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Texas Historical Commission
@TxHistComm
The state agency for historic preservation. We save the real places that tell the real stories of Texas. | #TXTimeTravel
Texas
Joined August 2012
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    Happy 112th birthday to America’s oldest living man and WWII veteran, Richard Overton. Born in Bastrop County in 1906, Overton served in the South Pacific. He resides in his home in East Austin, where he enjoys cigars and drinking whiskey on his front porch. Photo c/o @statesman.
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    On this day in 1950, a burger stand launched a Texas icon. The first Whataburger opened at 2609 Ayers St. in Corpus Christi on August 8. That day the stand sold $50 worth of burgers, chips, & drinks. 📷: @Whataburger
    Vintage photo of a small food stand with painted letters saying “Whataburger 35¢, milk shake 15¢”
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    Today is Quanah Parker Day, commemorated annually by the State of Texas on the second Saturday of September. Learn more about this Comanche leader & the history of Comanchería: texastimetravel.com/blog/quanah-pa… 📷: @okhistory, WP Campbell Collection
    Full-length portrait of Comanche chief Quanah Parker, wearing buckskin clothing with a blanket wrapped across his body
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    This morning, the Texas Historical Commission voted to designate the Houston Astrodome a State Antiquities Landmark. More details to come.
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    On this day in 1950, a burger stand launched a Texas icon. The first Whataburger opened at 2609 Ayers St. in Corpus Christi on August 8. That day the stand sold $50 worth of burgers, chips, & drinks. 📷: First iconic A-frame, Whataburger #24, Odessa; courtesy @Whataburger
    Vintage photo of an A-frame Whataburger restaurant with all-over orange-and-white stripes
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    The battlefield of San Jacinto is the site of the final, shocking, and decisive conflict of the Texas Revolution that took place on April 21, 1836. Gen. Sam Houston and his army of about 1,000 Texian soldiers routed Gen. Santa Anna’s 1,400-man army—in just 18 minutes.
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    We send condolences to all those mourning the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Queen Elizabeth was the first British monarch to visit Texas when she toured the state in May 1991. 📷: Queen Elizabeth (at left in the doorway) visits the Alamo, 1991; San Antonio Express-News
    Queen Elizabeth exits the distinctive entryway of the Alamo with a woman beside her and another following; a guard stands at the door.
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    Howard Edward Butt was born on April 9, 1895. He grew up helping his mother, Florence, with the family grocery store in Kerrville. Howard eventually took over operations & built the business into what is now @HEB. 📷: April 1945 store opening in San Antonio, courtesy H-E-B
    Vintage black-and-white photo of an H-E-B grocery store with a tall sign and a curved glass-block façade, its parking lot full of 1940s-era cars and people holding umbrellas
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    On this day in 1950, the Texas Secretary of State granted Harlan Dobson the “Whataburger” trademark. Later that summer, with no prior restaurant experience, Dobson opened the first Whataburger in Corpus Christi. 📷: @Whataburger
    Vintage photo of a small food stand with painted letters saying “Whataburger 35¢, milk shake 15¢”
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    From the 1500s through today, Spanish & Mexican heritage has shaped Texas, joined by other Latino cultures from the Caribbean & Central America. In recognition of this long history, Texas designates September as #TejanoHeritageMonth. 📷: Tejano Monument by Armando Hinojosa
    Bronze statue of a Tejano couple dressed in historic clothing; the woman smiles and holds a baby, with the man’s arm around her. In the foreground are statues of a girl and a boy.
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    Rodeo cowboy Bill Pickett was born on this day in 1870 in Williamson County. He was the first African American inducted into the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. A prominent statue of Pickett stands at the Fort Worth Stockyards. 📷: @okhistory
    Historical film photograph of Black cowboy Bill Pickett mounted on a horse, with other cowboys behind him
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    On March 2, 1836, the Texas Declaration of Independence was passed unanimously at Washington-on-the-Brazos. Delegates elected from each Texas settlement signed the document in the simple wooden Independence Hall. Shown here is a 20th-century replica: visitwashingtononthebrazos.com
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    On March 2, 1836, the Texas Declaration of Independence was passed unanimously at Washington-on-the-Brazos. 59 delegates, elected from each Texas settlement, signed the six-page document in the simple wooden Independence Hall. Shown here is a 20th-century replica.
    Interior of a wooden building with a long table and numerous chairs
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    Doris Miller of Waco was one of 750,000+ Texans who served during WWII. On the morning of December 7, 1941, Miller’s ship was at anchor in Pearl Harbor. He took up arms at an anti-aircraft machine gun, fired until running out of ammunition, then helped injured crew off the ship.
    Portrait of sailor Doris Miller in naval uniform