Brownsville History Harvest 2014

On Saturday, September 27, 2014, Rio Grande Valley residents participated in the Brownsville History Harvest at the Brownsville Public Library Central Branch.

More than seventy community members brought items from their family collections, including glass plate negatives from the Gilded Age, haunting photographs of the Mexican Revolution, maps of historic Fort Brown, and letters from World War II.

Eight scanning stations were set up around the community room, staffed by sponsoring organizations and volunteers from The University of Texas at Brownsville, Texas Southmost College, and Brownsville Independent School District who digitized hundreds of unique items along with collecting detailed documentation for each. The collection owners were able to take their original materials home, along with free digital copies. The sponsoring organizations created and retained a digital copy in accordance with the owner's approval.

The objective of the History Harvest is to create a community collection from the area's families documenting local, regional, and national history to be held at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Library and made available for research, teaching, and educational exhibitions.

The program was sponsored by Humanities Texas. Sponsoring local organizations include Brownsville Public Library, The University of Texas at Brownsville Library, Brownsville Historical Association, and Texas Southmost College.

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[People] Photograph of Ricardo Torres

Ricardo Torres (father); taken in Michigan., 1960-05-09.
[People] Photograph of Ricardo Torres and his family members

Ricardo Torres, father, and his family members; taken at Michigan.
[People] Photograph of Roland Wieland

Owner's grandfather Roland Wieland, 1970.
[People] Photograph of Roland Wieland, Antonia Wieland, and family friends

L-R: Roland Wieland, Antonia Wieland, family friends; taken at Brownsville, Texas., 1970 - 1979.
[People] Photograph of Roland Wieland holding a gun, wearing a hat

Grandfather Roland Wieland holding a gun, wearing a hat, 1960.
[People] Photograph of Roland Wieland in front of automobile

Grandfather Roland Wieland in front of automobile, 1960.
[People] Photograph of Roland Wieland in front of his house

Roland Wieland in front of his house., 1937.
[People] Photograph of Roland Wieland in suit

Grandfather Wieland in suit, 1980 - 1989.
[People] Photograph of Roland Wieland near an open field

Grandfather Roland Wieland near an open field; taken in 1960.
[People] Photograph of Rosales brothers

Rosales brothers; eldest in middle with hat is Jose Z. Rosales, Francisco Rosales on right, Juan Z. Rosales on left, youngest Israel Rosales; taken at Pharr, Texas., 1921.
[People] Photograph of Rosalinda Morales Melendez dancing with Jose Morales at her quinceanera

Photo of quinceanera; 15th birthday party; Rosalinda Morales Melendez dancing with her father Jose Morales; attached is the contract for the photographer of 20 pesos for the day and 2.50 pesos for the photos; taken in Matamoros, Tamaulipas; in 1967.
[People] Photograph of Salvador Trevino

Salvador Trevino; taken in 1940's or 1930's in Matamoros, Tamaulipas.
[People] Photograph of Salvador Trevino and Josefa G. Guevara

Group photo; grandfather and grandmother pictured on right (Salvador Trevino and Josefa G. Guevara); taken in 1940; in Oaxaca, Mexico.
[People] Photograph of Salvador Trevino and Josefa G. Guevara at unidentified wedding

Unknown couple at wedding (pictured on far left and right--Salvador Trevino and Josefa G. Guevara); taken in 1930's or 1940's; in Matamoros.
[People] Photograph of Salvador Trevino with group

Group photo; pictured on far right is Salvador Trevino; taken in 1930's or 1940's; in Matamoros, Tamaulipas.
[People] Photograph of Samuel Klahn and Porfiria Klahn on her graduation day

Samuel Klahn and Porfiria Klahn on her graduation day; graduated from Santa Maria High School; taken on 1939 in Santa Maria, Texas.
[People] Photograph of Serbando Noyala and Jesus Chapa celebrating a birthday

Photo of L-R: Serbando Noyala and Jesus Chapa (brothers, Chantal's uncle and father); taken in the late 1980's at Brownsville, Texas.
[People] Photograph of Sofia Madinaveitia and Jesus Madinaveitia holding Maria Madinaveitia

Family photograph; left to right: Sofia Madinareitia, Jesus Madinareitia holding baby Maria Madinareitia. Baby Maria had just been born, about two days old; taken in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon in 1997.
[People] Photograph of Sofia Shears-Franklin and Tomasita Shears

Left to right: Sofia Shears-Franklin, Tomasita Shears ; taken in Brownsville, Texas. 1900s
[People] Photograph of Sophia Shears Franklin and Tomasita Shears Franklin

3 photographs; family portraits, Sophia Shears Franklin, Tomasita Shears Franklin. 1920s
[People] Photograph of Summer Camp Capers, Episcopal at St. France Chapel

Summer Camp Capers; Episcopal at St. France Chapel; back row: L-R Ford Lockett, Bob Lattimore, Bishop Everest Jones, unknown, Ted Richardson; Front row: L-R Unknown, Marcia Wardon, Kathy Lewis, Anna May Kinder, unknown, Jane Maxwell, unknown; taken in 1950; in Boerne, Texas.
[People] Photograph of Torres family members in the snow

Grandparents and family members in the snow; taken at Michigan., 1956.
[People] Photograph of Virginia Garcia Mendoza Almaraz, Tony Gonzalez, and Olivia Garcia

Virginia Garcia Mendoza Almaraz, Tony Gonzalez, Olivia Garcia; adopted children; taken in Brownsville, Texas. 1930 - 1939.
[People] Portrait of Isabel Traham Lockett

Portrait of Isabel Traham Lockett; taken around WWII; in Brownsville, Texas.
[People] Portrait of Maria Andrea Posada

Portrait photo of Maria Andrea Posada at age 16; taken in Matamoros, Tamaulipas; in 1952.
[People] Portrait of William Shears

William Shears (grandfather); taken in Brownsville, Texas.
[People] Sketch of Bertha Medicabal, great grandmother of Diego Acevedo

Pencil drawing of great grandmother, Bertha Medicabal; born in 1913; died in 2014; lived in Brownsville and Mexico.
[Port Isabel] Photograph of Derry Elementary's 5th grade class, 1992-1993

Photograph of Derry Elementary, small class (21 students), 5th grade; Mike Altamirano was the teacher for that class. 1992
[Port Isabel] Photograph of hospital rescue ship built at Port Isabel Brownsville Ship Building Cooperation built for U.S. Army Air Core; U.S. Army QS-47

From right to left: Isabel Trahan Lockett, Jerry Steele, Ford L. Lockett, Virginia Curry, Perry Steele, and Ford Smith Lockett, pharmacist who went to work for shipyard; hospital rescue ship built at Port Isabel Brownsville Ship Building Cooperation; built for U.S. Army air Core; U.S. Army QS-47; taken in 1942-44; in Port of Brownsville.
[Port of Brownsville] Photograph of the unloading of bananas at the Port of Brownsville

A group of men loading banana's onto trucks at the Port of Brownsville. 1959ca
[Postage Stamp] United States Postage stamp, 1944

Four United States of America postage stamps highlighting the 75 year anniversary of the completion of the first transcontinental railroad. 3 cents postage; 1944; purchased in Brownsville, Texas.
[Protests] Photograph of a Cesar Chavez protest, 1969ca

Cesar Chavez protest march; taken at California., 1960 - 1969.
[Protests] Photograph of Gloria Ramirez, Josefina Ramirez, Maria Rosa Ramirez attending protest meeting at California stadium

Protest meeting at a stadium with United Farm Workers flag; Gloria Ramirez, Josefina Ramirez, Maria Rosa Ramirez; taken in California. 1960s