New State Historian, Old Spanish Mission ​

A smattering of Texas history updates

A Smattering of Texas History Updates We froze. We got a new State Historian. We got an old Spanish mission. And I don't have leprosy...yet.    Some or all of this may be news to you, so I'm here to tell you about it.    First things first: the new social studies curriculum. The newly adopted framework that puts Texas and American history in the context of one another, along with world history and geography, now has some general topics affixed to it. 54 pages of topic suggestions provided by the content advisors. If you'd like to peruse the suggested topics, you can find them here.    What's next? Those topics will be considered by workgroup members, who will chew on them and suggest revisions/additions/subtractions. That process begins this week.  Most of you experienced the funky freeze to some extent. While windchill temps are in the negative twenties up north, I have it on good authority that Texas is nearly finished with our version of winter. Texas's answer to the oversized Yankee rat, Bee Cave Bob, has advised me not to fear another major freeze. We bonded over our shared need for a manicure. He's a sweetheart. Some kids want to be astronauts when they grow up. I wanted to hug an armadillo.   I love critter encounters. I've held a cicada while it molted. I've antagonized a gnu, ridden a horse with a horned frog on the pommel of my saddle, held a Mexican freetail bat. But no armadillo contact. I stalked one down Post Oak near the Houston Galleria, but he wasn't having it.   Heartfelt thanks to my friends who made this long-sought hug possible. If I come down with leprosy, y'all will be the first to know.  Texas Tech Finds A Lost Mission At the end of 2025, Texas Tech archaeologists and the Texas Historical Commission announced a landmark discovery: the lost 1720s Spanish mission built on ruins of La Salle's abandoned 1685 settlement. When you see "Mission Nuestra Señora del Espíritu Santo," you probably think of the Spanish mission near Presidio La Bahia in Goliad. You'd be correct in 2026 but wrong in 1721. Same mission, different location.   "Mission" referred to the work and the people, not the structures. They were missionaries on a mission. When a mission was moved, the padres and the Indians they catechized moved. They didn't load up the structures on a flatbed and truck them down to the next county. (Next time someone insists the Alamo was moved, remind them of what "mission" actually means!) At any rate, the original mission operated at the newly dug site from 1721ish to 1726ish. It moved to the Guadalupe River in 1726 and to present-day Goliad in 1749. The mission structure we can visit today are the third location of the 1721 mission, whose site was discovered by the Tech archaeology crew. Congratulations and thanks are due to the Tech team, THC, and the Summerlee Foundation for their persistence.    You can learn more about the team and see the fruits of their labors here. Historian Who Wears Many Hats Dons A Tiara Texas has a new State Historian! We've only had a State Historian since 2007 and it has historically been a low-profile, advisory role. I believe that will change during the tenure of the newest State Historian.  Dr. Richard McCaslin retired from a long Texas history teaching career at UNT. He retired right into his current post as Director of Publications at the Texas State Historical Association. He's a workhorse of an historian, writing and editing north of twenty books to date.   As State Historian, he'll act as an advisor to state officials and be an ambassador for Texas history - talking to school kids, giving presentations, generally promoting the study of our history. Rick is capable and well-equipped for these tasks.   When I last visited his office, I learned that this new hat he's wearing is actually a tiara. I noted the blue sash on the wall (pictured above) and immediately pictured the governor of this great state bestowing Rick with a glittery sash.   Am I that detached from the official doings of state government, I wondered? There are SASHES?    Dr. McCaslin informed me that his family presented him with the flashy sash (whew!) and a tiara, to boot. Congratulations, Rick. I look forward to seeing what you do with the title.  If you have road trip plans to hunt bluebonnet patches, I suggest you bring a copy of Dr. Stephen Hardin's latest, Texian Exodus. This time around, our favorite scholar of the Texas Revolution deeply examined the Runaway Scrape. It's a fabulously crafted story of humanity under pressure. Dr. Hardin clearly demonstrates the ways in which the tribulations of the fleeing, muddy Texians shaped our culture today. Pick up your copy on Amazon.    Stay tuned for updates on happenings in the Panhandle, TSHA's Annual Meeting in Irving next month, and much more going on in the history world. God & Texas, Michelle

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