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Fayette Heritage Museum & Archives

La Grange, Texas

Celebrating Fayette County's History

February has been busy and we have an interesting program coming up early in March. Keep reading to learn about recent happenings and our upcoming event in the Museum and Archives. We appreciate your interest in the Fayette Heritage Museum and Archives!

Upcoming Event

Lafayette and the Farewell Tour: Odyssey of an American Idol
Tuesday, March 5th, 6:30 p.m., Library Meeting Room
 Lafayette scholar, Alan R. Hofmann will present a program based on his book, Lafayette in America in 1824 and 1825: Journal of a Voyage to the United States. For more information see www.lafayetteinamerica.com.

Current Exhibits
The Photography of Louis Melcher
More than150 of Melcher's photographs of Fayette and Wharton Counties from the 1890s through 1920 show his talent for capturing everyday life in crisp images that are both beautiful and instructive.

Rabensburg & Zwiener
These dealers in saddles, harness, and vehicles had to change with the times as transportation in La Grange transitioned from the horse and buggy to automobiles.

Crayon Portraits
See examples from our large collection of portraits enhanced with conte crayons and charcoal.
 
We had a wonderful group at the opening of our Melcher exhibit on February 16th, including quite a few of Louis Melcher's relatives who traveled from out of town.
Many, many thanks are due to volunteer Katy Beauford, who just finished a herculean task for us in the Archives. She spent several afternoons a week for nine months going through each and every one of our 6,000 family files, making sure that each is organized properly, catalogued, and barcoded. Katy, you are awesome!
Recent Gifts
Texas Parks and Wildlife recently donated an 1898 tax appraisal ledger for the city of La Grange that had made its way to Austin. The Museum and Archives staff will use it to locate residences and other real estate. Additionally, it's interesting to see categories for a poll tax, livestock, watches, jewelry, and even notations about pianos and libraries. Entries for illiterate citizens were signed with an X.
Among other recent gifts we have received:
  • An album and 41 portraits related to the Melcher, Frank, and Carby families, donated by Jon Todd Koenig
  • An early map of La Grange
  • 82 Years by J. E. Shropshire, donated by Carl Shropshire
  • Three pieces of glassware from the Melcher family, donated by Mary Belle Meitzen
  • 5 Texas history books for our gift shop shelves, by Greg Walker
  • A February 13, 1948 issue of The Fayette County Record
Recent FaceBook Posts

Like our page at www.facebook.com/FPLMA to see our "In the Archives" posts every Tuesday and our "Flashback Friday" posts every Friday.
This photo of the Hajovsky family in front of their silo, circa 1915, was the most popular of recent posts, with 25 comments and 41 shares. The farm was located at Holman, across the road from the Catholic Church. The consensus seems to be they are, left to right, Frances Hajovsky (later Hluchanek), Marie (Vacek) Hajovsky holding baby Agnes Hajovsky , Marie Hajovsky with  Annie Hajovsky (later Sumbera) the smaller girl in front of Annie, Johnny Hajovsky (holding the rope to the bull), Joseph Jerome Hajovsky, unidentified boy on the silo, Joe Hajovsky holding a bat or stick, Adolph Hajovsky, and two unidentified people on the right.
The opening of our exhibit, The Photography of Louis Melcher, was held Saturday, February 16th, with a program in which Kathy Carter showed her favorite Melcher images.. We are so fortunate that J. C. Melcher, Jr. has loaned us a horn chair made by Louis Melcher and the spinning wheel that Louis’s grandmother brought from Germany when she immigrated.

Additionally, we want to thank the Daniel Rohan family, who have donated forty-seven of Melcher’s glass negatives for safekeeping at the Museum and Archives, and, also, the Luck and Loessin Trust, which funded the costly conservation of the negatives. Thank you to Mary Belle Meitzen, Pat Richardson, and John Bolling, who have let us scan their Melcher family photographs, and to Jon Todd Koenig, who has given us Louis Melcher portraits from his collection. Additionally, we appreciate the help of Arliss Treybig, Merle Hudgins, and Paula Siglock with the identification of Melcher’s El Campo area photos. As you see, it takes a village to put on an exhibit and we haven’t yet mentioned that Kathy Carter and Greg Walker, spent hours helping us set it up. You will find a few more of our favorite Melcher photographs below.
Copyright © 2019 Fayette Heritage Museum and Archives, All rights reserved.

979-968-3765
archives@cityoflg.com

Open Tuesday-Thursday 10-6
Friday 10-5, Saturday 10-1

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