You're invited to our inaugural Something to Chew On event

Issue 24..........July 2022

The Lake Jackson Historical Association provides education relative to the

history and culture of Lake Jackson, Texas.

Lake Jackson Historical Museum and Jackson Plantation Historic Site continue to mix the OLD with the NEW

Announcing Something to Chew On!

You're invited to attend our premier Something to Chew On event

TOMORROW at the museum for free!

Something to Chew On!

Speaker: James Glover, Stephen F. Austin-Munson County Park

Topic: Two Gentlemen and a Lady- The Whartons of Eagle Island

Thursday, July 21st

12pm-1pm

Lake Jackson Historical Museum

This new monthly event 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.

For tomorrow's launch event, as one of our newsletter subscribers you can attend for FREE! These events will usually cost $10 to attend plus the cost of lunch if you want to add it, but tomorrow you'll get both for free. We want you to come out, see what we're doing, and give us feedback!

Reserve your spot for tomorrow's event by registering here. On the checkout page, enter the code SUBSCRIBER to join us for free. You can also register at the door, but registering in advance will help us plan. Or you can call the museum at 979-297-1570 to let us know you'll be coming. Don't miss it!

Thursday, Aug. 18

12pm-1pm

Speaker: Martin Hagne, Gulf Coast Bird Observatory

Reserve your spot!

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!

THE KARANKAWA KADLA RESURGENCE

Here in the cradle of Texas, we have an abundance of rich and diverse history. It continues to evolve every day into fresh interpretations prompted by new discoveries, including the story of the Karankawa.

The Karankawa are the indigenous people of the Coastal Plains area. They play an intrinsic role in Texas history, as they have parts in the stories of Austin’s Old 300 colony, the La Salle expedition, and the pirate colony of the notorious Jean Lafitte. The latest discovery on the Karankawa is that they are, in fact, not an extinct culture. Despite colonists’ attempts to extinguish the tribe, some survived by assimilating into other cultures.

Today, descendants have stepped forward to revitalize their heritage. They call themselves the Karankawa Kadla. “Kadla” is added to represent the mixed heritage of the descendants, whose ancestors had to abandon their cultural identity to survive.

The Karankawa were a semi-nomadic tribe that roamed along the coast, including here in Brazoria County. If you have ever been to Shy Pond, that is a location where many Karankawa artifacts have been found. They had many encounters with Stephen F. Austin throughout his expeditions leading up to the establishment of the Old 300 colony. Here is a description from Stephen F. Austin’s diary:

“These Indians were well formed and apparently very active and athletic men, their Bows were about 5 to 6 ft. long, their arrows 2 to 3 well pointed with Iron or Steel. They had Panther skins around their waist painted, which extended down to the knee & calf of the leg. Above the waist they were naked. Their breasts were marked or tattooed in circles of black beginning with a small circle at the nipple and enlarging as the breast swelled.”

They donned an intensely creative appearance. If you have ever wondered how people of the past made do without bug spray, then look to the Karankawa. Shark oil or alligator grease was applied from head to toe to prevent being eaten by the mosquitoes of the area.

A lot of what we have learned about the Karankawa people has turned out to be misconstrued. If you learned about the Karankawa in school you may have heard that they were cannibals. In reality, they practiced cannibalism as an occasional ritual, not as a food source. This myth was formed by explorers and colonists to incentivize the attempted extermination of the Karankawa tribe. Fortunately, historians are working to correct this narrative alongside the tribe members who reside throughout Texas

Stay tuned for upcoming events involving more information on the Karankawa Kadla, as well as presentations from tribe members.

For more information

https://karankawas.com

https://www.facebook.com/groups/407127563299000/

By Gwyneth Ridenour. Gwyn served this summer as our Interim Program & Education Coordinator. We were so lucky to have her with us, and wish to extend a huge thank you to her for everything she has done for LJHA!

NEW TO THE COLLECTION

Earlier this month we had someone donate several yearbooks from Lake Jackson Junior High and Brazosport High School, where Lake Jackson and Clute students attended high school before Brazoswood High School opened in the fall of 1969. We only have a handful of yearbooks, mainly from the 1940s to 1950s. We would love to have more yearbooks. Ideally we hope to get enough copies to have a selection out for visitors or those doing research to look through, as well as copies to keep in the collection that will be preserved for the future.

Yearbooks are not only significant to those who they belong to; yearbooks capture memories frozen in time, athletic achievements, school and community events, and trends in culture and fashion. They can be a significant resource for anyone studying the history of a particular time or area. We will take any yearbooks from any time and from any of our local schools.

Please bring us your old yearbooks!

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

Admission: Free

Something to Chew on with James Glover

Two Gentlemen and a Lady- The Whartons of Eagle Island

Thursday, July 21, 12-1pm

Location: Lake Jackson Historical Museum

Admission: Free with code SUBSCRIBER

Purchase ticket here

Snapology Comes to the Museum

Tuesday, July 26, 1pm-2pm

Location: Lake Jackson Historical Museum

Admission: Free

Do you have a little Alden B. Dow in your house? Sign up your future architect for this mini-workshop led by the awesome educators at Snapology. Attendees will learn how to take an idea from their head and turn it into a building in the real world using LEGO® architecture!

Jackson Plantation Historic Site

Saturday, August 6, 10am-6pm

Location: 1030 FM 2004, Lake Jackson

Admission: Donation

Something to Chew on with Martin Hagne

Thursday, August 19, 12-1pm

Location: Lake Jackson Historical Museum

Admission: $10, lunch $12

Martin Hagne from the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory will update us about Gulf Coast Bird Observatory projects and programs and how our area's birds impact the natural world.

Purchase ticket here

Playdate at the Museum with Kindermusik

Friday, September 9, 10-11 am

Location: Lake Jackson Historical Museum

Admission: free

Join this intergenerational playtime for toddlers and seniors!

For more information

SAVE THE DATE!

Alden B. Dow Office Museum Grand Re-opening

Saturday, September 10, 10am-4pm

Location: 101 S. Parking Place, Lake Jackson

Many more details to come, but definitely put this one down on your calendar!

A Word from the Executive Director

Get out your calendars! We have some very exciting new programs and events on the schedule. I'm really looking forward to our Something to Chew On programs, starting this Thursday with historian James Glover! These lunch & learn-style events are meant to get you out of the office and into the museum on your lunch break, where you will hear from a great speaker and learn something new about our area and its history. Our first Something to Chew On is this Thursday from 12pm-1pm. Our future Something to Chew On speaker lineup features bird conservationist Martin Hagne, Brazoria County curator Michael Bailey, and local author Lora-Marie Branard. This is a great opportunity to grab some lunch, listen to an interesting lecture, and head back to work having your appetites for both food and knowledge satisfied.

We're thrilled to be partnering with Snapology, a new and inclusive learning concept that combines play with education. They provide a fun, interactive environment for children to learn science, technology, engineering, art math, robotics and video game design concepts using LEGO ® bricks and technology. Sign up your future Alden B. Dow for our first mini-workshop for little architects (aimed at ages 2-14). And Kindermusik will be back with us in September celebrating movement, music, and learning for littles ones ages 4-6! Go to our website to learn more about all of these exciting events.

We're also bringing back some of your favorite LJHA events! Our Murder Mystery Dinner will be held October 28, 29th, and 30th, and Breakfast with Santa is returning on November 19th! Tickets for both of those events will go on sale this fall.

But maybe the most exciting announcement? The restoration of the Alden B. Dow Office Museum is almost complete! Mark your calendars for Saturday, September 10th from 10am-4pm. Details are being finalized now, and you won't want to miss your chance to see this beautifully and lovingly revitalized building.

- Lindsay

June Trivia Answer:

We didn't have a winner for last month's trivia question. The original name of Lake Drug was Proctor-Walgreen.

New Trivia Question:

In what year did the Lake Jackson Historical Association officially form and hold its first meeting? Hint: This year is an anniversary for the Association.

Extra trivia: What was the original name for the group, which began forming the year prior?

Be the first person to call the museum at 979-297-1570 or email director@ljhistory.org with the correct answer to win a $5 gift certificate to the LJHA gift shop!

Funding has been provided to LJHA by Humanities Texas and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the Federal ARP Act.

Lindsay Scovil

Executive Director

director@ljhistory.org

Angela Villarreal

Curator

curator@ljhistory.org

Deborah Duty

Marketing Coordinator

marketing@ljhistory.org

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