dow Office Museum will be open every 2nd Saturday from 10am-4pm at 101 S. Parking Place.

Something to Chew On!

September Speaker: Michael Bailey, Brazoria County Historical Museum Curator

Topic: The History of Texas Flags

Thursday, September 15

12pm-1pm

Lake Jackson Historical Museum

Thursday, Sept. 15

12pm-1pm

Speaker: Michael Bailey,

Brazoria County Curator

Reserve your spot!

Thursday, Oct. 20

12pm-1pm

Speaker: Lora-Marie Bernard,

Local Author & Historian

Reserve your spot!

Michael Bailey will share research on some of the early flags that flew in Texas before, during, and after the Texas War for Independence. Bailey has worked in the history field for over thirty years, starting in Indiana with archaeology and later joining the museum profession. Along the way he has worked in libraries, historical sites, and museums. Earning BAs in History and Anthropology, he later obtained a Graduate Certificate from George Washington University, completed a curatorial program at Rutgers University, and attended the prestigious Winedale Museum Seminar. Bailey now makes his home in Brazoria County where he works in the museum field and participates with several re-enactment organizations, which strive to present and save Texas History. For his work with Texas History he was commissioned an Admiral in the Texas Navy by the Governor of Texas and awarded an Honorary Membership in the Sons of the Republic of Texas.

Something to Chew On will be held every 3rd Thursday at 12 noon and will feature different speakers each time. It is designed to give you a break from the work day and "something to chew on," both literally and figuratively, over your lunch hour. Admission is $10. Add on a boxed lunch for $12, or you are welcome to bring your own. All lunch orders MUST be placed by the Tuesday before the event.

Check out our events here!

CELEBRATE HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

National Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15 through October 15, and we’re recognizing Lake Jackson’s dynamic Hispanic community and history at the museum! Starting on Saturday, Sept. 17, we will have a special display celebrating people of Latin American heritage who called Lake Jackson home and made historic accomplishments in their local and professional communities. We will also have supplies for making festive papel picado garlands, as well as a whiteboard campaign that you can use to share what Hispanic heritage means to you. The display will be located in our upstairs research area next to our permanent mini-exhibit on Tejano music legend Selena Quintanilla-Perez, who grew up here in Lake Jackson!

For more information!

*New Pop-up Exhibit*

Scenes of Brazoria History:

The Art of Don Hutson

September 20-November 12, 2022

In our collection we have several paintings by late, local artist Don Hutson, such as this striking depiction of a Karankawa male camped near a lake. Originally featured as part of an exhibition displayed in the lobby of the Brazosport Savings and Loan in Freeport, the Karankawa was visualized by Don Hutson based on the evidence and artifacts gathered by the Gulf Coast Archaeological Society in 1960.

This, along with several other paintings by Don Hutson, will be on display for a short time beginning September 20 through November 12 in the center gallery of the museum.

Join us on Friday evening, Sept. 23rd, for the exhibit opening! The opening reception is free but limited to the first 40 RSVPs, so reserve your spot soon.

Honor Someone You Love

Pave the walkway to the museum or the Jackson Plantation Historic Site with a personalized brick. Order a brick here.

Upcoming Events

On the Same Track: Enchanted by Model Trains Pop-up Exhibit

Now on view, Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10am-4pm

Location: Lake Jackson Historical Museum 2nd Floor

Admission: Free

For more information

Jackson Plantation Historic Site

Saturday, September 10, 10am-6pm*

Location: 1030 FM 2004, Lake Jackson

Admission: Donation

*Rescheduled from 9/3 due to rain

RSVP here

Alden B. Dow Office Museum Grand Re-Opening

Saturday, September 10, 10am-4pm

Location: 101 S. Parking Place, Lake Jackson

Admission: Donation

RSVP here

Something to Chew On with Michael Bailey

Thursday, September 15, 12-1pm

Location: Lake Jackson Historical Museum

Admission: $10, lunch $12

Michael Bailey, Brazoria County Historical Museum Curator, will talk about the history of Texas flags through time.

Purchase ticket here

Hispanic Heritage Month Display

Saturday, September 17-Saturday, October 15, 10 am-4 pm

Location: Lake Jackson Historical Museum 2nd Floor

For more information

Scenes of Brazoria History: The Art of Don Hutson

Opening Reception

Friday, September 23, 6-8 pm

Location: Lake Jackson Historical Museum

Join us in celebrating the opening of our new pop-up art exhibit featuring the art of Don Huston. Peruse Hutson’s watercolor paintings while enjoying complimentary wine and charcuterie. RSVP soon. Hurry, there are only 40 spots available!

RSVP here

NEW PROGRAM & EDUCATION COORDINATOR

Hello! My name is Katelyn, and I’m the new Program & Education Coordinator at LJHA. I’m so excited to be part of your community and continue cultivating exciting opportunities for you all to connect with Lake Jackson’s rich history.

I was born and raised in Austin, TX. I recently graduated magna cum laude from Rice University with a major in history and minor in anthropology. My research interests include early Texas history, American slavery and plantations, historical archeology, and public history. Some of my proudest accomplishments while at Rice include c onducting research on the 19th century coastwise slave trade to Texas, participating in archeological excavations at Varner-Hogg Plantation, and completing my honors thesis about public memories of slavery in Galveston .

This summer, I participated in the Monticello-University of Virginia Archeological Field School in Charlottesville, VA. I got firsthand experience with excavation, artifact analysis, and public education at one of the world’s most important historical and archeological sites: the plantation home of Thomas Jefferson, his family, and over six hundred enslaved people. I was privileged to excavate a site where enslaved people once lived while they toiled at Monticello. I am excited to apply what I’ve learned about historical archeology to develop new opportunities to learn about the material lives of all people who have lived and worked in Lake Jackson.

Again, I am thrilled to be part of the LJHA team and look forward to serving your community! If you have any questions, comments, or ideas regarding programs & education, you can get in touch with me at programs@ljhistory.org.