LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – As part of America’s 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Texas State Library and Archives Commission is bringing its traveling exhibit to libraries and universities to educate people about the Lone Star State.
The exhibit, known as “Texas America 250,” is now on display at the Southwest Collection Special Collections Library at Texas Tech University. The traveling exhibit highlights the state’s impact on United States history.
Robert Weaver, Southwest Collection archivist, said the exhibit is traveling across Texas to make history accessible.
“They recognized they can’t always have people come down to Austin to see these types of things, and so they believed taking these to all the universities and all the public libraries and everywhere around the state was a good idea, and of course Texas Tech University and the Southwest Collection agreed with that,” Weaver said.
With nearly 200 years of history, there is a lot to highlight when it comes to Texas. The exhibit represents the changes and moments that define its history and showcases how much of a role Texas has had on the United States as a whole.
“Not only does it have its own Declaration of Independence modeled after that idea, but really since the Native and Spanish presence in Texas all the way to the Space Race and everything in between, Texas has been a critical part of that,” Weaver said.
The exhibit offers residents a chance to see what life was like in the Republic of Texas, how the state has changed its maps over the years and the things that people most associate with it over the past 100 years, including the Great Space Race.
Weaver said with Texas America 250 and the Special Collections Library in general, the university is always looking to educate the public about the history and impact of the Lone Star State.
With the exhibit up until at least July 4, he hopes people, especially Texas Tech students, take advantage of everything it has to offer.
“The students should come by and check this out before they graduate from Texas Tech University because once they leave, they may never have a chance to see it and we would hate for that to happen,” Weaver said.
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