Texas Capitol History

Posting historical photos and videos of the Texas Capitol and its former inhabitants. From @wsbyerly

[GHWB Archive @GHWBwasGay]

Campaign ad for GHWB's 1964 Senate campaign, specifically produced for the Republican primary

[Texas Capitol History @TXCapHistory]

Representatives Jake Johnson, Fred Orr, Walter Knapp, Cread Ray, and Milton Schiller, members of the House Committee on Aeronautics Commission, discuss their findings, 1967. #txlege

[Howard Mortman @HowardMortman]

John Cornyn and other freshmen Republicans elected to U.S. Senate in 2002 ...

[Howard Mortman @HowardMortman]

John Cornyn (R) was elected Texas Senator in 2002, defeating Ron Kirk (D) and replacing Phil Gramm (R) ... Here are TV ads from both campaigns in that race ...

[Texas Capitol History @TXCapHistory]

You don’t see that much, anymore. #txlege

[GHWB Archive @GHWBwasGay]

🥊🥊 With DNC Chairman Robert Strauss (1974)

[Texas Capitol History @TXCapHistory]

#txlege

[Jim Nicar @JimNicar]

1902: The view of an unpaved Congress Avenue in Austin, Texas, with its electric trolley system. In front of the Capitol you'll find one of the city's newfangled Moonlight Towers, while just to the left - in the distance - is @UTAustin's Old Main.

[Texas Capitol History @TXCapHistory]

Congress Avenue being paved for the first time. The city laid brick on “The Avenue” starting in 1910. #txlege

[Chris Walker @WalkerATX]

Today in Austin History:
Week-long Capitol Dedication Begins
AUSTIN, TX May 14, 1888 (@fox7austin) — 138 years ago today...
Crowds packed the sidewalks and second-floor balconies along Congress Avenue to watch the start of the week-long Texas Capitol dedication. This photo from the Austin History Center shows a military parade featuring troops and drill teams from several different states marching toward the new building. Spectators arrived in their best formal attire, with women in gowns and men in suits lining the route to witness the processional.
The parade kicked off a series of events that brought thousands of visitors to Austin from across the country. Although the Capitol was already finished, this 1888 celebration marked the formal acceptance of the granite structure. The military units remained a primary draw throughout the week, participating in precision drill competitions and ceremonies on the Capitol grounds.
The week in Austin featured a variety of public events throughout the city. The schedule included nightly fireworks displays, choral concerts and a grand dedication ball. Local businesses and temporary vendors hosted visitors arriving by excursion trains, while the formal ceremonies culminated with keynote speeches delivered from the Capitol portico to officially turn the building over to the state. #txlege

[APIC @APIC_USA]

🎉🇺🇸Political button and #popculture show tomorrow in #Austin Texas. Are you coming?

[Chris Walker @WalkerATX]

It's 1960 in Austin and you're checking out the city @fox7austin

[LBJ Library @LBJLibrary]

#OnThisDay: Eighty-nine years ago, on May 11, 1937, #CongressmanJohnson met President #FranklinRoosevelt and Texas Governor #JamesAllred in #Galveston, #Texas.

📷 Jack Miller

[Texas Capitol History @TXCapHistory]

On Mother’s Day, we remember Jane Herbert Wilkinson Long, the “Mother of Texas.”

A frontier survivor, early settler, and symbol of resilience during the Texas Revolution, she was honored during the 82nd legislature by Rep. Eiland for her enduring spirit.

#txlege

[The Bush Archive @TheBushArchive]

The George W. Bush Presidential Library has released the behind the scenes footage of George W. Bush announcing strikes on Al Qaeda and the Taliban as a response to 9/11
full footage here: https://t.co/m1HfIcx66h

[Texas Capitol History @TXCapHistory]

Governor and Mrs. Clements leave the Texas Capitol under the traditional arch of sabers held by members of the Ross Volunteers of Texas A&M University, January 16, 1979. Clements had just been inaugurated as the first Republican governor of Texas in over 100 years. #txlege

[LBJ Library @LBJLibrary]

#OnThisDay: #SenatorJohnson holds an @ExpressNews newspaper announcing his victory over R. Allan Shivers for control of the #Texas Democratic Party ahead of the 1956 #DemocraticNationalConvention.

📷 Wide World Photos | 05/06/1956 | #LBJ, #LadyBird, and LBJ's mother, Rebekah

[Texas Capitol History @TXCapHistory]

State Representative Rick Perry campaigning for Agriculture Commissioner in 1990. #txlege

[Bud Kennedy / #ReadLocal @BudKennedy]

Those were the days.

[LBJ Library @LBJLibrary]

#OnThisDay: Eighty-five years ago, on May 3, 1941, #LBJ kicked off his U.S. Senate campaign in #SanMarcos, #Texas.

📷 @statesman | [L–R]: #LadyBird, LBJ, and his mother, Rebekah

[Chris Walker @WalkerATX]

1888 & 1986 in Austin:
The Goddess of Liberty's cold shoulder on the Capital City was finally fixed. @fox7austin #txlege

You might not realize it, but for nearly a century, the most famous lady in the Austin skyline was actually looking the wrong way. When the original zinc Goddess was hoisted up in 1888, a bit of nineteenth-century "user error" resulted in her being bolted down with a skewed perspective. While she was intended to watch over the heart of the city, she spent 97 years staring off toward the horizon, essentially giving a cold shoulder to the very people she was meant to represent.
That historical "oops" wasn't corrected until the high-stakes airlift in 1986. After the National Guard finally won their battle with the wind and the rotor wash, they made sure the new aluminum replica was seated with a more southernly gaze. Today, when you look up from Congress Avenue, she is finally looking right back at you—a correction nearly a hundred years in the making that turned a silent sentinel into a true neighbor.

[Chris Walker @WalkerATX]

It took 3 attempts over 2 days to get the new goddess up there