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] 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