A&M-SA Research Guides: Historical Methods Research Guide: Research Centers/Archives

Texas A&M University- San Antonio Archives and Special Collections

A&M-San Antonio Archives and Special Collections

Contact Info:

For more information or to request materials from the Archives and Special Collections, please contact the Archives and Special Collections at 210-784-1512 or archives@tamusa.edu.

Archives and Special Collections, University Library Website

Texas Archival Resources Online

TARO (Texas Archival Resources Online) makes descriptions of the rich archival, manuscript, and museum collections within repositories across the state available to the public. The site consists of the collection descriptions or "finding aids" that archives, libraries, and museums create to assist users in locating information in their collections. Consider these an extended table of contents which describe unique materials only available at the individual repositories. In most cases, the collections themselves are NOT available online.

Texas Archival Resources Online (TARO)

San Antonio Research Centers

Bexar County Spanish Archives
Collection Strengths:
-Spanish and Mexican Land Grants
-Mission Records
-Jail records
-Elections

Bexar County Archives Building at 126 E. Nueva Street, San Antonio, TX, 78204
(210) 335-2125
Catholic Archives of San Antonio
Collection Strengths:
-Sacramental records 1703 to the present
-Archbishop's papers
-School records
-Orphanage records

2718 West Woodlawn Avenue
San Antonio, Texas 78228
(210) 734-2620, ext 1103
Center for Mexican American Studies and Research
Collection Strengths:
-Early Spanish missions and presidios records
-Maria Antonietta Berriozabal
-Mexican American Oral Histories

Our Lady of the Lake University,
Sueltenfuss Library, L111
477 SW 24th Street, San Antonio, Texas 78207
(210) 434-6711, ext 8164
City of San Antonio Municipal Records
Collections Strengths:
-Public records for the City of San Antonio

Municipal Records Facility
719 South Santa Rosa Street
San Antonio, Texas 78204-3114
(210) 207-4214
Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library
Collection Strengths:
-Early American Settlement in Texas
-Texas Revolution
-Mexican American War
-The Alamo as a cultural piece

126 E. Nueva Street, San Antonio, TX, 78204
Hours unknown, contact: drtlibrary@drtinfo.org.
Divine Providence Archives and Heritage Center
Collection Strengths:
-Catholic Parish Records
-Catholic Social Service Records
-Catholic Artifacts

515 Southwest 24th Street
San Antonio, Texas 78207
(210) 587-1199
HAPPY Foundation
Collection Strengths:
-GBLT Publications
-GBLT Subject Files

411 Bonham
San Antonio, Texas 78205
(210) 227-6451
Hill Country Collection
Collection Strengths:
-Records pertaining to Hill Country
-Photographs pertaining to Hill Country

Logan Library, Schreiner University
2100 Memorial Boulevard
Kerrville, Texas 78028
(830) 792-7312
Incarnate Word Archives and Heritage Museum
Collection Strengths:
-Congregational records from 1869 onward
-Congregational Biographical Information

The Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word
4707 Broadway Street
San Antonio, Texas 78209
(210) 826-7142
Institute of Texan Cultures Library
Collection Strengths:
-San Antonio Photography
-HemisFair '68 Records
-Subject Files
-San Antonio History

801 East Durango Boulevard
San Antonio, Texas 78205
(210) 458-2228
Marianist Archives, Southwest region (St. Mary's University)
Collection Strengths:
-Letters and Circulars of the Superior Generals of the Society of Mary
-Basic documents which further explain the Society of Mary, its purposes and its methods
-Writings explaining the Marianist spirituality

St. Mary's University
520 Fordham Avenue
San Antonio, Texas 78228
(210) 431-5075
McNay Art Museum Library and Archives
Collection Strengths:
-McNay publications
-Papers and records of Marion Koogler McNay
-McNay and Sunset Hills Images

6000 N. New Braunfels Avenue
San Antonio, Texas 78209
(210) 434-6711
Our Lady of the Lake University Archives
CollectionStengths:
-OLLU Administrative records
-OLLU Photography

Sueltenfuss Library
477 SW 24th Street
San Antonio, Texas 78207
(210) 434-6711
P. I. Nixon Medical Historical Library at UT-Health Sciences Center
Collection Strengths:
-early Medical books
-Anatomical Atlases

Fifth floor, Briscoe Library
7703 Floyd Curl Dr.
San Antonio, Texas 78248
(210) 567-2400
San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum
Mission: To collect, preserve and share the cultural heritage of African Americans in the San Antonio region.

3737 Broadway St., Suite 300
San Antonio TX 78209
Phone: (210) 724-3350
San Antonio Conservation Society Foundation Library and Archives
Collection Strengths:
-Materials on San Antonio and South Central Texas Architecture

107 King William Street, 3rd Floor
San Antonio, Texas 78204-1399
(210) 224-6163
San Antonio Genealogical and Historical Society Library
Collection Strengths:
-Obitiuary file for San Antonio
-Cementary Records

911 Melissa
San Antonio, Texas 78213
(210) 342-5242
San Antonio Public Library Texana Collections
Collection Strengths:
San Antono City Council Minutes, 1837-
Bexar Archives, 1717-1836
Bexar County tax records, 1837-1938
Maps
San Antonio Archival (clipping) File
African American funeral programs
Obituary file, 1925-1958
San Antonio city cemetery records
San Antonio Theatre Archives

San Antonio Public Library, Central Branch
600 Soledad
San Antonio, Texas 78205
(210) 207-2500
Sophienburg Muesum and Archives
Collection Strengths:
-German Culture in Texas
-Map Collections of South Central Texas
-Letters and Papers Collection that document New Braunfels and Comal County

401 W. Coll St.
New Braunfels, Texas 78130
(830) 629-1572
St. Mary's University Special Collections
Collection Strengths:
-Spanish Archives of Laredo, 1755-1848
-Old Spanish Trail Association Records
-Henri Castro records

Blume Library
One Camino Santa Maria
San Antonio, Texas 78228
(210) 431-2126
Trinity University Special Collections and Archives
Collection Strengths:
-San Antonio history
-American Literature
-Latin American History
-Space exploration

Coates Library
1 Trinity Place
San Antonio, Texas 78212
(210) 999-7355
UTSA Special Collections
Collection Strengths:
•Manuscripts: San Antonio history, San Antonio authors, architecture and urban development, women and women’s history, and archived web sites of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered organizations, water issues, and immigration.
•Photographic Collections and Oral Histories: more than 700 oral histories of significant Texans and Texas folklife. The photographic collections include more than 3 million images from the San Antonio Light, the San Antonio Express

John Peace Library
One UTSA Circle
San Antonio, Texas 78249
(210) 458-5505
The Whitliff Collections at Texas State University
Collection Strengths:
-Southwest Literature
-Spanish/Mexican Borderlands Photography
-Lonesome Dove Collections

Alkek Library-Texas State University
601 University Drive
San Marcos, Texas 78666
(512) 245-2313

The Hispanic Heritage Center of Texas

The Hispanic Heritage Center of Texas
The Hispanic Heritage Center of San Antonio's mission rests on continually provide education, research, genealogy resources and public outreach to inform our community about their unknown heritage and legacy. It was founded in 2008, and strives to share the Tejano experience and the community's impact on Texas history and culture. Digital Collections via the Portal to Texas History.

Examples of Research Centers outside San Antonio

Austin History Center
Housing more than one million items, the Austin History Center makes available to the public both primary research materials and published items. [There is] an extensive body of books, photographs, maps, newspapers, personal and family archives, and ephemera documenting Austin's history from before its founding in 1839 to the present.
Catholic Archives of Texas
Holdings of the Catholic Archives of Texas include records of the Texas Catholic Conference and the Texas Knights of Columbus and its Historical Commission, Texas Catholic Historical Society, and religious associations, societies and Catholic clubs in Texas; papers of Paul J. Foik, William H. Oberste, Sam Houston, Charles S. Taylor, Francis Bouchu; personal papers and biographical files of the bishops and clergy in Texas; dioceses and parish collections...
Dallas Public Library Texas/Dallas History & Archives Division
The collection of materials at the Texas/Dallas History & Archives Division is one of the largest of its kind in the nation. Our holdings span many aspects of the diverse history of not only Dallas and the surrounding area, but the entire state of Texas. The Texas/Dallas History & Archives Division collects, preserves, and makes available to patrons information in text, graphic, audio, and video formats
Dolph Briscoe Center for American History
As a leading history research center, the Center collects, preserves, and makes available documentary and material culture evidence encompassing key themes in Texas and U.S. history. Researchers, students, and the public mine our collections for a wide range of academic, professional, and personal uses...The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History is an organized research unit and public service component of The University of Texas at Austin.
Donald C. & Elizabeth M. Dickinson Research Center at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Center
The archive holds material primarily associated with Western history and culture. It is located at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum 1700 NE 63rd St, Oklahoma City. Contact number (405) 478-2250
Galveston and Texas History Center
These collections are built around Galveston and Gulf histories. These include personal and family papers and records of businesses, military units, social and cultural organizations, and religious institutions. The manuscript collection documents Galveston throughout all periods and Texas from the Spanish period through 1865.
Houston History Archive
The Houston History Archives collects materials related to the general growth and development of the Gulf Coast region, from the nineteenth century to the present. Areas of special interest include the role of energy development in Houston's history, the documentation of Houston's environmental history and activism, and historical records of Houston's racial and ethnic diversity and activism.
National Archives for the Southwest Region
As a center for historical and genealogical research, we have both an Archival and Microfilm Research Room for researchers. Our historical records date from the 1800s to the late 1900s, and include letters, photographs, maps, architectural drawings, and other documents received from over 100 Federal agencies and courts in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Collin County History Museum
The Collin County History Museum is the home of archival materials and genealogical materials pertaining primarily to Collin and Denton Counties.
Panhandle Plains Historical Museum Research Center
The Research Center at PPHM is a library and archives that gathers sources on the life and culture of the Panhandle Plains region. Books, periodicals, newspapers, maps, manuscript collections, trade literature, oral histories and photographs document the environment and culture of the region, from its prehistory to the present.
Sam Houston Regional Library & Research Center
The center collects items that document the history of Southeast Texas. The center also maintains a museum division which includes exhibits on local history, rare maps and photographs, General Sam Houston, and Congressman Martin Dies.
Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library at Texas Tech University
These collections are geared towards West Texas and the greater Southwest. A large holding of newspapers are within this collection. Topics that highlight the collections include ranching, Comanches, Mexican-Americans, and the petroleum industry.
Texas A and M University Special Collections
The collections of the Cushing Memorial Library and Archives reflect the comprehensive nature of the research and teaching mission of Texas A&M as well as the wide diversity of interests found among current and former students, faculty, staff, and friends of the University. Collection strengths include:

Military history
Science Fiction
Western Americana
19th Century American prints and illustrators
Texana
Natural history
Nautical archaeology
Rare books
Texas Heritage Museum Research Center
Included in the Historical Research Center is an extensive collection of maps, photographic collections, microfilm, and an archive that contains numerous files of soldier's letters, diaries, and unpublished manuscripts form all Texas wars. It also features original art, art prints, and sculptures depicting the Civil War plus personal items belonging to Hill College graduate Bob Bullock during his term as Lieutenant Governor of Texas.
Texas Medical Center History Documents
The John P. McGovern Historical Collections and Research Center seeks to document the history of medicine in Texas, specifically in Harris County, Houston and the Texas Medical Center, and to make that information broadly available. In addition to the items on-line, the McGovern Center has many books, documents, maps, pamphlets, photographs and ephemera that deal with Texas medical history.
The South Texas Archives
The South Texas Archives is a division of the James C. Jernigan Library of Texas A&M University-Kingsville, established to preserve and to make available to the public documentary materials regarding the cultural, geographical, political, and natural history of South Texas.
Tobin and Anne Armstrong Texas Ranger Research Center
he mission of the Research Center is to serve the public and advance knowledge of the Texas Rangers by acquiring, preserving, interpreting and exhibiting materials relating to Texas and the American West, law enforcement, Southern Plains Indian history and ethnography, and firearms history and technology.
University of Oklahoma Western History Collections
The archive is expansive knowledge bank of history on the American West and Native American cultures. The University of Oklahoma Libraries runs this collection of manuscripts, correspondence, photography, and ephemera. It is located on the OU campus at Monnet Hall 630 Parrington Oval in Norman. Phone: (405) 325-3641
University of Texas-El Paso Library Special Collections
The book collections include the Chicano Collection, the Judaica Collection, the S. L. A. Marshall Military History Collection, the Southwest and Border Studies Collection, as well as collections of art and rare books. In addition to printed sources, the department has manuscript and archival collections available. There is also an oral history collection documenting the region.