Glass plate (151) and roll nitrate photonegatives (66), three photoprints, scrapbooks, funeral memorial books, creative works, tax receipts, a share of stock, and political ephemera document the life and political career of A. E. Amerman. Of greatest significance are the glass plate negatives taken by Amerman and his brother, C. H. C. Amerman documenting Houston and Austin, Texas, during the first decade of the twentieth century. Of particular interest are the genre scenes or depictions of everyday life. The nitrate negatives appear to have been taken during a trip to New York State, probably in 1907 as a honeymoon journey. Of interest are cityscapes of New York City from the harbor, travels up the Hudson River, and Niagra Falls. The scrapbook is an artificial collection of newspaper articles, memorials, obituaries, correspondence, and speeches compiled by June Amerman Dyke. Funeral remembrance books for both Amerman (1958) and his wife, Cordelia Bostick Amerman (1964), contain newspaper clippings, cards, and lists of donors to memorial funds. A nine page petition signed by 121 lawyers in 1908 urging Amerman to run for re-election as Harris County Judge, two small campaign buttons (ca. 1906), and a fragment of a political poster (ca. 1919) attest to Amerman’s political activities.

Two volumes of financial records, 1908 – 1910, document the business activities of the A. J. Wagner Company, Inc. in Bryan, Navasota, Mexia, and Cameron, Texas, from its inception to its declaration of bankruptcy in August 1910. The origin of the A. J. Wagner Company, Inc. records is unknown.  It is possible that they were originally exhibits in a district court case and became intermingled with the Grand Jury Dockets.  They may also have been used as evidence in Grand Jury deliberations.

An abstract of title, often prepared by a title company, traces the conveyances and encumbrances on a piece of property from the original grant forward.  It also contains a certification by the abstractor that the history is complete and accurate.  Abstracts are an excellent source of history of a location, not just a specific lot or tract. 

This inventory contains 89 individual abstracts of title currently in the Harris County Archives including the 33 volumes of Abstract of Titles of Texas, 1877 - 1909 which cover the land donations and grants of all the Texas counties.  The dates given are the date of certification.  The abstracts are arranged alphabetically by subdivision and survey.

Legal documents, pollution control inspection documents, correspondence, notes, and photographs (1981-1994) document the numerous environmental and health violations committed by the Addicks-Fairbanks Road Sand Company and the litigation that followed. Legal documents from 1990-1994 contain several drafts of the original petitions for the Harris County and Inez Weiman lawsuits against Addicks-Fairbanks, as well as the settlement agreements for the final 1994 case. Also included is the transcript of a 1990 injunction hearing and the final judgment on Inez Weiman’s lawsuit. Case preparation forms from the Harris County Pollution Control Department chronicle the offenses committed by Addicks-Fairbanks and Inez R. Weiman from 1985-1992. Eleven photographs (1989-1990) document these violations. Correspondence and notes refer to the investigation and litigation against Addicks- Fairbanks, and include revisions to petitions and settlement documents.

The collection is in two series: Harris County Sheriff’s Department Executive Bureau records, 1975-1993, and Harris County Attorney records, 1932-1991.  The Sheriff’s Department series is arranged chronologically, while the County Attorney series is arranged in 14 subseries: Administrative, 1972-1990; Correspondence, 1976-1989; Meetings, 1984-1990; Witnesses, 1983-1990; Research, 1932-1989; Discovery, 1980-1991; Harris County Pre-Trial Services Agency, 1976-1989; Inmate Complaints, 1972-1988; Medical, 1981-1989; Legal Documents, 1972-1990; Exhibits, 1970s-1990;  New Jail Construction and Expansion, 1977-1990; Masters/Monitors, 1972-1989; Reports, 1976-1989.

Pollution control inspection documents, correspondence, legal documents, printed materials, notes, and photographs (1970 – 1992) document the investigation of the Allwaste facility, the ensuing litigation and appeals, and the creation of an environmental conference for the tank cleaning industry. Pollution control investigations document the hazardous chemicals found on the Allwaste site, as well as complaints by LaPorte residents about a gasoline-like smell coming from the site. Legal documents from 1989-1991 include several drafts of the petition for the both the original lawsuit and the appeal by Harris County, witness affidavits and depositions, transcripts of court hearings, and the final judgment by the court. Correspondence includes interdepartmental communication and correspondence with Allwaste and Pollution Control from 1980 to 1991. Printed materials contain information on past pollution cases in which the court refused to authorize litigation, newspaper articles about the Allwaste case, and notices calling for public input regarding the company’s permit application. Ten photographs (1990, 03/06) document Allwaste violations.

Correspondence, notices, requests and replies, arguments and briefs, motions, permits, modeling reports, newspaper clippings, financial/expense records, witnesses’ testimony and depositions, and hearing transcripts, 1976-1993, document the American Envirotech, Inc. permit application to build a hazardous waste incinerator in Channelview, Texas.  The collection is divided into ten series: Correspondence 1989-1993; Arguments and Briefs 1991-1992; Motions 1991-1993; Permits 1990-1993; Modeling Reports (related to emissions) 1992; Working Files 1976-1992; Financial/Expenses 1991-1993; Witnesses 1991-1993; Depositions/Testimony 1991-1993; Hearings 1992. Records are organized chronologically within the series.  

1-Harris County Deputy Sheriff Badge, Marine Division, #68; 1-Harris County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Badge #1704; 2 Harris County Sheriff Department Marine Badges; 1-Harris County Probation Officer Badge #6. Approximately 3 large reels and 10 small reels of film. Printed materials:  “Wartime Swine Industry Program,” 1944; Texas State Vehicle Registration Receipt book, 1921;  Washington County Tax Assessor’s forms for dates and locations for rendering taxes, n.d.

Correspondence, reports, budgets, audits, payrolls, personnel files, bond inventories, annual and monthly financial statements, annual reports, manuals, contracts, Civil Cases, (1933-1973), Flood Control records, which includes Depression Era Works Progress Administration Records, (1937-1964) and the Neighborhood Youth Corp Grant records (1939-1975) document the functions of Harris County Auditor's Office

In 1866 the Texas Legislature approved a bill to incorporate an Orphan’s Home at Bayland in Harris County.  The institution would be non-sectarian and open to all indigent white children free of charge. The home operated in Morgan’s Point near Baytown and later moved to north Houston in 1887.  After a fire and the donation of land by Joseph Meyer, the Orphan Home moved once again in 1916 to southwest Houston.  Plagued by a low census and financial contributions, the board looked for a religious or non-profit institution to assume responsibility for the home.  Harris County took control of the home in 1922, eventually merging it into its Juvenile Probation program.  The Board kept control of the investments but dissolved in 1948.

This collection contains minutes, financial and legal records, correspondence and printed materials document the activities and functions of the Board of Trustees of the Bayland Orphan Home from 1867 to 1948.

Bond Certification Records (1894-1949) from the Texas Attorney General’s Office document the certification of bonds for Harris County, the City of Houston, Harris County Municipalities, and Independent School Districts.   The certification records contain detailed information on election notices and results, legal ordinances calling for bond elections, the amount of money approved for the bond, the issuer and seller of the bond, the date(s) of repayment with interest rates, other supporting information, and the signed approval of the attorney general for each approved bond. The record series is divided into Harris County, Houston, Municipalities, and Independent School Districts with subseries according to the type of project the bond is funding. Included in the general subseries are bonds, which contain no more than 2 records or are too general or specific to fit into one subseries. The general category in Houston, for example, includes bonds approved for “general improvements.”

Three cubic feet of correspondence, invoices, motions, notices, orders, discovery and pleadings, exhibits, and depositions, 1896-1996, document Braes Utility District vs Harris County Flood Control District.  Of particular interest is Braes Utility District meeting minutes as well as eminent domain research for its historical aspect.  The collection is divided into five series: Case Overview, Case Administrative Files, Reference/Work Product, Depositions, and Exhibits.  

Correspondence, notes, an agenda, legal documents, reports, speeches, printed materials, photographs, and a VHS cassette tape 1971 to 1994 document the interest of the Harris County Attorney’s Office in the Brio Superfund site and the related litigation.  Correspondence includes both original correspondence and copies of correspondence pertaining to the Brio Superfund site. Communications concerning road widening and flood control projects on Sims Bayou reveal the concern about what would happen if hazardous substances were discovered during the project.  Of particular interest are County Attorney David Melasky’s handwritten notes concerning the Brio Superfund site.

Approximately 37 legal documents (1988 – 1993) record the ongoing litigation including Harris County’s Amicus Curiae brief, depositions, and affidavits. Thirty-seven reports (1985 – 1990) document soil contamination at the Brio site, Records of Decision, and monitoring programs. Reports also include a State of California hearing from 1977 on the effects of airborne vinyl chloride.  Speeches of politicians and the Southbend Homeowner’s Association comment on the toxic waste site.  Both full issues of the South Belt – Ellington Leader (1988 and 1989) and newspaper clippings (1985 – 1990) record the community concern over the cleanup of the Superfund site and related issues. 

One scrapbook, compiled by C. B. Green and his wife, Minnie, documents the Harris County Home for the Aged, the Harris County Probation Department, and the Green family through photographs, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and creative works (1913 – 1963).  Of particular interest is an undated photograph of boys at the Harris County School for Boys in addition to photographs of the buildings, grounds, and residents of the Home for the Aged.  A letter from Germany concerning the care of a sister records gratitude for the quality of care provided by the home.  Newspaper clippings document residents of the home, entertainments provided by community organizations, W. E. Robertson of the county probation department, and the World War II service by the Green sons.

Seven scrapbooks containing newspaper clippings, printed materials, correspondence, and photographs, document the career and interests of Carol S. Vance, Harris County District Attorney (1966-1979).

Newspaper clippings, correspondence, memos, and faxes document the conflict between Harris County and the Greater Houston AIDS Alliance in 1992. Case management and decisions by the Ryan White Planning Council are covered in later news articles. 

Maps, printed materials, newspaper clippings and legal records document the professional work of Charles R. Brace (1881 – 1960), a real-estate developer and builder in the Houston area from the mid-1920’s until the early 1950’s. The collection is divided into three series; maps and blueprints, printed materials, and legal documents. The bulk of the collection is maps, most illustrating Brace’s real-estate ventures.

Two scrapbooks (1935 – 1988) containing newspaper clippings, correspondence, endorsements, speeches, and photographs document the career and interests of Beatrice Irwin Massey, Harris County’s first woman commissioner. Loose clippings and photographs were interleaved among the pages.  Newspaper clippings cover Beatrice Massey’s appointment as commissioner, election campaigns, projects undertaken while serving as commissioner, and stories that were of particular interest to Massey, including the construction of the Fred Hartman Bridge in Harris County.  Also included is correspondence from, during and after her term in office. Of particular interest are large newspaper campaign ads and photographs. Photographs include portraits of Charles Massey, Beatrice Massey (digital copy), and unnamed county officials and friends.

Twenty-two scrapbooks containing newspaper clippings, printed materials, correspondence, photographs, and political ephemera, along with certificates, plaques, and photographs document the political career and interests of E. A. “Squatty” Lyons and provide a record of Harris County government from 1943 - 1990.   The papers are divided into four series:  Scrapbooks, Scrapbooks – Newspaper Clippings, Ephemera, and Framed Materials and Plaques.  Arranged chronologically, the newspaper articles cover Harris County as it dealt with the social, financial and logistical problems of growth in the last half of the 20th century.  Among the subjects covered include Harris County Precinct 4 programs, the Washburn Tunnel opening, the construction of the new Criminal Courthouse and the renovation of the Civil Courthouse, the fight over funding for the county hospital, the building of the Astrodome, flood control, and county elections.  Personal interests reflected in the scrapbooks include the Democratic Party, politics, fraternal organizations, local sports teams, Reagan High School, Houston’s Heights and the West End, the space program, and outdoor sports.  Political ephemera used during the Lyons campaigns includes bumper stickers, campaign buttons, posters, window signs, business cards, and nail files.  A song sung for the Lyons’ 50th Wedding Anniversary records his political and family history.

Two scrapbooks containing newspaper clippings, correspondence, and printed materials (1971 – 1973) document the political career of Harris County Commissioner Jamie Bray.

Thirty-one scrapbooks (1974 – 2002) and loose materials document the career of Jim Fonteno, long time commissioner of Harris County Precinct 2. 

Divided into two series, Audio Visual Materials and Scrapbooks, fourteen scrapbooks, photographs, audio video tapes and one film document the political career and interests of Robert Y. ‘Bob’ Eckels 1935-1989.  One cubic foot of photoprints (1960s – 1989) reveal a pictorial history of the political activities, daily responsibilities, interests, and involvement of Bob Eckels, his staff, and constituents in Harris County Precinct 3.  Of interest are local political figures and early photographs of his family and the young Robert A. Eckels (later to become a state legislator and county judge).   Houston and Then Some (1976), an educational film professionally produced to explain county government functions, created controversy surrounding its financing.  Due to obsolete formats and physical deterioration, only twelve of the original forty-one donated audio video tapes (1977 - 1986) can be viewed.  The scrapbooks contain newspaper clippings, programs, invitations, correspondence, photographs, and ephemera documenting Harris County and the personals interests of Commissioner Bob Eckels.   Of special interest is a scrapbook containing newspaper clippings of the 1935 flood in Houston.  Donated by an unknown creator, three scrapbooks document the political indictments against Eckels in 1985 – 1987.

Correspondence (19) including postcards, greeting cards and letters 1909 - 1942, photographs (8) 1913 - 1949, printed materials (8) and artifacts (13) document the life of William G. Sharman, Harris County Commissioner, Precinct 3, 1921 – 1932.  The bulk of the correspondence is comprised of early courtship letters and cards (1912) and letters (1917) written to Sharman’s wife and son in Medina, Texas, and discusses working in the road camps along with daily news.  Three photographs, including the earliest photograph of the interior, record locations in the 1910 courthouse:  an exterior balcony (ca. 1930), a Justice of the Peace courtroom (1913), and the commissioner’s office (ca. 1930).  Also of interest is a family photograph with Sharman wearing his deputy sheriff’s badge.  Selective Service certificates document Sharman’s service to the United States during World War II.  Artifacts including his Masonic jewelry and apron, and his deputy sheriff’s badge, provide material evidence of his fraternal and professional service.

Harris County Community Development and Harris County Housing Authority from 1977 to 1998.  The records are arranged in two series:  Administrative Records and Program Records.  Included in the Administrative Records are the directors’ and managers’ records (1987 – 1995) along with correspondence, memos, and budgets.  The minutes of the Board of Commissioners, June 17, 1987 to October 18, 1988, are in the records of Carl Lott.  In the Project Records, Housing Rehabilitation is the most complete subseries and includes both multi-family and individual housing projects.  Of particular interest are the 10.5 cubic feet (1984 – 1998) of individual case files.  Arranged by community and then by street, the files record the condition of the housing, work performed, and costs incurred through correspondence, reports, financial applications, and photographs.

Poster. "History in Law Enforcement:  Past Present & Future"  May Walker. Bill Bailey Records: Five cubic feet of correspondence, memos, speeches, newspaper clippings, administrative paperwork, and campaign materials (1982-2009) document Bill Bailey’s tenure as Precinct 8 Constable. Of particular interest is a 2007 primary application using the name Milton O. Stanley Bill Bailey.

Promotional materials including coffee mugs (11), paperweights, coasters, pencils, and wall markers comprise the bulk of the David Kester Collection. Also included are three VHS tapes (1993 - 2006) concerning employee benefits, funeral programs for
Commissioners Jim Fonteno and El Franco Lee, a protest sign, and former budget director Dick Raycraft’s briefcase.

Newspaper clippings, printed materials, photographs, correspondence, autopsy case files, and artifacts, document the personal and professional work of Dr. Joseph A. Jachimczyk (1923-2004), Harris County’s Chief Medical Examiner (1960-1995) for 35 years. The collection is divided into nine series: Correspondence, Subject Files, Legal, Creative Works, Printed Materials, Monographs, Photographs, Scrapbooks, and Artifacts.

Bids and construction specifications, legal documents, correspondence, and photographs (1982-1987) document the deceptive trade policies of Durwood Greene construction and G & S Asphalt, and the ensuing litigation. The bids and construction specifications chronicle the work done by Durwood Greene and G &S from 1982 to 1987. These also contain estimates and managerial documents for Medberry Richey Road and the Hardy Toll Road construction projects. Legal documents consist of case files for Durwood Greene and G & S Asphalt, witness interviews, and criminal indictments from 1984-1986. Correspondence and notes refer to the investigation and trial of Durwood Greene, as well as the inspection of construction sites. Photographs (1986-1987) record the Durwood Green asphalt trucks and the Medburry Richey Road construction site. 

An artificial collection of numerous legal cases involving the State of Texas and Harris County documents air and water quality and waste management that plague modern metropolitan areas.

Reports, minutes, correspondence, memorandums, printed materials, manuals, maps, building plans, archeological assessments, and photographs document the work of Facilities and Property Management 1974 – 2001.

Forty architectural drawings on linen record the competition-winning designs of Lang and Witchell Architects of Dallas, Texas, for the Harris County Court House. Originally comprised of 43 sheets of drawings (3 are missing), the drawings include floor plans, exterior elevations, plumbing and heating plans, and architectural details. The existent drawings were copied by D. B. McElroy and R. A. Kinnear of Rice University on waxed linen in 1922 from the original plans that had been severely damaged by mold and insects.

Floor plans, printed materials, reports, and forms (2005) document the role of the Fire Marshal’s Office during the Hurricane Katrina aftermath in Harris County. Although the office digitized the records, samples of the reports and plans were saved.  Large sheets of paper posted on the walls of the JIC (Joint Information Center) provide an artifactual record of the time spent dealing with over 250,000 evacuees. Reports, proposals, and printed materials (1985 – 2002) record the operations of the Fire Marshal’s Office.

89 linear feet of files (1970s-1980s) comprises the bulk of the collection and includes surveys, coordinates, field notes, deeds, abstracts, and some correspondence relating to land acquisitions and ownership.  There is an additional 10 linear feet of reports and maps. Damage Survey Reports regarding Hurricane Alicia (1983) are also included in the collection.  

Two plat books and twenty-two plat maps (1906-1993) document the development of the City of Houston, Harris County, Fort Bend County, and Brazoria County, Texas. Of particular interest are the maps of the Fourth Ward prior to the redevelopment in the late 1990s, Houston’s Freedman’s Town, and the downtown area of Houston. 

Printed materials including campaign ephemera, copies of 2 commissions, newspaper articles, and political advertisements, document three campaigns of Gene Zaboroski for Justice of the Peace of Precinct 6 and later Precinct 4-1 in Harris County, Texas, 1966 - 1974. Two newspaper articles discuss the Juergen Store (1974) and Zaboroski’s donation to Harris County Precinct 3 (2004) of family-owned land, buildings, and artifacts which would become the foundation for Cypress Top Historical Park.

Avid horticulturalists Thelma and Charles Mercer purchased a 14.5 acre tract along Cypress Creek in the late 1940’s to grow trees, plants, flowers, and to introduce new plant species to Harris County.

Newsletters, brochures, manuals, land surveys, guidebooks, and nonprofit affiliate records document the functions and fundraising events relating to the Mercer Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. 

Only one cubic foot of correspondence and subject files (1984 – 1989) exist to document the functions of Harris County Commissioner Squatty Lyons.  Of interest are the two inches of correspondence in opposition to animal research (1989) and an application from Pollution Control for a cement batch plant in northern Harris County which includes photographs (1984 – 1986).  

In 1970 Fonteno was appointed to the Houston Port Authority and in 1974 ran successfully to be the Commissioner of Precinct 2.  He maintained the position until 2002 when he retired. Fonteno established the first seniors program in Harris County in 1975, an after school program for at risk children, and the opening prayer at Commissioners Court meetings.

Photoprints (18 albums, .2 linear feet), photonegatives (7 albums), slides (1 album), videos (675) and digital images (1.65 GB) document Precinct 2 in East Harris County, Texas, 1980 - 2002.  Of interest are the various senior activities, community center celebrations, parks and wildflowers and community meetings. 

Meeting minutes, juvenile legislation and legal research, financial reports, policy and annual reports, newsletters, printed materials, and correspondence (1914 – 1988) document over seventy years of the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department’s activities and interests.  Of note is the large amount of data gathered from other sources: newsletters, research, annual reports and policy manuals from other organizations are plentiful, as is evidence of a healthy correspondence and inter-cooperation between many agencies, such as the Community Council and the Council of Churches.  Particularly noteworthy is the intensive research and lobbying on juvenile legislation evident in the early case files, and also the documentation of the rapid expansion of the HCJPD during the 1970’s.

Administrative Records (1958-2008), Historical Markers (1962-2007), Printed Materials (1966-2005), Serials and Monographs (1842-2006), Photographs (1974-2004), Works of Art (1978-1991), Maps (1900, 1970), Videos (1986-2005), and Artifacts (1973-1975) document the activities and interests of the Harris County Historical Commission.

Subject Files (1961-1992) and 5 Photo Albums (1989 – 1991) document the events in Harris County and the responsibilities of Jon Lindsay during his term in office as Harris County Judge (1975 – 1994).  The subject files may contain minutes, correspondence, memorandums, reports, printed materials, financial records, maps, and plans.  Four photo albums document the demolition of buildings on Buffalo Bayou and the construction of jails for Harris County.  A single album documents the final demolition of the historic Pillot Building on the corner of Fannin and Congress and the construction of a replica on the same site. 

Subject Files (1945 - 1959) and Tubercular Case Files (1956 – 1958) document the activities and responsibilities of Harris County Judge Robert (Bob) Casey.  The records include minutes, reports, correspondence, memorandums, printed materials, manuals, budgets, maps, building plans, newspaper clippings, and photographs.

Seventy-one cubic feet of Subject Files (1992-2005) and 10.5 GB of Digital Records (2001 – 2007) document the responsibilities of Harris County Judge Robert Eckels. The Subject Files include minutes, reports, correspondence, memorandums, printed materials, manuals, budgets, maps, building plans, newspaper clippings, photographs, and videos and are arranged chronologically then alphabetically by subject.  

The bulk of the information concerns the response to Hurricane Katrina. Also of interest is comprehensive information concerning Tropical Storm Allison.

In 1990 the United States Congress authorized The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program to provide services through local governments and community-based organizations to people living with HIV/AIDS who do not have financial resources to cope with the disease.

The collection contains minutes, an organizational and procedures manual, reports, grant applications, membership lists with photographs, and printed materials document the functions and activities of the Ryan White Planning Council 1991 – 2014

Subject Files (1930 - 1976) document the activities and responsibilities of Harris County Judge William M. (Bill) Elliott.  The records include minutes, reports, correspondence, memorandums, telegrams, printed materials, manuals, budgets, maps, building plans, newspaper clippings, poll lists, election returns, and photographs.

Harris County annual budgets; spending plans; Harris County Personnel Regulations; Adendas and Transcriptions of Commissioners Court meetings, 1975, 08 – 1991, 05; Cassette tape recorded minutes of Commissioners Court meetings, 1978 – 2001; Commissioners Court Transcripts; 1974 – 1989; Reports including agendas, Alberti narrative and tabular reports, Jail Studies, EEOC hearings, miscellaneous 1975 – 1985; Agendas, Transcripts, Variances, Budget Books 1989 – 2010; Court Letters 2000; Commissioner’s Court Transcription Tapes 1993 – 1994; 1990 Harris County Attorney Mike Driscoll Budget Hearing

Transparencies, photonegatives, and photoprints (542) document the functions of the Parks Department from 1997 – 1997, a period when a number of parks were being built in county precincts.  The images record areas of the county prior to and during development along with park uses and activities.  A number of the images are unidentified.

Reports, financial records, correspondence, subject files, printed materials, scrapbooks, photographs, audio / visual materials, and original artwork (1920 – 2009) document the founding, growth, administration, and functions of the Harris County Public Library.   Of particular interest is a history written by Elnora Edgar Buchanan in 1935 and augmented in 1937.  The records are arranged in two records groups:  Administrative Records and Branch Library Records.

Property deeds, proposals, inspection and maintenance reports, legal records, correspondence, violations, and related cases document Harris County, Texas vs. Evan H. Loewenstein.  There is one series: Reference and Trial Records, 1972-1992.  

Eight cubic feet of legal records, correspondence, methods for evaluating emissions and hazardous wastes, calculations, drawings, hearing transcripts, and depositions document Harris County v. Texas Water Commission, 1966-1995. Of particular interest are the testimonies of witnesses Clark Hickman, President of Houston Chemical Services, Inc.; Fred Dalbey, environmental project manager; Kenneth Schifftner, air pollution project manager; Curtis Black, hydrogeologist; and Thomas Benke, responsible for permitting activities for hazardous waste storage and processing for the Texas Water Commission within the sixty-nine volumes of hearing transcripts. Consult the indices for names and organizations of all witnesses.  There are four series: Administrative, 1988-1995; Trial records, 1966-1995; Hearing transcripts, 1989-1990; Depositions, 1989-1990.  

Seventeen cubic feet of legal records, correspondence, photographs, newspaper clippings, Statements of Facts, reference materials used for citing similar cases, District Attorney and Houston Police Department files, depositions and exhibits, and Harry Walsweer’s health care records along with doctor’s records document Harry S. Walsweer v. Harris County, 1898-1993.  Of interest are video depositions of W.M. “Bill” Bryan, investigator in the District Attorney’s office and his role in the investigation; Donald Smyth, Assistant District Attorney and his role in the investigation; and Harry Walsweer and his knowledge of events and the investigation.  The District Attorney’s Files review the case and its involvement. There are eleven series: Administrative, 1983-1988; Trial records, 1984-1988; Statements of Facts, 1988; Reference, 1898-1989; District Attorney’s files, 1980-1988; Houston Police Department files, 1980-1988; Health care records, 1984-1988; Insurance, 1984-1988; Doctor’s records, 1963-1988; Witnesses, 1981-1988; Appeal, 1935-1993.

Prehearing and hearing pleadings, hearing transcripts, administrative files, correspondence, news clips, hearing transcripts, and rehearing motions document the Hazardous Waste Storage Case Files, 1990-1992. Items of interest include correspondence between President George H. W. Bush and Oliver A. Kimberly, Jr. regarding the salt dome issue. There are five series: Prehearing, 1990; Pleadings, applications, 1990-1992; Administrative files, 1990-1992; Hearing transcripts, 1991-1992;  Rehearing, 1993. 

This artificial collection is a sampling of the case files from the Justice (20 Cases), County (ca. 175 Cases), and District (17 Cases) courts of Harris County from its first three decades, 1837-1867. While most case documents are from the Republic of Texas (especially 1838), there are several from the 1850s and a small sampling from Reconstruction, but none from the Civil War period. Together the files create an incomplete yet tantalizing picture of early Harris County and are an important addition to manuscript resources available to the study of Texas legal and social history.

Media files consisting of scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, photographs, and video tapes, document the history of the Harris County Hospital District and public health issues from 1938 – 1998.

Organizational records, printed materials, a financial report, and correspondence 
document the Houston Cotton Exchange and Board of Trade from 1880 – 1933. 
Organizational records (1880 – 1933) record the structure, functions, and membership of 
the Exchange. The Charter, Constitution, By-laws and Rules include the membership for 
the years 1880 and 1889. The 1909 yearbook, Officers, Members, Constitution, By-laws 
and Rules of the Houston Cotton Exchange and Board of Trade, includes a copy of the 
1899 Articles of Incorporation and the officers and directors of the Exchange from 1874 
to 1909. Twenty-one membership lists (1911 – 1933) contain names of the officers, 
directors, and standing committee members in addition to the members with their firms 
and addresses. By 1929 the date of admission to the Exchange is included in each 
member’s information. Printed materials include a stock certificate from 1888, a 1923 
membership certificate in the United States Chamber of Commerce, a congratulatory 
certificate from the New Orleans Cotton Exchange on HCE’s Diamond Anniversary, and 
a 1924 Houston Post supplement devoted to the opening of the new Cotton Exchange 
Building and the cotton industry in Houston. The single financial report documents the 
cotton industry in Houston for the years 1919 – 1923. A letter from the Secretary to the 
membership of the Exchange (February 4, 1924) concerns impending publication of a 
100 page yearbook commissioned by the Board of the Exchange.

Two log books (1976 – 1979) and 9 spiral notebooks of clippings (1976 – 1979) document the process and work of reporters from the Houston Post assigned to the police Page 2 of 3 HOUSTON POST POLICE BEAT RECORDS – MC033 1976 - 1979 beat during the years 1976 – 1979. The log books record daily events by shift. Entries include notes about which officers were working a case, decisions made by editors, and story assignments. Filled with clippings from the Houston Post, the notebooks provided reference materials for the police reporters and included the articles written by them.

Sixty-five color slide transparencies document properties in Houston in May and June 1967 with the East End comprising the bulk of the collection. Also included are slides of several maps of Houston and unidentified properties. Fifty-one of the slides are on the Harris County Digital Archives where their locations are identified whenever possible. 

Administrative Records (1979-1999), Manuals (1999), Harris County Federal Credit Union Board of Directors (1995-1996), Photographs (1978-1996), VHS Tape (1988), Cassette Tape (ca1983), Printed Materials (1981-1996), Plans (1985), and Clothing (1991-1993) document the professional and personal interests of J. E. “Mac” McCain.  The strength of the collection resides in the photographs (46 albums and loose) documenting county officials, employees, and activities from1978 – 1992.  Of interest is a VHS tape recording the demolition of the Pillot Building and narrated by county employees.  An audio tape (ca. 1983) of a tour of a Rhode Island Courthouse taken by county officials during the long term planning for a new Criminal Courts Building and includes a discussion about the Rhode Island Records and Archives program within the Courthouse Administration.  Manuals document programs in the Hospital District and Precinct One.  Minutes and Membership Surveys of the Harris County Federal Credit Union Board of Directors (1995 – 1996) document McCain’s interest in the financial institution.  Business Directories and Certificates document J. E. McCain’s interest and contributions to professional development, politics, and charitable organizations.  Two t-shirts record Harris County employees’ participation in the annual March of Dimes fundraising campaign.

 Photographs, newspaper and magazine articles, correspondence, a WNET radio program transcript, printed materials, a scrapbook, recorded materials and a caricature document the professional and political careers of Jack Cato 1953 – 2006. Ninety-seven photo images (1953 – 2006) record Cato as a puppeteer in an early children’s television show in St. Louis, meeting Richard M. Nixon in the early 1960s, interviewing national celebrities visiting Houston, and campaigning for political office in addition to working as a television news reporter both in Texas and abroad. “Free Press / Free Trials,” a transcript from a radio program aired on November 29, 1973, on WNET in New York City, records news reporters from Houston discussing the issue of freedom of the press versus the right to a fair trial in light of the coverage of the Elmer Wayne Henley mass murders in Houston. Digital recordings of the news reports following Cato’s death and his memorial service document the high regard for Cato in Houston and Harris County, Texas. There are seven series: Professional Papers, Political Papers, Printed Materials, Scrapbook, Photographs, Works of Art, and In Memory of Jack Cato. 

Eleven cubic feet of legal documents, correspondence, property appraisals, maps, depositions and exhibits document James R. Hunt et al. v. Harris County et al. (1936 – 1996) and provide a snapshot into the development of upper middle class neighborhoods in Northwest Harris County. Three and a half cubic feet (1947 – 1995) of Exhibits provide a geological, meteorological, hydraulic, appraisal, and administrative history of the subdivision.  Six videos and photographs illustrate the effects of flooding on properties in the Ponderosa Forest subdivision.  There are six series: Administrative, 1958-1996; Trial records, 1958-1995; Discovery, 1936-1995; Expert Witnesses, 1992-1995; Depositions, 1992-1995; and Exhibits, 1947-1995.

Requests for reimbursement, membership lists, correspondence, minutes, and printed materials document the work of the Jefferson Davis Hospital Auxiliary from 1972 – 1976.

Twenty-three publications provide historical examinations of hydrology and urban flooding in Houston, Harris County, and Texas 1937 – 1978.  The publications are particularly relevant given the severe flooding Houston and Harris County continue to experience.  

Approximately .5 cubic feet of photographs, maps, printed materials, reports and a deed (1958 – 1991) document the establishment of Kingwood by the Friendswood Development Corporation.

Correspondence, newspaper articles, a newsletter, and 39 black and white 8 x 10 photographs document the Harris County Boys School (1956 - 1971) and the efforts by the communities of Clear Lake and Webster to keep the school open.  Also included in the collection are a A History of the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department 1907 - 1984 and a thesis, Burnett-Bayland Home:  An Historical Perspective.

One scrapbook, three photographs, and two fezzes document Glenn A. Perry’s term as Harris County Judge (1944 – 1950). The scrapbook contains primarily newspaper clippings recording the functions of the Harris County government. Of particular interest is the concentration of the articles from the local and statewide press on juvenile and child welfare concerns.

Correspondence, election materials, photographs and newspaper clippings document the life and career of Roy Forsythe Campbell from 1890 – 1957. Of particular interest are letters announcing his admission to the bar including his exam results, the oath of office taken in 1925 as judge of the 80th District Court, a 1925 election poster, a push card from 1918, and photographs of Campbell and his family. A photograph taken in January 1940 of the 80th District Court shows the interior of a courtroom in the Harris County Courthouse prior to renovation in 1952.

Ten volumes of Justice Court Dockets (1846 – 1870) record the proceedings of the earliest justices of the peace in Texas. Frequently, any existent bound volume was used to record the hearings therefore, in addition to court records, some dockets also contain other records such as early Business Records (JCD03_Ewing and JCD05_Reeves), Notarial Records and Lists of Legal Forms (JCD09_Capron, etal.), County Clerk Recordings (JCD01_Brashear), and the City of Houston Financial Records (1840 - 1853) (JCD10_Reeves). Currently, only 10 volumes documenting Texas after statehood and during the Confederacy survive. Due to the condition of the records, several volumes were disbound by a conservator with the pages placed in Mylar sleeves.  The unified index includes information in all the Justice Court Dockets with every name, date, and cause of action recorded. The index reflects the spelling in the dockets so may not correspond to current spelling conventions. The dates in the titles of the JP volumes often do not correspond to the actual range of dates in the dockets.  

One hundred and twenty-four cubic feet of civil case files (1889 – 1920) document the lives and conflicts of ordinary citizens from the end of the 19th through the beginning of the 20th century in Houston, Texas.  Justice of the Peace misdemeanor civil case files may include legal documents and supporting records such as mercantile bills, correspondence, receipts, newspaper articles and printed materials.   

Civil Records (1593 volumes, 1870 – 1985) including Dockets and Fee Books, Small Claims Dockets, Civil Judgment Dockets, Execution Dockets, Forcible Detainers, and Marriage Indexes; Criminal Dockets (1131 volumes, 1894 – 1999) including Search Warrant Dockets; Inquest Dockets (156 volumes, 1889 – 1956); and Case Files (Civil, Criminal, Inquest) document the functions of the justice courts and the social and legal history of Harris County, Texas, 1870 – 1999.  

From its inception, the HCJPD had jurisdiction over all children engaged in delinquent acts,  dependent and neglected children, adoption investigations, custody disputes, investigations of insanity (both adult and juvenile), and intake for epilepsy and state institutions. The department also administered support funds for old-age and mothers’ pensions.  The Chief Probation Officer, in addition to his overall administrative duties, was also head of the Delinquency sections.  The Assistant Chief Probation Officer supervised the Dependency Department, which also included custody, child support, pensions, and state institution investigations.

Case files, correspondence, financial and legal records, scrapbooks, memoranda, newspaper clippings, printed materials, photographs, grant applications, and research analyses (1913 – 1989) document the development and growth of the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department (HCJPD).  The collection is divided into three record groups: Administrative Records, Case Files and Children’s Homes.  

Twelve cubic feet of legal records, correspondence, exhibits, depositions, and medical records document the Harris County Attorney’s defense of Sheriff Department employees in a civil rights civil case brought by a former prisoner of the Harris County Jail (1979 – 1996).  The collection is divided into eight series: Pleadings, 1982-1996, Administrative, 1986-1996, Court Documents, 1979-1996, Trial Exhibits, 1979-1996, Depositions and Witnesses, 1982-1996, Medical, disciplinary and parole records, 1981-1996, Defendant personnel and employment histories, 1983-1995, and Related cases, 1974-1984.

Correspondence (1957 – 1976), minutes (1949 – 1976), agendas (1969 – 1976), membership lists (1949 -1980), governance documents (1949 – 1976), and financial statements document how the La Porte Home Demonstration Club functioned. Reports (1955 – 1980), printed materials (1958 – 2009), ephemera (1952 – 1970), a single scrapbook (1967 – 1968) and photoprints (1958 – 2010) record activities and educational programs undertaken by the members of the club. Of special interest is the sheet music for “Ever Onward” written by Dorothy D. Bullock, winner of the National Home Demonstration Council song contest. The photographs document activates such as Christmas and Hobo parties.

Correspondence 1915 – 2002), minutes (1914 – 1946), financial records (1916 – 1983), membership forms (1915 – 1941)printed materials (1915 – 1943), inventories (1949 – 1997), photographs (1953 – 1995), and artifacts (n.d.) document the Harris County Law Library 1914 – 2002.  

Records document Harris County Attorney opinions from 1953 to 1992, during the terms of County Attorneys: Burke Holman (1953-1956), Joe Resweber (1957-1980), and Mike Driscoll (1981-1995). In addition the collection includes Texas Attorney General financial opinions from 1925-1962 and Indexes listing Attorney General Open Records decisions from 1967-1988. Of particular interest is the November 27, 1963 opinion regarding the liability of Harris County under contract with architects for the Harris County Domed Stadium (Astrodome).

Legal records, financial records, World War II selective service correspondence, field surveys, and building plans document the transfer of properties and the growth of the Look Ranch and Dairy. Of particular interest is a field survey worksheet of part of the McClelland land survey and building plans for a new dairy barn.

A written history, photographs, negatives, and sketch plans from the Texas Historical Commission document of the Marks Ranch, headquarters and grounds located west of Houston in Harris County.

Over 1000 cubic feet of autopsy case files, reports, log books, newspaper clippings, medical articles, correspondence, memorandums, printed materials, photographs, and autopsies document the functions of the Office of Medical Examiner (1954 – 2013).  The collection is divided into eight series:  Administrative Records, Administrative Logs, Offense Reports, Case File Clippings, Administrative Photographs, Inquests and Views, Autopsy Case Files, and Autopsy Photographs.

Photographs, political ephemera, correspondence, artifacts, printed materials, VHS tapes, and films document the personal and political life of Michael Hardee Driscoll 1928 – 2013. The records primarily contain the personal papers of Mike Driscoll as a member of a large family and politician.  Of particular interest are the photographs of Harris County politicians (not all identified) many of which were taken by Mac McCain.  Many campaign events and fundraising parties are also documented through the photographs.  Correspondence between family members illustrate the closeness of the large, Hardee family including Senator Ralph Yarborough.  An extensive collection of political ephemera and campaign materials documents Driscoll’s interest in politics from an early age.

Correspondence, legal documents, notes, and audio tapes from 1981 to 2002 document the time in which Michael J. Grabowski was a constable for Precinct 4, his ultimate termination, and the ensuing litigation. Correspondence includes interdepartmental communication between Grabowski and his superiors, commendations and complaints from citizens regarding Grabowski’s performance on duty, and Grabowski’s employee evaluations. Legal documents include the plaintiff’s original petition, as well the depositions of Grabowski’s supervisors. 

The Harris County Archives has complete runs of the following papers in addition to clippings, sections, and individual editions within collections.

Houston Post (1880 - 1995), Houston Chronicle (1976 - 2001), The Suburban Journal (1964 - 1968), News Messenger (Kingwood) (1979 - 1985), Kingwood Observe and Sun (1982 - 1999), Kingwood Observer (1987 - 1998), Kingwood Sun (1995 - 1998), The North Harris County New (1967 - 1983), The Tomball News (1976), The Montgomery County Reporter (1972). 

Twenty-one bound volumes and three individual editions of local newspapers (1967 – 1983) document the rapid growth in North Harris County from a primarily rural to a Page 2 of 4 NORTH HARRIS COUNTY NEWSPAPER COLLECTION – MC062 1967 - 1983 suburban community. Of particular interest are the sixteen years of coverage by The North Harris County News serving the FM 1960, Klein, and Spring area. The Tomball News in 1976 and The Montgomery County Reporter covering southern Montgomery County in 1972 record the progress being made in those areas. One issue of The News (1974) and two issues of Road Runner News (1975) are also of interest. Six clippings document Henry J. Paul’s death and work as a printer and newspaper publisher.

A plat is essentially a map of a subdivision that represents a tract of land, showing the boundaries and location of individual properties, streets, and easements. These often have property owners listed and other pertinent information. Also included with this collection are some cemetery plats. 

Complaints and Investigations (180 cu. Ft.), Photographs (24.5 cu. ft.), Legal Records (12 cu. ft.), Scrapbooks (32 volumes), Administrative Records (3 cu. ft.), Printed Materials (86 items), Maps (15 items) and Audio-Visual Materials (6 items) document the Harris County Pollution Control Department from its inception in 1953 through 2010.  In addition to the case files in the Complaints and Investigations and Case Preparatory Files, the scrapbooks provide a history of the first agency tasked with monitoring air and water pollution in the United States. Over 5200 photographs document the damage caused to the environment ranging from illegal landfills to bayous stained red from industrial chemical discharges to air choked with smog.

Established in 1942 to combat disease and unsanitary living conditions during World War II, what would become the Department of Public Health and Environmental Services successfully worked over the decades to fight disease, improve sanitation, and decrease pollution. 

Correspondence, Printed Materials, Financial Records, and Maps document the functions of the Public Infrastructure Department - Architecture and Engineering Division – Permits.

Forty-five message boards created by evacuees from New Orleans in the Houston
Astrodome document the search for displaced persons after the devastation of Hurricane
Katrina and the flooding of the city. Formats of the message boards range from neon
colored poster boards to torn sheets of corrugated cardboard to sheets of paper taped
together to cardboard boxes. These messages were attached to the netting at the end of
the Astrodome floor opposite to the East Entrance and were the few remaining after the
Astrodome closed as an evacuation center September 16, 2005 as many of the evacuees
took their signs with them when they left the Dome for other housing. The forty-five in
this collection were removed from the netting by the Harris County archivist on October
6, 2005.

Two and one half cubic feet of correspondence, sales reports, grants, printed material, contracts, agendas, reports, applications, press releases, and printed materials (1990-2000) document the activities of the Harris County Recycling Committee.  Letters and memos among committee members record the effort and commitment involved in organizing, promoting, and maintaining the program.  Grants document the origin, needs, and successes of the recycling program. Printed materials reflect community outreach efforts. Sixteen black and white photonegatives cover the 1992 Recycled Christmas Tree Ornament contest. Of particular interest is the first-hand account by Jim Smedick, dealing with the beginnings of the recycling program.  

Right of Way (ROW) deeds typically give one land owner the right to use another's property, usually a road of some kind, to get to and from their land. This right is usually given in the form of a deed, much like a deed to property. 19th and 20th Century ROW deeds are available for various Harris County properties, facilities, and roads. 

Photoprints, photonegatives, digital images, and videos provide visual documentation of the political career of Robert A. Eckels 1985 to 2007.  Of interest is his time in the Texas Legislature, political campaigns, Hurricane Katrina response, and documentation of Harris County government.  

Few records survive documenting the county school system in Harris County. Those records that do exist pertain primarily to financial transactions and are scattered between county offices. The pathfinder organizes the records by the office of record.

Sixty-two legal and financial records (1856 – 1937) document the acquisition and retention of land by members of the Krimmel and Schultz Families in North Central Harris County, Texas. Of particular interest are early school tax receipts (1871), the evolution and variant spellings of “Krimmel” from Crimmell to Grimmell to Krimmel, and John Zimmerman’s Letter Patent for 160 acres signed by Governor T. R. Lubbock. 

Over 600 scrapbooks compiled primarily of newspaper clippings by county offices, elected officials, and county employees are an incredibly rich source for Harris County history. Some of the scrapbook series also contain campaign materials, invitations, certificates, programs, invitations, correspondence, and other ephemera.

Personal scrapbooks also document county institutions such as the Ethel Claxton Scrapbook (1914 - 1939) and the Beulah Cisco Scrapbook (1925 - 1983) with the Harris County School for Girls (Mary Burnett School) and the C. B. Green Scrapbook  (1913 - 1963)  with the Home for the Aged.

Administrative records, WPA Applications, Client Case Files, Burial Records, and the Harris County Cemetery Records (1924 – 2008) document the functions of the social welfare agencies prior to and after the creation of the Harris County Social Services Department.  Administrative Records focus on the daily functions of the Harris County Social Services Office and its workers concerning social services recipients, Houston and Harris County volunteer groups, various state departments, the general public, and the legal and financial history of the department.

Investigations in the County Attorney's Office (1993 – 1994) implicated County Judge Jon Lindsay in a scheme to accept bribes to determine the route of Cypresswood Drive in north Harris County.  Although the statute of limitations expired before charges could be brought, additional investigations showed a misuse of campaign funds resulting in Lindsay’s decision in 1994 not to run for re-election.

The State of Texas v. The Excalibur Club was one of several prostitution cases brought by Harris County Attorney Mike Driscoll. The Excalibur Club began operation as a modeling studio and topless bar at 614 West Mount Houston Road, Houston, Texas, on April 4, 1986.  It previously operated under various names: Fantasy Island Cabaret, Sweetheart’s Cabaret, and Legacy Club.  Suit was filed on December 1, 1986, by the City of Houston and the State of Texas against the club and its owner, Evan H. Loewenstein in response to numerous prostitution complaints and charges filed by a local civic association and the Houston Police Department starting in 1986. 

Ten cubic feet of subject files (1991 – 2008) comprise the bulk of the collection and include minutes, reports, correspondence, memorandums, printed materials, manuals, budgets, maps, newspaper clippings, press releases, and photographs and also contain records from Carl Smith’s tenure.  Several published articles deal with Houston and tax office history (1923, 1954, 1983) and the functions of the tax office in 1956.  Three training manuals (2001 – 2003) document the transition of the office to computer-centered functions.  Photographs and photonegatives of 1 cubic foot record the people and physical locations for the tax office, the bulk unprocessed. Three video tapes, 1998 – 1999, record Bettencourt’s election and news broadcasts about the office.

Founded in 1867 by D. A. Sanborn, the Sanborn Map Company produced detailed maps of city neighborhoods for underwriters of fire insurance.  By 1905 the company established a system of standards for accuracy and design and by 1920 held a monopoly in the field of fire insurance maps. Due to the expense and size of the maps, limited editions were made of each map and often bought by insurance associations for the use of their members.  By 1950 modern construction methods, building codes, and improved fire protection methods made the use of Sanborn Maps increasingly unnecessary.  The company soon stopped producing new maps and only provided updates into the early 1960s.

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps were hand-drawn, lithographed and then hand-colored on 21-by-25 inch sheets of paper which were then bound in volumes for sale.  A scale of 1 inch to 50 feet allowed for the rendering of precise detail.  Buildings were identified by a system of color-coding for building materials and included information such as current use, heating systems, windows, skylights, and building heights.  Street widths and materials were noted along with utility lines.  

Each folio of maps is unique.  Information on the maps was often added by the owner in addition to the employees of the Sanborn Map Company who pasted in the corrections annually.  Aside from being rich sources of information, the maps are often works of art in and of themselves.

Highly valued by genealogists, geographers, urban planners, historians, environmentalists, and architectural historians, the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps contain the information not readily available from any other source.

Correspondence, memos, legal documents, news articles, notes and journal writings, video tapes, creative works, photographs, and a film document the personal life and professional career of Terence Leo O’Rourke from 1963 – 2020.  The papers are arranged into five series:  Family Papers (1961 – 2003), Personal Papers (1955 – 2020, Bulk:  1963 – 1999), Professional Papers (1970 – 2008), Republic of Texas Standoff (1845 – 2002, Bulk: 1996 – 1997), and Audio Visual Materials (1963 – 2004).  Of particular interest are the 2.5 cubic feet of records detailing the confrontation in the Davis Mountains between members of the Republic of Texas and the Texas Rangers (1996 – 1997). Acting as legal counsel for the militia group, O’Rourke was able to negotiate the surrender of President Richard McLaren and militia members in their embassy to the State of Texas. The records include correspondence, 1.5 cubic feet of legal documents including Embassy communications, pre-trial arguments, arrest records, legal arguments, and exhibits, extensive newspaper coverage, and photographs.  Political ephemera of both O’Rourke’s campaigns and other politicians document O’Rourke’s involvement in politics from the national, state, and local levels of government. Position papers, speeches, and articles written by O’Rourke show his interests in energy and the environment. 

Patron correspondence, general correspondence, patron communications, press releases, reports, publications, membership directories, and 1 VHS tape (1986-2003) document the administrative functions of the Harris County Toll Road Authority.  

Photographs, printed materials, newspaper clippings, and correspondence document the professional career of Vera Dial Harris as a Negro County Home Demonstration Agent in Austin and Harris County from 1937 until her retirement in 1973. The bulk of the collection contains newspaper clippings and printed materials that record her involvement in 4-H and home demonstration (1949-1973). Of special interest is a photograph of the first mattress made under the Federal Mattress Program in Bellville, Texas, in the late 1930s. Harris wrote articles concerning sewing and cooking tips and a newspaper column called the "Murmuring Brook" for The Forward Times, an African American newspaper in Houston, Texas. Correspondence includes letters to and from Harris concerning professional activities and annual Christmas greetings.

Legal documents, correspondence, notes, printed materials, maps, and photographs (1984-1993) document the investigation of the Weibel landfill, the ensuing litigation, and the restoration of the site to a wetlands area. Legal documents from 1984-1991 include several drafts of the original petition for the lawsuits against the Weibels, witness affidavits, and judgments from both the 1987 and 1991 trials. Correspondence contains notices sent from the Harris County Attorney’s Office to the Weibels, as well as interdepartmental communication. Printed materials include newspaper articles about the Weibel landfill, proposals for the clean-up effort, and materials from the Allwaste conference in 1992. There are several maps showing the layout of the Weibel property. 32 photographs and 16 35mm slides (1985-1993) document the Weibels’ violations.

The records are divided into two series. Twelve Abstracts of Title (1924 – 1945), two books, and photographs of the fabrication of the 1910 Harris County Courthouse pinnacle. Sketches, maps, plats, field notes, and correspondence (1866 – 1919) document the work of A. E. Stimpson in Harris County at the turn of the 20th century. Of particular interest is a 1915 road map of Harris County and a copy of the plat of the town site for Letitia in West Harris County. The sketches, often executed on the backs of office letterhead, prove interesting for their artistic value in addition to the information provided. Unfortunately, they are rarely dated.

Minutes, four annual scrapbooks, two scholarship committee scrapbooks, one 2nd Vice President scrapbook, loose photographs, and a Senate Resolution document the professional, social, and educational involvement of the Women Professionals in Government organization from 1987-2007. The majority of the photographs are those taken at the monthly luncheons and Summer Social. The collection is divided into three series: scrapbooks, photographs, and printed materials.