In collaboration with The History Center in Diboll, Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, has prepared a traveling exhibit on the cultural heritage of the Neches River Basin.
Sandbar at Billiam's Creek by Adrian F. Van Dellen
The Neches itself was an important nineteenth-century transportation route and, more recently, a popular recreational area. The surrounding pine and hardwood forests have long been the epicenter of the Texas lumber industry. Hunters, trappers, fishermen, loggers, outlaws, and bootleggers have all called the Neches Basin home; today it is the heart of the East Texas “Piney Woods,” and towns like Diboll and Lufkin, which owe their existence to the lumber industry and accompanying railroad construction, have grown into vital economic and cultural centers.
In 1998, Neches Basin native Richard Donovan learned of two proposed dams that would flood the Neches between Lake Palestine and B. A. Steinhagen Lake. As a means of enlisting public support for the preservation of this beautiful and historic region, Donovan undertook a solo canoe trip down the 235-mile stretch of river between the lakes. The exhibit will draw on Donovan’s 2006 book Paddling the Wild Neches, contemporary and historical images, and archival materials from The History Center and other collections.
About the Exhibit
This 16-panel, freestanding exhibit features images and interpretative materials about the river, the flora and fauna, and the people and cultures of the area. Designed to travel to small community centers as well as larger venues, the exhibit will not only call attention to the rich history and culture of the Neches River Basin, but also serve as a pilot for exhibits focusing on the cultural heritage of other regions of the state.
For more information on renting this exhibit, please visit www.humanitiestexas.org/exhibits or contact the exhibits coordinator at mhuber@humanitiestexas.org or 512.440.1991.
The exhibit is currently at the Ben J. Rogers Regional Visitors Center, Interstate 10 near Beaumont & the Louisiana border. It will then travel to the First Street Arts Center in Lufkin for the Neches River Rendezvous, June 6 - 7, 2008.
Website: http://www.humanitiestexas.org/exhibits
Phone: (512) 440-1991
The town of Edom--in Van Zandt County just a few miles west of the city Tyler--is miniscule. Though Edom was founded in 1849, its population has never topped 300. But size isn’t everything. Beginning in the 1960s, artisans attracted to the hamlet’s comfortably rustic ways and laid-back atmosphere began settling here. Now, Edom’s main drag--a stretch of FM 279--is loaded with shops purveying one-of-a-kind wares by local potters, jewelry makers, glassmakers, and more. Why, there’s even a gourmet food shop. And every October, Edom welcomes scores of artists and craftspeople from all over Texas and beyond to the Edom Festival of the Arts.
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Email: pineywoods@conservationfund.org
