The Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center is located in

unincorporated Unincorporated may refer to: * Unincorporated area, land not governed by a local municipality * Unincorporated entity, a type of organization * Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories under U.S. jurisdiction, to which Congress ...

Liberty County,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. The facility is located north of

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

, east of

Downtown Austin Downtown Austin is the central business district of Austin, Texas. Downtown is located on the north bank of the Colorado River. The approximate borders of Downtown include Lamar Boulevard to the west, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and the ...

and northeast of

Downtown Houston Downtown is the largest central business district in the city of Houston and the largest in the state of Texas, located near the geographic center of the metropolitan area at the confluence of Interstate 10, Interstate 45, and Interstate 69. The ...

. It is owned and operated by the

Texas State Library and Archives Commission The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) refers to the agency in the state of Texas that assists the people of Texas to effectively use information, archival resources, public records and library materials to improve their lives, th ...

and contains publications, manuscripts and photographs. The library and archives are located in the 1850s Jean and Price Daniel House, which was patterned after the Greek Revival style Texas Governor's Mansion. The Center features two historic houses and one historic church that have been relocated to the grounds. The 1848 ''Gillard-Duncan House has been restored and furnished with original furnishings of Dr. Edward J. Gillard and his wife Emma DeBlanc Gillard, and is available for tours during the week. The 1893 Norman House has been restored to reflect the Victorian era, and features a parlor with housekeeping and food processing artifacts, a room with an exhibit on Victorian women's fashions and grooming aids, and a room with exhibits about the Norman family. The 1898 St. Stephen's Episcopal Church is used for meetings. Archives and displays show development of region, artifacts, furniture,

Jean Lafitte Jean Lafitte ( – ) was a French pirate and privateer who operated in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. He and his older brother Pierre spelled their last name Laffite, but English language documents of the time used "Lafitte". Th ...

's journals, and 1826 census. It also contains the Texana collection of former Governor

Price Daniel Marion Price Daniel Sr. (October 10, 1910August 25, 1988), was an American jurist and politician who served as a Democratic U.S. Senator and the 38th governor of Texas. He was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson to be a member of the Nati ...

. The Center features a large collection of photographs and illustrations of

Sam Houston Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played an important role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two i ...

and the papers of Governor

. Changing exhibits from the Center's collections focus on South Texas history.

History

Governor and Mrs.

donated of land for the purpose of establishing a library on September 27, 1973. Construction began in the fall of 1975; by then $700,000 had been raised through private donations. The library opened on May 14, 1977. The library commission selected the Liberty area as the site of its archive because Liberty is the site of Atascocito, a former Spanish outpost that became the seat of government of a ten-county area that formed in 1826; the settlement's name changed to Liberty in 1831. The counties were all or partially within the Atascosito-Liberty District.

References

External links

Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center
- official site {{Authority control Library buildings completed in 1977 1977 establishments in Texas Historic house museums in Texas Museums in Liberty County, Texas Libraries established in 1977 Sam Houston Libraries in Liberty County, Texas Research libraries in the United States