Special Collections in 2022: 4th Quarterly Review

The purpose of The Compass Rose is to raise awareness of Special Collections' resources and to foster the use of these resources. The blog series also reports significant new programs, initiatives, and acquisitions of Special Collections. 

This is the newest in an ongoing series spotlighting new acquisitions and reproductions of our content. For more on our previous featured material, read our previously published Quarterly Review blogs.

Special Collections is continually acquiring new materials and image reproductions of items from our collections are regularly used in new publications and by media outlets. This post reviews where and how materials from our collections are being used around the world in October, November, and December of 2022.

This quarter, we received more donated material to be added to the new Tarrant County LGBTQ+ Collection! This is a growing collection meant to help collect and preserve the important stories of the local and university LGBTQ+ community. This latest set of donations consisted of materials from Q Cinema, a trophy from the National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association, and an Arlington Pride fan.

This photo album depicts the family of Ida and Hiroshi Hayataka in Dallas with their three children, Todd, Glenn, and Holly. This Japanese-American family lived in Dallas, Texas in the 1960s, where Hiroshi worked as an actuary. The photographs capture Mr. and Mrs. Hayataka and their children at home and at play; numerous family members and friends; and their teachers and fellow students; as well as several vacations and trips they took to Houston, Florida, North Carolina, Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, and Washington, D.C. 

Over 60 letters in this collection share the story of Private Ernest L. Sherman who served in the 130th Infantry, Company I, during World War I. He received a gunshot injury while in service, which ultimately led to his death in 1923 at the age of 29. His correspondence covers his training and service, and largely covers the years 1917-1919.

This quarter, we acquired a multitude of maps from donors David Finfrock and Dr. Jack Franke:

Gifts of David Finfrock:

• St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway, Map of the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway, and Connections, ca. late 1870s-early 1880s
• Texas & Pacific Railway, A Geographically Correct Map of the State of Texas, 1876
• St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway, No. 28 Rates of Fare to Arkansas and Texas Points via St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railway and Connections, 1878
• Anton R. Roessler, New Map of the State of Texas... Prepared Expressly for J. Burke's Almanac, 1878
• Hays, Land Locator, Fort Worth, Texas, [Plat Map (Manuscript) of Ohio Land Blocks in Lynn, Gara, Dawson, and Borden Counties, Texas], ca. late 1870s-1880s

Gifts of Dr. Jack Franke:

• Martin Ferreiro / Gaspar y Roig, Posesiones Espanoles en Africa (Costa Norte), 1850s
• Martin Ferreiro / Gaspar y Roig, Posesiones Espanoles en Africa (Costa Oeste), 1850s
• E. P. Williams / Eton, Egypt, 1841
• E. P. Williams / Eton, Africa Cum Aegypto et Insulis, 1841
• E. P. Williams / Eton, Africa, 1841
• Pazzini Carli, Le Coste di Barbaria
• W. Keith Johnston / Royal Geographical Society, West Africa: Sketch Map of the Republic of Liberia, 1905
• Carte de la Colonie du Cap / Caarte van de Colonie van de Kaap
• Carl Ferdinand Weiland, Africa, 1841
• Mercator / Ptolemy, Tab. I. Africae in qua Mauritania, Tingitana et Caesariensis, 1578 (1698)
• The Island & Forts of St. Helena (Liverpool: Nuttal, Fisher & Co., 1816)
• Edward Linley Sambourne, The Rhodes Colossus Striding from Cape Town to Cairo from Punch, or the London Charivari, 1892
• Henry Boyd, The East Prospect of the City of Mequinez, ye usual Residence of the Sherifs, Present Emperors of Morocco: Wherein is represented ye Servile Labour & manner of Work in wch ye Christian Captives are employ'd, ca. 1700
• Pierre (Pieter) Vandermaelen, Afrique. Cote d'Or. No. 35, 1827
• Pierre (Pieter) Vandermaelen, Afrique. Golfe de Guinee. No. 36, 1827
• Pierre (Pieter) Vandermaelen, Afrique. Zindgibar. No. 45, 1827
• Frederick de Wit, Cimberas et Caffariae Littora a Catenbela ad Pomontorium Bonae Spei, [Cape of Good Hope], ca. 1715 (first published 1675)

The Henry Hannan Collection, Gift of David Finfrock, consists of over 31 letters, documents, and maps relating to Henry Hannan (1844-1879), a Texas land promoter based in Swan Creek, Ohio. David Finfrock wrote an article for the Fall 2022 Texas Map Society newsletter, Neatline, titled "Henry Hannan, Texas Land Promoter," detailing Hannan's life and the materials included in this collection.

We recently processed some sheet music from the late 19th century. Among these items was “The Pirate Isle, No More” composed by H.A. Lebermann, which was printed and published in Texas in celebration of Galveston’s semi-centennial (50th anniversary) celebration. Galveston became an officially chartered city in 1839 following the Texas revolution. In the 50 years between its foundation and the semi-centennial, Galveston experienced enormous economic growth. However, a lot of this economic progress was lost after the 1900 Galveston hurricane, one of the deadliest hurricanes in the Atlantic to date. While the music composition itself (and its connection to a major milestone for a major Texas city) is important and worthy of preservation itself, the cover art is specifically noteworthy. The two landscape images included on the front cover show two Galveston waterfront views of the city as seen in 1839 and approximately 50 years later in 1889. Not only can the growth and prosperity be derived from the contrast of the two images, but this is likely one of the last widely circulated images of the city and port before the hurricane decimated the Texas coast in 1900.

TARO (Texas Archival Resources Online) makes descriptions, or "finding aids," of the rich archival collections in repositories across the state available to the public. Finding aids assist users in locating information in our collections and serve as a descriptive guide to the unique materials only available here in Special Collections. Here are our most recent finding aid uploads to TARO:

• Cecil and Norma Roberts Papers (AR532)
  • This collection, spanning 1935 to 1997, documents the lives of Cecil and Norma Roberts, a military couple who attended North Texas Agricultural College (now UTA) together. Materials include correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs, certificates, military operational permits, visas, oral history interview, scripts, and booklets.
• Dean Yorgey Papers (AR535)
• Diane Webster Papers (AR536)
• Transport Workers Union of America Local 276 Records (AR629)
• Arlington Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Committee Records (AR630)
• William E. Jary, Jr. Collection (AR634)
  • This collection reflects the life and professional work of William E. Jary, Jr. as well as the history of Ft. Worth, with special emphasis on the Texas State Centennial Celebration in 1936, the opening of Casa Manana in Fort Worth the same year, the Fort Worth Stockyards, and the city’s western heritage.
• University of Texas at Arlington Movin' Mavs Records (AR635)
  • These records document the history of UTA's Movin’ Mavs wheelchair basketball team, including their beginning years when they were called the Freewheelers, and of their coach, Jim Hayes.
• Alexander M. Troup Cement City, Texas, Research Collection (AR639)
• Shop, Mill, and Industrial Local Union #2572 of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America Records (AR703)
• William Ludwig, Handley, Texas Research Collection (AR705)
• James C. Sewell Papers (AR707)
• J.W. Jackson Scrapbooks (AR792)
• The Tarrant County LGBTQ+ Collection (AR794) 
  • This collection grew out of a collecting gap at UTA Libraries Special Collections related to queer history. It is an ongoing collection comprised of numerous accessions. Materials in the collection consist of publications ranging from 1983-2022, ephemera related to Fort Worth’s LGBTQ+ community, and materials related to Tarrant County’s Pride events.
• University of Texas at Arlington COVID-19 Records (DA3)
  • This digital collection documents UTA’s official response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials include correspondence sent to students, faculty, and staff, policies and guidelines, signage, and plans of operation for the University.

Students from a variety of classes and organizations visit Special Collections to engage in experiential learning activities using our unique materials. Visits this quarter have included History, Architecture, Art History, Spanish, Sociology, and Biology classes from UTA, as well as two K-12 field trips from the local community. Pictured below is are several examples from class visits over the past few months.

Students from ART3316 (Art of Ancient Egypt and the Near East) visited Special Collections and viewed materials that borrowed motifs from Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia and were tasked with "remixing" those pieces into new creative works. Inspired by Special Collections' copy of Victor Levasseur's Afrique, 1849 (immediately below, at left), Rachel Schenider and Lauren Prewitt created this "remix", entitled "Egypte" (immediately below, at right), which comments on the Napoleonic plundering of Ancient Egyptian artifacts at the turn of the 19th Century. Another group to visit Special Collections this quarter included students from a local high school who came to learn about our current exhibit, "The Shifting Shapes of Early Texas," then participated in a printmaking activity using printing presses created in the FabLab. Students from ART1300 also visited Special Collections this quarter to view and engage with materials relating to LGBTQ+ history.

Materials found within Special Collections’ holdings have been used across a wide variety of outlets, including (but not limited to) features in local news stories, on television shows, printed in publications, and used in public exhibitions. Below are some examples of where and how our materials have been used this quarter.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram collection, which came in increments to UTA Libraries from 1984 to 1999, is often used in a variety of news articles and columns published by the original donor, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. This quarter, the Star-Telegram used photographs from the collection for 10 stories: 

• “Changing the life cycle of a neighborhood: Here’s how Fairmount became what it is today,” October 8, 2022, by Carol Roark
• “Which indigenous tribes lived in North Texas? Find out with this interactive map,” October 10, 2022, by Megan Cardona
• “The man, the mill, the legend: How this road in Fort Worth and Arlington got its name,” October 26, 2022, by Megan Cardona
• “The ‘cultural Sojourner Truth’ of Fort Worth, she introduced Black kids to theater,” October 29, 2022, by Hollace Ava Weiner
• “Here’s how White Settlement cops will salute 80 years of manufactured military aircraft,” November 2, 2022, by Domingo Ramirez Jr. and Abby Church
• “Streetcar operators once thrived in Fort Worth. And then buses and cars came along,” November 12, 2022, by Carol Roark
• “Why TCU and Fort Worth star-turned-Harvard scholar Dr. James Cash didn’t want a statue,” November 12, 2022, by Bud Kennedy
• “For nearly 40 years, this used book sale drew bargain hunters to Fort Worth,” December 3, 2022, by Hollace Ava Weiner
• “Mattie Parker, Karl Rove, Gary Patterson help raise near-record $460K for Goodfellows,” December 7, 2022, by Bud Kennedy
• “How Black Forest cake went viral, and more to try at Swiss Pastry in Fort Worth,” December 12, 2022, by Bud Kennedy
• “Here’s what happens to Fort Worth’s Christmas tree in Sundance Square after the holidays,” December 26, 2022, by Megan Cardonay

Photographs from the collection were also used in 16 photo features:

• “22 photos of clowns from Star-Telegram archive that might scare you,” October 3, 2022
• “FROM THE ARCHIVES: Photos of Juneteenth celebrations in Fort Worth since the 1970s,” October 6, 2022
• “PHOTOS: The long-gone Greater Fort Worth International Airport’s 1953 grand opening,” October 10, 2022
• “PHOTOS: Keller, Texas (1920s-1950s). Check out these shots from Star-Telegram archive,” October 20, 2022
• “PHOTOS: 1939 opening of West Lancaster Avenue bridge over Fort Worth’s Trinity River,” October 22, 2022
• “PHOTOS: Billy Bob’s Texas, 1981 grand opening & memorable moments each year since,” October 28, 2022
• “PHOTOS: Life in Grapevine, Texas, during 1920s to 1950s, from Star-Telegram archive,” October 30, 2022
• “PHOTOS: President John F. Kennedy’s visit to Fort Worth on day of assassination,” October 31, 2022
• “PHOTOS: How your grandparents dressed up for Halloween in Fort Worth,” October 31, 2022
• “PHOTOS: Six Flags Over Texas, 51 years of history from Star-Telegram photo archives,” November 3, 2022
• “PHOTOS: Vintage Armistice Day celebrations in Fort Worth from the 1930s, 1940s,” November 9, 2022
• “PHOTOS: Life in Weatherford, Texas, from 1870s to 1950s, from Star-Telegram archives,” November 14, 2022
• “PHOTOS: Fort Worth wives in 1952 show how they prepare for a tasteful Thanksgiving,” November 16, 2022
• “PHOTOS: Leonard’s Department Store in 1940s-’50s, a downtown Fort Worth landmark,” November 17, 2022
• “JFK assassination: Photos from Star-Telegram vault of chaos in Dallas on Nov 22, 1963,” November 21, 2022
• “PHOTOS: 1972 destruction of 18-story Worth Hotel & theater in downtown Fort Worth,” November 28, 2022

Other local news outlets published the following stories using our collection materials: 

• Fox 4 News episode for The Tex Factor, episode titled “Whiskey Business,” aired November 9, 2022; images used from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and W.D. Smith Commercial Photography, Inc collections 
• UTA News article, “Endowed Scholarship Established in Honor of Professor Emeritus and Wife: UTA endowment will fund scholarships for international electrical engineering students,” by Herb Booth, November 17, 2022; image used from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection
• City of Arlington video feature, “Culture Buzz: UTA Libraries Special Collections presents The Shifting Shapes of Early Texas,” December 2, 2022 by Jeremy Thomas; video footage shows the "The Shifting Shapes of Early Texas" exhibit 

• When Tinseltown Came to Cowtown by Frank Jackson, published in Legacies by Preservation Dallas/Dallas Historical Society in October 2022; images used from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection
• Crash from Outer Space: unraveling the mystery of flying saucers, alien beings, and Roswell by Candace Fleming and Lisa Sandell, published by Scholastic, Inc. in October 2022; images used from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection
• Charles T. Williams: The Art of the Scene, by Jon Frembling, Janelle Montgomery, and Katie Robinson Edwards, published by the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fall 2022; images used from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection
• Hero Card: Horace S. Carswell, educational trading card published by the Hero Cards Benefit Corporation, Fall 2022; image used from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection 

• Racist Trees documentary, produced by Wayfarer Studios/Wild Pair Films, released November 14, 2022 at The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam; image used from the Fort Worth Civil Liberties Union Records
• Wild Crime episode (S2: E1), "A Gruesome Discovery," aired on Hulu in October 2022; images used from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram collection
• The Bermuda Triangle: Into Cursed Waters episode (S1: E1), “A Big Find,” aired on The History Channel in November 2022; image used from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram collection 

• Video presentation during the Investiture of UTA President Jennifer Cowley, September 30, 2022; photos used from the UTA Photograph Collection, Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection, Arlington Citizen-Journal collection, Shorthorn Photographs collection 
• Cowtown Moderne: The Lasting Influence of the Art Deco Style, exhibiting photographs from the Judith Cohen Cowtown Moderne Research Collection, on display October-December 2022 in the UTA Fine Arts Building
• UTA Special Collections mini-exhibit display for the AIDS Memorial Quilt in coordination with a panel of Quilt being on display at the UTA Libraries, October 2022; images used from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram collection and Shorthorn Photograph collection

Visit The Compass Rose in March for our next quarterly blog review!