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The End of the Road for the Southern Plantation

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The History of Texas is Woven on a Foundation Made of Cotton

Beginning with the subtle yarns of native Texans, through the colorful threads woven by European settlers, to the iridescent shades added by modern Texans, the history of Texas is a tapestry woven by countless hands. When future generations look for the thread woven by their family, they will find it tied to a foundation made of cotton.

Bexar County Slave Patrols

Bexar County Slave patrols had the power to enter property and search without a warrant, arrest and punish slaves with lashes. They were empowered to arrest whites they believed associated with, assisted or incited slaves. The members of the slave patrols were entitled to full shares of rewards paid by slaveholders for the return of their slaves.

Born in Slavery: Felix Haywood

Born a slave in St. Hedwig, Texas, Felix Haywood's 1937 interview sheds light on the westernmost reach of the peculiar institution.

Born in Slavery: Rev. William Green

 Born In Slavery: Narratives from the Federal Writers’ Project 1936-1938 From the Library of Congress CAUTION TO PARENTS AND TEACHERS: The information in this 1937 narrative has been reprinted...

Cibolo – Mid 19th Century Immigration

Historians struggle to identify sources of information that have first hand knowledge. Eyewitnesses to historical events...

Freedmen – Black and White

Confederate newspapers in San Antonio wrote that “open graves” awaited them upon their return. . .

Hugo Kott

Hugo Kott, the son of Richard and Johanna Allerkamp Kott was born in Gillespie County, Texas on February 2, 1874.  His father was born in...

Lucy and the Indians on the Elam Plantation

The term “plantation” is deeply imprinted on the American psyche. It conjures up visions of grand plantation houses like Oak Alley in Louisiana or...

Post Oak Lynching

In 1854, slave owners from east Bexar County,...

Robert Weakley Brahan

During the Civil War, Robert Weakley Brahan accepted an appointment by the Governor of Texas to General of the Militia. In this position, he enforced Confederate States of America’s conscription laws in South Texas.

San Antonio Slave Ordinance

During the 1850s, plantation owners brought their slaves to East Bexar County. To protect their ownership of these slaves and themselves from slave revolt...

The Stevenson Legacy – The Grandchildren of Former Slaves

On rare occasion an historic figure comes forward and tells their story. In December 2003, on a bright and warm winter day, we encountered...

Cotton Industry Patents