Today@Sam: Exhibit Reflects ‘Past, Present, Future’

he Political Science Junior Fellows and Huntsville Main Street are showing the “past, present and future” of the city with an art exhibit in the Lowman Student Center Gallery.

“University Corridor: Past, Present and Future” features more than 100 historic photographs, dozens of contemporary photographs specially commissioned for this project and several renderings of future possibilities for the area between downtown Huntsville and SHSU, according to junior fellows adviser and political science visiting professor Mike Yawn.

The “corridor” is an ideal focal point because it “is Huntsville’s street,” said Huntsville Main Street director Harold Hutcheson.

“It was originally called ‘Main Street,’ and for 160 years, it has been a vibrant part of the city,” he said. “We hope to celebrate its rich history.”

The exhibit’s photos date back to 1863 and include such landmarks as the Walker County Courthouse; the district attorney’s office; Rather Park; Old Main; and the Rogers-Baird home, the oldest extant dwelling in Huntsville; the Wynne Home; Gibbs-Powell Home; Sam Houston Memorial Museum; and City Hall.

Local photographers Melody Gathright and Dena Shipley contributed to the exhibit by donating “their time and talents and were wonderful assets to the project,” Yawn said.

Another part of the city’s “past, present and future,” Huntsville’s nine living mayors, will be in attendance at the exhibit’s reception on Monday (April 14), from 5:30-7 p.m. in the gallery.

The exhibit will run through April 25.

Today@Sam: Organ Donors

The 113-year old organ from Old Main has resurfaced....

I actually saw the organ in the museum rotunda ten years ago or so, and I guess I was partly excited because this was something tangible that had a direct association with Old Main. Of course, one of my instructors had taught in the Main Building, too, and could have been considered an artifact of a different sort but it just wasn’t the same. During my campus visit July 4, I happened to peek in the windows of the Peabody to see the now-emptied building full of life as people bustled about in front of the massive instrument.

At any rate, the organ is back and will be taking up residence in the Peabody Library following a dedication ceremony Friday, August 3 at 4:30 p.m.

Today@Sam: Former ‘Country Campus’ To Receive Historical Marker

A ceremony to place a historical marker on the property once owned by Sam Houston State University and known as the Country Campus is scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday, April 27.

The marker will commemorate the site as one of the first prisoner of war camps built in the United States During World War II. The event is sponsored by the Texas and Walker County historical commissions.

The plaque that will be placed at 3299 Highway 19 reads: "Camp Huntsville was one of the first prisoner of war (POW) camps built in the U. S. during the war. On this site on September 18, 1942, construction was completed. Built to house 3,000 POWs, the camp had more than 400 buildings. The first POWs, members of Germany's Afrika Korps, arrived in the spring of 1943. By October of that year the camp's population peaked at 4840. As a large base POW camp it administered eight branch camps.

“Late in the war, Huntsville's status changed and it became a branch camp for Camp Hearne. In September 1945, the camp's German POWs were sent to Camp Hearne in preparation for the arrival of a small group of Japanese POWs before their return to Japan.

"The camp closed on January 5, 1946. Later that year the government transferred more than 800 acres and 405 buildings to Sam Houston State Teachers College for use as a Country Campus."

The property is now privately owned.

In the event of rain, the ceremony will be held at the Country Campus Baptist Church.

Time Capsule: 1982

February 12, 1982: Today is the twenty-fifth anniversary of the fire that destroyed the 92-year-old Main Building, severely damaged the roof of the Austin College Building, and drastically changed the skyline of Huntsville.

No word about those bricks, though....

Museum Complex Cabin Comes With Famous Name

Daniel Boone's log cabin is being restored at the Sam Houston Memorial Museum complex on the Sam Houston State University campus.

Actually, the cabin was built about 1848 by Daniel Boone Guerrant, a pioneer Walker County settler. It was located about 11 miles out of Huntsville, near the west fork of the San Jacinto River, and moved to the museum grounds in the spring of 2004.

The museum recently received a donation of $1,248.34 from the Texas Society, Children of the American Revolution, to be applied toward the project's expense, which is expected to run about $25,000.

Around the Quad

The Peabody Library is SHSU's oldest surviving building – that is, the oldest building on campus built after the school was founded. It seems to rest peacefully knowing its reputation and existence are safe. Nearby is the footprint of the Main Building. And behind it is Austin Hall. Always a pleasure to see it still stands as a beacon of education. Since I have a decent camera, I photograph a couple close-ups shots of the autographed bricks. I never could bring myself to do that; still interesting however to see how old some of the graffiti is.

A quick stroll past the Thomason and Evans Buildings and then I stop for a few photographs of the Estill Building. Farrington is next door, currently going through some remodeling, I believe. I hope they keep the planetarium, as it provides plenty of fun at Farrington. Or so I'm told.