Texas State Historical Association

History

Founded as a private, nonprofit educational organization on March 2, 1897, the 61st anniversary of the Texas Declaration of Independence, the Texas State Historical Association has long been regarded as one of the nation's most dynamic regional history organizations. Reinforced by more than one hundred years of scholarship and educational programs, its mission is to further the appreciation, understanding, and teaching of the rich and unique history of Texas through research, writing, and publication of related historical material.

In June 1897, the Association inaugurated publication of the Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, and fifteen years later the title was changed to the Southwestern Historical Quarterly, reflecting a need for additional content and recognizing the broader scope of Texas history. Appearing in 1918, Ephraim D. Adams’s British Diplomatic Correspondence concerning the Republic of Texas, 1838-1846 was the first book published under the TSHA imprint.

Now headquartered at the University of North Texas in Denton, the Texas State Historical Association continues to pursue—in the words of Walter Muir Whitehill—the “actual doing of history,” from research, writing, and publications, to the strong programs that support teaching Texas history in the public school system. Founding TSHA president Oran M. Roberts, in his inaugural address, asserted that “any and everything that the people do or think, that tends to form habits of life, or to build up prevailing institutions affecting society, constitutes material for history.” It is under such principles that the TSHA operates today, ensuring the vitality of Texas history for generations to come.

Books

Specializing in books relating to Texas history, the TSHA publishes new titles as well as reprints of Texas history classics. The Association currently has more than one hundred books in print, including biographies, general histories, cartographic studies, and books on art and photography.

All TSHA books are submitted to rigorous peer review. In addition to new scholarly works, the Association publishes several book series on specific subjects. The Association also has two endowed publications series: the Fred H. and Ella Mae Moore Texas History Reprint Series, focused on Texas history classics, and the Fred Rider Cotten Popular History Series, which consists primarily of monographs on historic sites such as the Alamo and San Jacinto.

Texas Almanac

In 2008, the Association acquired the Texas Almanac, a respected reference book and educational resource. First published in 1857 and now in its 64^th edition, the Texas Almanac was donated by the Dallas Morning News. The Texas Almanac is published in full color every two years and includes more than 240 photographs, as well as maps of Texas and each of its 254 counties. In-depth sections feature articles on archeology, history, environment, recreation and sports, government, culture and the arts, religion, health and science, education, business and transportation, and agriculture.