{"id":1871,"date":"2025-03-31T14:25:52","date_gmt":"2025-03-31T18:25:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/scholar-speak\/?p=1871"},"modified":"2025-03-31T14:25:52","modified_gmt":"2025-03-31T18:25:52","slug":"rescuing-history-at-the-portal-to-texas-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/scholar-speak\/2025\/03\/31\/rescuing-history-at-the-portal-to-texas-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Rescuing History at the Portal to Texas History"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Black<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Portal to Texas History (2025). About – endowment. <\/em>Retrieved from https:\/\/texashistory.unt.edu\/media\/pth\/public\/images\/about\/endowment.png <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Written By: Haiden Scheffrin <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Portal to Texas History (PTH)<\/a> is an online repository of digitized items and documents maintained by the UNT Digital Libraries Department<\/a>. Named among the top online resources for humanities education by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the portal serves as a \u201cgateway to rare, historical, and primary source materials from or about Texas,\u201d (The Portal to Texas History, n.d). Officially beginning in 2002, the UNT Digital Libraries Department created the PTH to ensure that all items comply with UNT Libraries standards<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This digital database contains documents and artifacts that represent the rich history and heritage of the people in Texas. Currently, the Portal to Texas History contains over two million items ranging from newspapers to photos to maps to videos. The Portal is in constant collaboration with public and private partners to expand their collections.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Digital?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Portal to Texas History was born out of a need for digitization of Texas history. There was no main website that provided an accumulation of history and culture from across the state. Archivists had a need for a platform that allowed them to share their work online, to a wider audience. From this, the Portal to Texas History was founded to ensure a dedicated, refined space for the display of information about Texas. Additionally, the Portal to Texas History is credited with having the largest collection of one single state\u2019s newspapers. The Texas Digital Newspaper Collection currently has over one million items that span more than 200 years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over time, the UNT Digital Libraries Department has also expanded its reach to Oklahoma history. Founded in 2012, the Gateway to Oklahoma History<\/a> is a partnership with the Oklahoma Historical Society<\/a> to digitize and publish historical information from Oklahoma. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"This<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u200c\u200cThe Portal to Texas History (2025). About – rescuing Texas history. <\/em>Retrieved from https:\/\/texashistory.unt.edu\/about\/portal\/rescuing-texas-history\/\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rescuing Texas History Collection <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Rescuing Texas History Collection (RTH)<\/a> serves a very important purpose within the scope of the UNT Digital Projects Unit<\/a> and the Portal to Texas History<\/a>. The Rescuing Texas History Collection was founded to digitize and display collections of Texas history that might otherwise be inaccessible online. The Portal contains a multitude of open access materials, so anyone with a working internet connection can see the vast amount of historical knowledge contained on the site. Collections that may have remained hidden have now been brought to light, with new views and research breathing a sort of new life into the collections. \u201cEvery page we digitize is not just one person\u2019s life, but an entire community\u2019s life,\u201d (Krahmer, as cited in University of North Texas Research and Innovation News, 2024).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through mini-grants and other resources provided by the Portal, entire collections are digitized and made accessible online with ease. For the first time in Texas history, smaller collections and heritage projects have been uploaded for research and viewing purposes. Information about partnering with the PTH can be found here.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collections Spotlight<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Photograph<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

[Fire Station 8’s Assistant Chief’s Fire Engine],\u00a0photograph,\u00a01937;\u00a0(https:\/\/texashistory.unt.edu\/ark:\/67531\/metapth803765\/<\/a>:\u00a0accessed March 31, 2025),\u00a0University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History,\u00a0https:\/\/texashistory.unt.edu<\/a>; crediting\u00a0Dallas Firefighters Museum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dallas Firefighters Museum:<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dallas Firefighters Museum collection at the Portal to Texas History features photographs that depict the early history of the Dallas Fire Department, beginning in the 1870s. \u201cThe Museum works to collect, preserve, and present the history and cultural heritage of the fire service of Dallas,\u201d (Dallas Firefighters Museum, n.d.). Many of the photographs within the museum depict City of Dallas fire stations, some of which are no longer standing. These photographs of the older buildings that are still standing have been used to assist in restoring them to their original external appearance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Known for many innovations through the years, the Dallas Fire Department had some of the first paid firefighting staff in the state of Texas; including motorized fire engines; advanced training and education programs; and one of the first Emergency Medical Service (EMS) systems developed in the country (Dallas Firefighters Museum, n.d). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Multiple parts of this collection have been digitized and uploaded to the Portal to Texas History through the Rescuing Texas History program and mini grants. The Dallas Firefighters Museum was added as a partner organization in 2011 and presently has around 1200 items digitized and uploaded to the Portal to Texas History website (PTH, n.d).\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Weekly<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Sch\u00fctze, Julius.\u00a0Texas Vorw\u00e4rts. (Austin, Tex.), Vol. 3, No. 6, Ed. 1 Friday, November 27, 1885,\u00a0newspaper,\u00a0November 27, 1885;\u00a0Austin, Texas. (https:\/\/texashistory.unt.edu\/ark:\/67531\/metapth1535567\/<\/a>:\u00a0accessed March 31, 2025),\u00a0University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History,\u00a0https:\/\/texashistory.unt.edu<\/a>; crediting\u00a0German-Texan Heritage Society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

German-Texas Heritage Society:<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The German-Texas Heritage Society is another organization that partners with the Portal to Texas History through their Rescuing Texas History mini grants. Their mission is to preserve \u201cGerman culture in Texas through festivals, language classes, genealogical searches, and other services\u201d (German Texas Heritage Society, 2025). They \u201cenvision that the people of Texas today and in generations to come will be well informed about the cultural values and heritage of German Texans and that they will embrace the societal benefits of all cultural and heritage diversity within the communities of our State,\u201d (German Texas Heritage Society, 2025). Many items in this collection come from the German-Language Newspaper Collection<\/a> and the Texas Digital Newspaper Program<\/a>. Combined, these collections contain over 2400 items from The German-Texas Heritage Society.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

More information about the PTH can be found here: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interacting with the Portal<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frequently Asked Questions<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additional questions or comments can be sent to the UNT Libraries Ask Us service<\/a> or sent directly to the Portal to Texas History through their contact us<\/a> form. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

References:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dallas Firefighter\u2019s Museum (2023). About<\/em>. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.dallasfiremuseum.com\/about<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dallas Firefighters Museum, partner contributing to The Portal to Texas History. University of North Texas Libraries. https:\/\/texashistory.unt.edu\/explore\/partners\/DFFM\/<\/a> accessed March 10, 2025. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gateway to Oklahoma History (2025). About – who we are<\/em>. Retrieved from https:\/\/gateway.okhistory.org\/about\/gateway\/who-we-are\/<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

German Texan Heritage Society, partner contributing to The Portal to Texas History. University of North Texas Libraries. https:\/\/texashistory.unt.edu\/explore\/partners\/GTHS\/<\/a> accessed March 10, 2025. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

German Texas Heritage Society (2025). About<\/em>. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.germantexans.org\/about<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

German Texas Heritage Society (2025). Home<\/em>. Retrieved from  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.germantexans.org<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Texas Digital Newspaper Program in The Portal to Texas History<\/em>. University of North Texas Libraries. https:\/\/texashistory.unt.edu\/explore\/collections\/TDNP\/<\/a> accessed March 11, 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u200c\u200cThe Portal to Texas History (2025). About – rescuing Texas history. <\/em>Retrieved from https:\/\/texashistory.unt.edu\/about\/portal\/rescuing-texas-history\/<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

University of North Texas Research and Innovation News (2024). UNT\u2019s Portal to Texas History changed the way scholars research the state<\/em>. Unt.edu. Retrieved from https:\/\/research.unt.edu\/news\/unts-portal-to-texas-history-changed-the-way-scholars-research-the-state.html<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Portal to Texas History (2025). About – endowment. Retrieved from https:\/\/texashistory.unt.edu\/media\/pth\/public\/images\/about\/endowment.png Written By: Haiden Scheffrin The Portal to Texas History (PTH) is an online repository of digitized items and documents maintained by the UNT Digital Libraries Department. Named among the top online resources for humanities education by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the… Read more »<\/a>","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[282,62,226,18,99,44],"class_list":["post-1871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-research-help","tag-history","tag-library-resources","tag-texashistory","tag-the-portal-to-texas-history","tag-unt-libraries","tag-unt-libraries-databases"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/scholar-speak\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/scholar-speak\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/scholar-speak\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/scholar-speak\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/132"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/scholar-speak\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1871"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/scholar-speak\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1871\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1886,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/scholar-speak\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1871\/revisions\/1886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/scholar-speak\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/scholar-speak\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/scholar-speak\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}