as the 2015-2016 President of the Austin History Center Association. Those who know Betts say it’s no surprise he’s chosen to dedicate

himself to the preservation of Austin history. Betts was born in the old Seton Hospital on W. 26th St., and was among the first group of students to attend McCallum High School when it opened in 1953. That’s where he met Sylvia, to whom Betts now has been married to for more than 50 years. After graduating from the University of Texas, Charlie and Sylvia left Austin while Charlie served a short stint in the Army. In 1961, the couple returned home to Austin, and Charlie started his career in the savings and loan business. That’s where his love for Austin history intersected with his professional development.

As the chief executive officer for Franklin

“THE COLLECTIVE MEMORY OF AUSTIN & TRAVIS COUNTY”

AUSTIN HISTORY CENTER ASSOCIATION

Austin Remembers.Austin Remembers.FALL 2015

Public or Private? The Struggle Over Education in Austin BY MOLLY HULTS

PROCESSING ARCHIVIST, AUSTIN HISTORY CENTER

BY GEOFF WOOL

1800s for a variety of reasons including the frontier conditions of Texas, the economic struggles of a new nation/state, the Civil War and its aftermath, and an attitude of indifference from citizens who believed that edu-cation was a family prerogative with the intervention of the state considered to be an affront to personal rights and dignity.

Ironically, though, the 1836 Texas Declaration of Indepen-dence stated as one of its griev-ances that the Mexican govern-ment “has failed to establish any public system of education,

although possessed of almost boundless resources, (the public

domain,) and although it is an axiom in political science that, unless a People are educated and enlightened, it is idle to expect the con-tinuance of civil liberty, or the capacity for self-government.”

Taking that sentiment further was Mirabeau Lamar, the new re-public’s second president. In a speech to

If Hollywood needed to cast the quintessential southern gentleman, they’d need look no further than Charlie Betts. Standing six-foot something with friendly eyes, a quick smile, and a homespun Texas drawl, Betts is everybody’s favorite uncle, a jeans-and-boots kind of guy, someone you’d hang out with at the ball game or turn to if you needed personal or professional guidance. Betts brings that presence and personality, plus years of experience in civic service, as he takes over

How do we alleviate overcrowd-ing in schools? Should public school money be used to send children to private schools or should it be for the exclusive use of the public school system? How do we encourage kids to show up to school? All of these may seem like modern issues in education but these same concerns have been facing the citizens of Austin since the late 1800s.

The next exhibit at the Aus-tin History Center, “Making the Grade: Austin’s First Public Schools,” will explore the diffi-culties Austin faced in establish-ing a public schools system and what life was like as a student and teacher in the early years of the Austin Public Schools before the creation of the Austin Independent School District.

History tells us that public education in Austin, as with the rest of Texas, struggled to become permanently established until the late

MAKER... PAGE 4 E

SCHOOLS... PAGE 8 E

PICA 07296, Austin History Center, Austin Public Library. Lucy Westmore Read’s classroom. Although the school in the photograph is not identified Miss Read was a teacher at the East Austin Public School (Bickler) starting in the early 1890s through 1909 when she transferred to Austin High School.

Maker and Preserver of History Becomes AHCA President

Newly-elected AHCA President Charles Betts brings to the job a wealth of business experience, an appreciation for history, and a focused agenda.

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Once again, the end of May marked the end of the AHCA fiscal year, which left just enough time for the AHCA Annual Meeting the evening of May 29 in the David Earl Holt Photo Gallery of the Austin History Center. The meeting featured a presentation by James Harkins, Manager of Public Services for the Texas General Land Office Archives and Records Program, but it also served to mark the end of another suc-cessful year and the passing of the torch from one group of AHCA leaders to the new slate of officers who will lead the association in the coming year. For names of the 2015-2016 officers, see the sidebar on this page listing the Executive Committee.

After thanking outgoing president Beth Fowler for her years of service to the AHCA and her lead-ership during the past year, incoming president Charles Betts shared his vision for the AHCA for the coming year, an agenda focusing the Associa-tion on three main goals: increasing membership, enhancing the potential of the annual Angelina Eberly Luncheon, and increasing the number of oral histories collected by AHCA volunteers.

AHCA Executive Director Jeff Cohen picked up on the volunteer theme by presenting “Volun-teer of the Year” awards to Carol Castlebury and Sarah Toombs, both of whom put in many hours of service to the AHCA during the past year.

Austin History Center manager and archivist Mike Miller gave a brief “State of the Archives” presentation before the meeting was adjourned to make way for Harkins of the Texas General Land Office, who discussed the GLO’s perspective on the Archives War of 1842.

Volunteer Profile: Service Unlocks Assets for AHCA Event GreeterEditor’s Note: Volunteers are the lifeblood of any successful nonprofit organiza-tion. For the AHCA, volunteers can do behind-the-scenes work, but they also can serve as greeters at the many AHCA events, and as such, they may be the first impression people have of the association.

What follows is a question and answer session with Sarah Toombs, a young woman who shares her story about how volunteering for the AHCA helped her find her voice and confidence.

Tell us about your experience volunteering with AHCA.Volunteering has given me the confidence and renewed my social skills to a point where I was able to get my job – my first real career job. I had been sick for a very, very long time and had lost my desire and drive. And because of the history association and these people, I was able to go out and find the perfect position for myself and I’m really happy. I’m working for a nonprofit called Spirit Foundation. We provide jobs for veterans to become energy assessors. They go into people’s home and businesses and we help them get new lighting, windows, whatever we can do to help them save energy. I love it. I’m doing executive administration for the entire organization. It’s very exciting.

What are some of the volunteer opportunities you’ve had with AHCA?My very favorite was the Angelina Eberly luncheon. I was so excited to be a part of that. I was able to sell books, which is wonderful because I love books, and meet a lot of folks that way. I met one lady that had seri-ous memory issues and she and I really bonded and I helped get her a lot of books to renew her collection that her daughter had sold. After that connection I felt very confident in the room and I got to meet a lot of great people. Other than that, I’ve participated in a lot of other events at the Austin History Center. I recently met an author (Sam Gwynne) who wrote about the Comanches, which is back in my family history and that was really interesting. And last year there was a really neat presentation about the trees of Austin, the very special trees of Austin. And that was very exciting. So I’ve been doing the hospitality for those events – welcoming folks and setting up the beverages, but the best part is that then I get to attend the event and learn. It’s wonderful.

If you’re interested in volunteer opportunities with the AHCA, whether it’s hospitality, col-lecting oral histories, working on the website, or working on publicity, visit the Get Involved section of the AHCA website, AustinHistory.net or call the AHCA office at 512-270-0132.

Austin History Center Association, Inc.810 Guadalupe

Austin, Texas 78701512.270.0132

www.austinhistory.net

Mailing address:P. O. Box 2287

Austin, Texas 78768

The mission of the Austin History Center Association is to help the

community value our past and build a better future - by supporting the Austin History Center to achieve excellence in its efforts to serve as

the collective memory of Austin and Travis County.

BOARD OF DIRECTORSEXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Charles Betts - President Beth Fowler - Immed. Past PresidentKen Tiemann - First Vice PresidentGeoff Wool - Second Vice President

Adam Friedman - Treasurer Brooks Goldsmith - Secretary

Kathleen Davis Niendorff - Member-at-LargeMike Miller, AHC Archivist -

Ex-Officio, Non-Voting

DIRECTORS AT LARGE Monte Akers - Terrell Blodgett

Cindy Brandimarte - Liz BremondLinda Bush - Lynn Cooksey

Robert Godwin - Becky HeiserMary Ann Heller - Rita Kreisle

Charles Peveto - Ruthann RushingEvan Taniguchi - Candace Volz

Anne Wheat

AUSTIN HISTORY CENTERASSOCIATION STAFF

Jeff Cohen - Executive DirectorAllison Supancic - Office Manager

Beth Fowler - Editor/Creative DirectorAcme Design Works - Layout & Design

Geoff Wool - Public RelationsRobert Godwin, Anne Wheat -

Photographers

Austin Remembers.Austin Remembers.

AHCA Annual Meeting Features Celebration, Passing of the Torch

Outgoing AHCA board president Beth Fowler passes the gavel to incoming president Charles Betts at the AHCA’s Annual Meeting.

Sarah Toombs, AHCA volunteer

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New to the AHC RECENT ACQUISITIONS— The Austin History Center received boxes of materials about the Para-mount Theater and its restoration in the 1970s. The donation came from John Bernadoni, one of the founders of the Paramount Theater for the Performing Arts, Inc. Bernadoni was one of the leaders in the effort to save the Paramount Theater in the 1970s, and his company revitalized the theater in the 70s and 80s with new live action and film programming. These papers will augment the existing Paramount Theater Collection at the AHC. For more about the Paramount Theater, see the newsletter ar-ticle about our current exhibit on the centennial of the theater.

The AHC also recently acquired a donation of approximately 100 letters between Martha Miner and Henry Faulk (parents of John Henry Faulk) from 1901-1902, before the two were married. Henry Faulk was a prominent Austin attorney and judge in the early 20th century, even though he did not learn how to read and write until he was 17.

NEWLY PROCESSED COLLECTIONS— Since the release of the Spring 2015 newsletter, staff at the AHC processed 17 unique manuscript and photograph collections and more than 44,000 items which are now available for view-ing. Here are a few collections recently completed:

AR.Q.020. Austin Ethnic History Association RecordsThe Austin Ethnic History Association (AEHA) was an Austin-based nonprofit established in 1974 as a bicentennial project to celebrate the diverse heritage of the city. Beverly Sheffield, Austin’s Director of Bicentennial Affairs, first proposed the organization as a response to the nationwide efforts being made to record the ethnic histories of the American people. Sponsored by the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department, the AEHA held its first meeting in 1974 in the Old Lund-berg Bakery on 1006 Congress Avenue. Sheffield served as a member of the steering committee The AEHA collection contains administrative records, by-laws, certificates, correspondence, grant materials, finan-

cial records, meeting minutes, newslet-ters, membership forms and lists, es-say contest entries, scrapbooks, family trees, press releases, newspaper clippings, posters, flyers, fes-tival evaluations, maps, and photo-graphs which docu-ment the activities and events of the AEHA.

AR.2006.008. Austin Dam Reconstruction Photograph AlbumAn album with 720 black and white photographs taken, developed and printed by Harry Lewis Cobb, the resident engineer in charge of the Austin Dam reconstruction project from August 1911-July 1917. The photos document the damage to the Austin Dam from the flood of 1900 and its reconstruction from 1911 to 1918. The images show the damaged dam from multiple angles; construction equipment; hydraulics machinery; men and horses (mules?) at work; construction of new power lines; installation of new pipes; group portraits of work crews; the completed dam with water rushing through the floodgates; and views of the surrounding area. The original Austin Dam was first conceived in 1871 and built on the Colorado River in Austin between 1890 and 1893. It formed Lake McDonald (now Lake Austin), named for Mayor John McDonald who spearheaded the project. The lake was a popular recreational area for residents and tourists. In April 1900, heavy rains caused more water flow than the dam could handle, and the dam broke in a catastrophic incident. Reconstruction of the dam (depicted in the photos) began in 1912. Engineers learned from the problems of the previous dam and designed a hollow reinforced-concrete shell with curves to accommodate large volumes of water. The new dam also included floodgates to regulate lake levels. In 1915, as completion was nearing for the reconstruction project, floodwaters hit again. Dam operators realized that there were still problems in the dam design as the floodgates could not release enough water. Another dam was not built at this site until 1938. The new dam was named the Tom Miller Dam, and it still serves as an effective flood control structure today.

AR.2001.004. Shudde Fath Papers Easley Shudde Fath is a native Austinite who was involved in multiple environmental organizations spanning several decades, including River City Coordinating Council (RCCC) and Save Barton Creek Association (SBCA). After her retirement from the Texas Employment Commission in 1981, a year after winning a major settlement in a sex-discrimination lawsuit against the commission, Fath helped found Reform Austin’s Terrible Electric Rate Structure (RATERS). In collaboration with other Austin activists, RATERS made electricity rates a political issue,

PICB 02654, Austin History Center, Austin Public Library. The Faulk family of Austin. Photo courtesy of Anne McAffey

PICB 08287, Austin History Center, Austin Public Library. Austin Parks director Beverly Sheffield at his desk. In addition to his role in starting the Austin Ethnic History Association, he was a longtime Parks and Recreation Department employee and director. His personal papers are at the AHC as well.

AR.2006.008.page006, Austin Dam Reconstruction Photograph Album, Austin History Center, Austin Public Library. Image of the Austin Dam ca. 1911

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collecting thousands of signatures and packing a public hearing at City Council. That same year Fath became involved with Save Barton Creek Association and was elected Treasurer effective October 1, 1981. She served in this role until early 2009, when current Treasurer Kathy Smartt took over the job. While no longer the Treasure of SBCA, Fath continues to sit on the Board of Directors and is still actively involved in environmental activism throughout Austin. This extensive collection documents Fath and her many years of activism in addition to her work with the Save Barton Creek Association, River City Coordinating Council, and many other environmental organizations. It consists of 36 boxes of newspaper clippings, correspondence, ephemera, and political advertisements and publicity that was collected by Fath between the years 1960 and 2013.

AR.2014.043. Andrew Long Photography Collection Andrew Long is a visual artist, photographer, choreographer, educa-tor, dancer, and a prominent figure in Austin, Texas’s artistic, dance, and theatre communities. Long worked as a freelance photographer

from 1984-1992. Long mostly photographed musicians and perform-ers in Austin, sometimes during live performances but primarily for promotional materials and album covers through his contracts with record labels. He was a contributor to many publications including Guitar World Magazine, Guitar Player Magazine, DownBeat Magazine, Spin Magazine, and the local weekly newspaper, the Austin Chronicle, where he held the title of Special Projects Photographer. The col-lection includes Long’s photo assignments for the Austin Chronicle and as a freelancer for other music-related magazines as well as for various record labels. Subjects in the photographs are almost entirely musicians, bands, and figures in the Austin music industry, including Mike Buck, Lou Ann Barton, Joe “King” Carrasco, the Butthole Surf-ers, Dan del Santo, Louis Meyers, Margaret Moser, Evan Johns, the LeRoi Brothers, the Texas Tornadoes, and the True Believers. The photographs are primarily posed portraits, though some photographs document performances. Beyond musicians, there are other artists and locals represented, such as sculptor Stephen Daly, painter Rich-ard Jordan, and screenwriter Bud Shrake. •

Savings, Betts led efforts in the late 1970s to preserve four 19th century Austin buildings: the Wainsworth-Wright House now at Pioneer Farm, the Walter Tips House on W. 7th St., the Broderick House just north of the Capitol, and the Walter Tips Building on Congress Ave. The first noted was an early dog-trot frame house rescued by Bell, Klein, and Hoffman architects with restoration by the Stein Lumber Company in Johnson City. At Betts’ urging, the other two houses were spared the wrecking ball and instead were moved, restored, and used as branch offices for Franklin Savings, while the Tips Building was restored and used as the savings institute’s main office. “A lot of people build a good, respectable, successful business and we did that,” Betts recalled,

“but what I remember about it is our restoration work and contribution to the history of Austin that otherwise might have been lost. I got a lot of satisfaction out of that.”

Later, Betts took on another restoration project of sorts, becoming the second executive director of the Downtown Austin Alliance, an organization set up by downtown Austin property owners in the early 1990s when interest in the area was flagging. Through a contract with the City of Austin, the DAA manages the downtown public improvement district. Under Betts’ leadership, the DAA established itself as a major force in the redevelopment of downtown as Austin sought to attract more tourism and convention business to the city core.

During his years of civic involvement, Betts earned a reputation as a person whose credibility matches his physical stature.

“I love my city and always felt an obligation to try to participate in the civic affairs of the community and have gotten a lot out of it,” Betts said. “When I grew up here, Austin was a city of 200,000 people and three high schools. We've gone from a little college and government town to a big city just in my lifetime so it’s important we record that history while the people who helped make it are still with us.”

Indeed, the capturing of oral histories is one of three main goals Betts has identified as he takes the reins of the Austin History Center Association. “I think there’s a real sense of urgency regarding our oral history program,” he said. “There are a lot of people whose

story we don’t have yet and there’s a limited amount of time to get that recorded.”

Two other areas Betts wants to grow during his term are AHCA’s annual Angelina Eberly Luncheon fundraiser, and the roster of AHCA members. “Building membership helps us expand community knowledge of what the Austin History Center does, and that’s important” Betts noted. “It also gives us the financial footing to carry the Association, so that most of the funds that we raise through the Eberly luncheon and those types of things can go directly to the benefit of the History Center itself.”

Three goals, but each one rooted in AHCA’s mission to support the Austin History Center and enrich the collective memory of Austin and Travis County.

“Each one of these goals is at the core of what the Austin History Center Association is about,” Betts said. •

AS-75-90266A-01, Austin American-Statesman Photograph Collection, Austin History Center, Austin Public Library. In 1975, Charles Betts led the effort to save the historic Walter Tips house from destruction by moving it from W. 7th St. to the intersection of Oltorf and S. Congress, where it was restored and used as a branch location of Franklin Savings.

�A...MAKER

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The flavor of a city’s history is found in the stories that are told by one person to another, passed on from generation to generation. But the stories must somehow be recorded or risk being lost.

In 2010, the late Nancy Bowman, a past president of the Austin History Center Association, had an idea to revive an earlier AHCA effort to interview notable Austinites. She called her vision Austin History Makers. The following year AHCA volunteers recorded and transcribed fascinating conversations with the likes of George Shelley, a longtime resident of Judge’s Hill, and Dick Rathgeber, a developer and philanthropist. Over the next several years other interviews followed: Bob King, Mary Ann Heller, R. Dan Burck, Roger Joseph, Suzy Lindeman Snyder, Charlie Betts, Luci Johnson, Ken Koock, Fannie Sneed Simnacher, Gerald Adams, members of the Michael Butler family, and Moton Crockett.

Although the interviews take preparation and time, volunteers serving on AHCA’s Oral History Committee say they find amazing value in the informative conversations. They also enjoy the experience of being among the first to hear some of the tales of earlier Austin and its residents.

Looking back on the interviews she has participated in, Ann Dolce recalled an anecdote related during the interview with local developer Roger Joseph. “And one of my friends was Rock Hudson,” Joseph noted. “He actually came to Austin to visit me a couple times. The most memorable time was when Texas played Arkansas, the famous game for the championship [1964]. We were in good seats half way up. Was it Wally Pryor who was the announcer? And at half-time he said, ‘Well, folks, Rock Hudson is in the stadium. Rock, stand up and wave!’ The entire second half, he signed autographs on people’s programs they passed down, and he never missed a play. We nearly got crushed getting out because everybody was trying to grab him. He was scared. I said, ‘Why don’t you wear sunglasses and a hat?’ And he said, ‘That doesn’t help any.’” Even with all the excitement on the field, Dolce noted, Rock Hudson still captured the attention of the fans.

Brooks Goldsmith, who has arranged a number of interviews for the AHCA, especially enjoyed Ken Koock’s recollections. “It is a thrill for me to help preserve the stories of Austin for posterity. Here’s a man, the nephew of John Henry Faulk after whom our library is named,” Goldsmith said. Faulk was a nationally known humorist who suffered during the McCarthy era, was branded as a communist, and was vindicated some 40 years later. Faulk’s sister was Ken’s mother and the family lived at what is now known as Green Pastures, an iconic restaurant and favorite venue of many Austinites. “I am lucky to count Ken as a friend,” Goldsmith continued. “He is an

accomplished pilot who started a network of private plane operators and established several successful restaurants on his own. His is truly a remarkable Austin family.”

Veteran researchers like Phoebe Allen have confessed to learning

something new from the people she’s interviewed. During an interview with descendants of Michael Butler, founder of what is now Elgin-Butler Brick Company, Allen was surprised to learn the locations of Butler’s Austin-area brick manufacturing plants: The first, built in 1873, stood at the foot of East Avenue (now IH-35) on the north shore of the lake. That one closed in 1876 due to its tendency to flood. Butler’s second plant was on the south shore of Lady Bird Lake, between Barton Creek and the railroad bridge at South First Street, from 1876 until its demolition in 1958. The third was near Elgin, the location of the current Elgin-Butler Brick Company, and his fourth brickyard was at the location of today’s Austin High — one which was first leased from Andrew Zilker in 1912. The last required a tramline to carry buckets of clay across the river from what became Zilker Park. During World War II, the Austin plants shut down operations and were only used for storage thereafter.

New AHCA President Charlie Betts has made oral history effort one of his top priorities. Working with Ruthann Rushing, who follows Cindy Brandimarte as chair of the Oral History Committee, Betts hopes to implement his vision for the next chapter of Austin History Makers.

If you would like to join Brooks Goldsmith, Ann Dolce, Lynn Cooksey, Felicia Kongable, Kathleen Deaver, Charlie Betts, Ruthann Rushing, Phoebe Allen, Diana Briggs, Ann

Keyser, Margie Stephens, Anne Wheat, and Cynthia Brandimarte with oral history interviews, or if you have names you would like to suggest to be interviewed for this project, please send an email to ruthannrushing@gmail.com. •

Interviewers Capture Stories of Austin History Makers

Developer Roger Joseph recalls a story about film star Rock Hudson during a February 2013 oral history interview.

This pit, in what eventually became Zilker Park, produced clay for use in the fourth Butler Brick Works plant, located across the Colorado River near the current site of Austin High School. Photo courtesy of the Elgin Butler Company.

Members of the AHCA Oral History Committee interview Russ Butler, descendant of Michael Butler, founder of Butler Brick Works, predecessor to what is now Elgin Butler Company.

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Were it not for her fabled actions one late-December evening in 1842, Angelina Eberly might have never been recognized in the annals of Texas history. Identified by the Texas State Historical Association as “an Austin innkeeper,” Eberly, on New Year’s Eve 1842, is credited with firing a six-pound cannon to alert her fellow townspeople that Republic of Texas government officials were removing the republic’s archives, a clear threat to Austin’s claim as the capital of Texas. Indeed, it was on the orders of President Sam Houston that Texas Rangers had come to Austin to help Texas Land Commissioner Thomas William “Peg Leg” Ward collect the archives and move them to Houston, which the president had declared the new capital. Eberly’s cannon shot aroused other Austin residents, who chased the wagons north into Williamson County, where the Rangers were forced at gunpoint to surrender the archives. “The Archives War” reinforced Austin’s standing as the capital of Texas. It also earned Eberly a place in Texas history and legendary status among latter-day Austinites, who honored her by erecting a statue at 6th St. and Congress Ave. depicting her famous cannon shot.

Eberly’s New Year’s Eve antics were a featured topic at the May 29 annual meeting of the Austin History Center Association. James Harkins, Manager of Public Services for the Texas General Land Office Archives and Records Program, presented “The Other Side of the Archives War,” a look at the skirmish from the perspective of the General Land Office. The presentation explored the events

that led to the Texas Land Commissioner dodging grape shot, and the resulting stalemate that brought a screeching halt to the government of the Republic of Texas.

“The Archives War was a strange event in Texas history that has often times been dismissed as a farce,” Harkins told the audience. “Early Austinites nullified presidential orders, made threats on the lives of several government officials, threatened to destroy the public archives and risked clouding title to millions of acres throughout the Republic because they did not want the capital to move due to their own self-interest.”

According to Harkins, the Archives War prevented the General Land Office from issuing virtually any land patents for two years, from February 1842 to March 1844, and prevented the government from conducting important business. And even though he works for the agency

Eberly and her posse targeted those many years ago, Harkins says the episode highlights the value and importance of government records.

“Angelina Eberly, together with the two-year Archives War, offers a great example of the power of archives, and what they mean to a society,” Harkins observed. “Quite literally the last 200 people left in Austin did everything they could to hold on to the government records because they knew that where the archives go, so goes the power. The people of Austin should celebrate her (Eberly) because without her actions there may not be an Austin as we know it.” •

ANGELINA EBERLY: Austin Savior or Frontier Insurgent?t� �T

This statue at 6th St. and Congress Ave. depicts Angelina Eberly firing the cannon shot that escalated what became known as the Archives War of 1842.

“Angelina Eberly, together with the two-year Archives War, offers a great example of the power of archives, and what they mean to a

society ... without her actions there may not be an Austin as we know it.”

– James Harkins, Manager of Public Services for the Texas General Land Office Archives and Records Program

SAVE THE DATE · JANUARY 29, 2016Join the Eberly Luncheon festivities on at The Driskill, with first sponsors Beth & Tom Granger and Nancy & Oscar Robinson.

For information on sponsorships, tables, or tickets, call AHCA at 512-270-0132, email Eberly Chairman Charles Peveto at cmp78701@yahoo.com or visit austinhistory.net starting October 1.

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This year marks the centennial of the Paramount Theater, the grande doyenne of Austin’s performing arts scene. An exhibit in the David Earl Holt Photo Gallery at the Austin History Center charts a century of changes and transformations to the theater.

Ernest Nalle built the Paramount Theater in 1915 for a cost of about $150,000 (about $3.5 million in today’s dollars). It was designed by John Eberson of Chicago, also known as “Opera House John,” who was one of the most prominent theater architects in the country. Of the more than 1200 theaters Eberson designed, the Paramount is one of less than 25 that remain standing today.

The Majestic, as it was originally known, had its grand opening on October 11, 1915, with a standing-room-only crowd for a production called “When Knights Were Bold.” As part of the national Majestic Vaudeville Circuit, it primarily held live performances. Among early performers were Harry Houdini, the Ziegfield Follies, Anna Pavlova, and Sarah Bernhardt. The theater showed movies, too, and with the advent of “talkies” in the 1920s the theater saw increasing success.

In 1930 the theater was renovated in the Art Deco style and renamed as the Paramount. During these renovations, the image of Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music, was painted on the proscenium arch.

Upholstered chairs replaced wooden seats, wall-to-wall floral carpeting was laid, decorative wall sconces were added throughout, and drapes were hung at doorways. Box seating was removed from the sides of the auditorium and the floor seating was expanded.

During World War II, owner Karl Hoblitzelle and the Interstate Theater Circuit promoted war bonds, selling $8.4 million worth of bonds between 1942 and 1945. Louis Novy, Paramount theater manager, was cited by the U.S. Treasury War Finance Committee with a war finance silver medal. The theater also showed U.S. Army recruiting films.

By the 1950s the theater was operating almost exclusively as a movie house, but it started going into decline as movie-goers flocked to newer venues in the suburbs or watched more television at home. In 1955 the Paramount received some good publicity when it premiered Lucy Gallant, a romance set in Texas starring Charlton Heston. Governor Shivers attended the premiere along with Heston. In 1966 the world premiere of Batman: The Movie brought stars Adam West and Lee Meriwether to town, attracting crowds that spilled into Congress

Avenue. Despite some large events like these, the theater continued to struggle. By the 1970s it was operating as a “B” movie theater.

In 1973 John M. Bernardoni, Chuck Eckerman and Steven L. Scott formed Paramount, Inc. to try to save the theater from demolition and revive its place in the Austin arts scene. Though there were many critics and nay-sayers, they persevered in their efforts and scheduled jazz musician Dave Brubeck for the first live show in five years on February 2, 1975. They started showing classic movies such as An American in Paris, and in June 1975 Center Stage and Austin Theatre Company produced live performances of the play, Carnival.

Paramount, Inc. became a non-profit organization in order to better fund-raise for improvements to the theater. In 1976 the building was recorded as a Texas Historic Landmark, and the following year it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which made it eligible for federal funding. However, the managers still struggled. Eventually funding for restorations and renovations was secured from The Economic Development Administration, the City of Austin, the Texas Historical Commission, the Heritage Society of Austin, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Junior League of Austin, and private donors.

Restoration work finally began in September 1977. This multi-phase project restored elements of the original 1915 Classical Revival style appearance and made the theater more comfortable for both actors and audiences. Work included the reinstallation of opera boxes that had been removed in the 1930s, adding air conditioning, and replacing the lighting system over the stage.

A grand re-opening for the theater took place in 1981. In July 1982 it hosted the world premiere of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and stars Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton came to Austin for the event. The renovated theater was now regularly booking touring stage shows such as My Fair Lady.

The Paramount Theater for the Performing Arts and the neighboring State Theater Company merged in 2000 to form the Austin Theater Alliance, bringing management of both historic movie houses under one roof. The theaters continue to show live music, comedy and theater performances and classic movies.

Featuring photographs from numerous collections at the AHC, the exhibit chronicling the history of the theater will be on display through November 1, 2015. •

Austin’s Majestic Palace: The Paramount Turns 100

C06326, Chalberg Collection of Prints and Negatives. When it was first built in 1915, what would eventually become the Paramount Theater was then called the Majestic Theater.

AR.2014.035(661), Crowe Photography Collection. During World War II, the lobby of the Paramount Theater doubled as a point of sale for War Bonds. Photograph by John P. Crowe

AS-77-97381A-03, Austin American-Statesman Negative Collection. Mayor Carole McClellan takes a sledgehammer to the ticket booth, marking the start of renovations to the Paramount Theater, September 21, 1977. Photograph by Ed Malcik

C06839, Chalberg Collection of Prints and Negatives. The renovated and newly renamed Paramount Theater, circa 1930s. Photograph by Jordan-Ellison Company

BY NICOLE DAVIS PHOTOGRAPHY AND MEDIA ARCHIVIST, AUSTIN HISTORY CENTER

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the Congress of the Republic in December of 1838, he clearly advocated for the education of the citizenry.

“If we desire to establish a Republican Government upon a broad and permanent basis, it will be, our duty to adopt a comprehen-sive and well regulated system of mental and moral culture…. It is admitted by all, that [a] cultivated mind is the guardian genius of democracy, and while guided and controlled by virtue, is the noblest attribute of man. A suitable appropriation of lands to purpose of general education, can be made at this time without inconvenience to the Government or the people….”

Despite Lamar’s message none of the half-hearted attempts to establish a system of public school over the next decade and half were successful until, in 1854, Governor E. M. Pease persuaded the Texas Legislature to set aside $2,000,000 from the proceeds gained from the United States government when Texas agreed to relinquish the land claims on parts of what would eventually be-come New Mexico, Colorado, and Oklahoma. The Common School Law of 1854 called for the organi-zation of common schools. The law set up rules that allowed private schools to convert to common schools, and provided money to be apportioned to the counties based on an annual scholastic census.

Private schools had existed in Austin from the beginning and flourished after the government returned to Austin in the mid-1840s and the population began to grow, and there was little interest in al-tering the status quo. The 1854 School Law was not immediate suc-cess and in Austin, it does not appear that any of the private schools converted to a common school to take advantage of the apportioned monies nor were any new school buildings built. The amended 1856 law eliminated some of the bureaucracy and allowed any school and/or teachers that met certain requirements be entitled to receive state funds. Travis County Court records indicate that some of the private schools such as Austin Collegiate Female Institute and the German Free School received funds from the state. However, because of the

looming war no state funds were distributed after 1862 as money was needed elsewhere.

The Constitution of 1869 was written by the Republicans who came into power during the Reconstruction period and addressed free public education as a component. The initial attempt to create a state-wide school system was a failure and there is no evidence that any public schools were established in Austin, except for the schools opened by the Freedmen’s Bureau for Austin’s African American citi-zens. This initial failure led to the School Law of 1871 which was one of the most highly centralized systems of compulsory education in the United States. This law violated what was considered to be the parent’s natural right to decide if a child should be sent to school and what they should learn and was very unpopular. Citizens were

outraged but the Republicans persevered and opened the first free public schools in Austin on September 4, 1871 in rented buildings throughout the city. The 1872-1873 Austin City Di-rectory lists seven public schools

with the total number of students as 866.The Southern Democrats came back into power in 1873 and the

Constitution of 1875 repealed the majority of the improvements that had been made to the educational system in Texas since Gover-nor Pease passed the Common School Law of 1854. Control of the schools was returned to the local districts, and state public school funds were again to be apportioned to the counties according to the scholastic population. The local board of trustees saved the appor-tioned money for several years and in 1876, built the Austin Graded School (now the Pease School) with public funds. That same year the Texas Legislature passed a law allowing cities to establish their own public schools. However, in Austin there was opposition to taking the management of schools out of the hands of the parents and the community system that allowed them to choose which school to send their children. In the mid-1870s, the Austin Graded School Com-munity was organized by parents, and the board of directors worked to break down the prejudice against public graded schools. The new school building was used for a community school that was free, as long as there was state money to pay the teachers. Generally, parents had to pay tuition for the second half of the year.

Change came in 1880, when Austin citizens voted, allowing the City of Austin to assume control of the public free schools within the city limits. On September 12, 1881, the Austin Public Schools opened and by the end of the 1881-1882 school year, there was a total enrollment of 1328 students. The public schools proved to be successful and for the next two decades the School Board of Trust-ees pleaded with the citizens of Austin and the City Council for more money because there wasn’t enough classroom space for all of the students enrolled in the system. In 1903, Arthur N. McCallum, Sr., was appointed superintendent of schools and he immediately began lobbying for additional bond issues to support the school system. His 39 years of stewardship saw the schools rapidly expand and by his retirement in 1942, there were 29 school buildings and more than 13,000 students.

As elsewhere in the south, the schools in Austin and Travis E

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PICA 07296, Austin History Center, Austin Public Library. 10th Anniversary Safety Patrol Celebration at the State Capitol in 1945. The first safety patrol was organized at Austin High School in 1935 and by 1954 there was a patrol at each public school.

The exhibit, “Making the Grade: Austin’s First Public Schools” opens with a reception and light refreshments at

the Austin History Center September 16 at 6:30 p.m.

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Austin History Production Wins Best Film Award A short film featuring a behind-the-scenes tour of the Austin His-tory Center won Judge’s Choice for best cause-driven film in the 2015 Reel Change Film Frenzy. The competition is sponsored by Lights. Camera. Help., an Austin nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting filmmakers with nonprofits to amplify and multiply philanthropic storytelling through cause-driven films.

“Austin History Center: Behind the Scenes” was produced in one week by Alpheus Media and directed by award-winning inde-pendent filmmaker Mat Hames. The film features City of Austin Archivist Mike Miller giving a tour of the AHC, including sections of the building usually closed to the public. In the film, Miller shares examples of the variety of materials collected and archived at the AHC. It was the second year in row that Alpheus Media, Hames, and the Austin History Center Association teamed up to produce a film about the Austin History Center. Last year’s entry, “Saving Austin’s History,” focused on the importance of saving the materials that tell the story of Austin’s history, even as the space set aside for storing those materials in the Austin History Center is at capacity.

The Reel Change Film Frenzy connects 10 local filmmakers with 10 nonprofits and gives the teams one week to produce a short film about the nonprofit’s mission or call to action.

To learn more about Lights. Camera. Help., visit the group’s website at www.LightsCameraHelp.org.

To see “Austin History: Behind the Scenes” and “Saving Aus-tin’s History,” visit www.AustinHistory.net and click the Video link under the Community tab. •

County were originally segregated, with both Af-rican Americans and the majority of Mexican American students taught in separate schools from the white students. Although the segregation laws applied specifically to African Americans and not Mexican Americans, local interpretation of those laws allowed for segregation of Mexican American school children as well. When Austin Public Schools opened in 1881, separate public schools for African Americans (Wheatville and classes held at the Metropolitan A. M. E. Church) and Mexican Ameri-cans (First Ward School) were established. Beginning in the 1940s, there was a gradual shift in attitude, and Mexican Ameri-can students began attending their neighborhood schools again but African American students remained completely segregated until the 1950s, and it took eventual federal intervention to fully integrate the school system.

In these early years, the Austin Public Schools was tied to the City of Austin government and school bond issues were combined with other city bond issues, and the schools’ needs often did not receive the highest priority. In 1955, there was an election that allowed the school district to separate from the City through the creation of the Austin Independent School District (AISD). The era of the Austin Public Schools had come to an end. •

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SEPTEMBER 20AHC hosts Jesse Sublett, author of 1960’s Austin Gangsters: Organized Crime That Rocked the Capital, 2 p.m

SEPTEMBER 16Opening reception for “Making the Grade: Austin’s First Public Schools,” 6:30 p.m.

OCTOBER 17 - 18Waterloo Press hosts a booth at the Texas Book Festival with items for sale

JANUARY 29, 2016Join the Eberly Luncheon festivities on at The Driskill, with first sponsors Beth & Tom Granger and Nancy & Oscar Robinson. For information on sponsorships, tables, or tickets, call AHCA at 512-270-0132, email cmp78701@yahoo.com or visit austinhistory.net starting October 1.

AUSTIN HISTORY CENTER (AHC) - 810 Guadalupe (at 9th)Open Tue.–Sat. 10am – 6pm & Sun. 12pm – 6pm Call 512-270-0132 SAVE THESE DATESSAVE THESE DATES

You Need to Get Out More BY GEOFF WOOLI don’t know about you, but I enjoy a good party – good music, good food, good people and

conversation. The AHCA’s Spring Fling was a good party with a great result: $2500 raised

in support of AHCA’s mission to support the Austin History Center in its work to enrich the

collective memory of Austin and Travis County.

The Spring Fling had a little something for everybody: an exhibit of artwork for sale by

Escape Artist Studios, a quesadilla bar stocked by Austin Catering, a photo exhibit featur-

ing the history of music in Austin provided by the Austin History Center, and live music

by Guy Forsyth and his band to keep the energy nice and high. Forsyth, himself a kind

of history buff, even pulled out a wood saw, using it to play a spell-binding rendition of

“Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” That’s not something you see every day.

The guy who seemed to be enjoying himself the most was the Fling’s host and ma-

jor sponsor, Jay Femal, who, along with his wife, Kathie, own Austin Business Furniture.

Thank you, Jay and Kathie, for a memorable evening, the proceeds of which will help

preserve the collective memory of Austin and Travis County. •

Host Jay Femal (right) strikes a pose with Guy Forsyth (left) and members of his band.

Suzy Lindeman Snyder (left), Beth Fowler, and Jean Mueller (right) take a break at the Spring Fling.

Visit AustinHistory.net for more specific information about these and other upcoming events.