Archives
The archival collections in the Research Center include personal papers and institutional records, representing a broad range of activities and interests. The museum holds over 500 collections, gathering an array of documents, such as letters, diaries, legal and financial documents, printed material and photographs, providing a firsthand record of life on the plains.
The collections are particularly deep in material related to ranching, petroleum exploration and development, politics, architecture, and art. The Research Center also serves as a repository for non-current records of many Texas Panhandle local governments. For detailed descriptions of these collections, consult archival finding aids.
Browse finding aids
Texas Archival Resources Online (TARO), a portal to archival finding aids from institutions throughout Texas, also has information on Research Center sources.
Research Center collections in TARO
Library
The Research Center houses a regional history library of over 10,000 volumes. Use the online catalog to locate books, periodicals, oral histories, and more.
Search the catalog
Digital collections
Digital collections of Research Center sources may be viewed in the Portal to Texas History, a gateway to rare, historical, and primary source materials from or about Texas, maintained by the University of North Texas libraries.
Education in the Texas Panhandle
Photographs, published material, and documents show the evolution of education in the twenty-six counties of the Texas Panhandle, from the late nineteenth century through 1930. Students, teachers, organizations and schools are documented, showing a range of activities at rural schools, small-town academies, and colleges.
Kay Shuey Palm photograph collection
Photographs from the collection of Kay Shuey Palm (1885-1946) of Armstrong County, Texas date from 1911-1934, and include images of the family homes, farming and ranching activities, local communities, and scenes from around the Texas Panhandle.
Other Resources
Maps: printed and manuscript maps provide a wealth of detail on the geography of the region, documenting natural and man-made features. Maps range from detailed surveys of small tracts of land to city, county, state and regional maps.
Newspapers: past and present newspapers from communities around the Panhandle and beyond, both original and microfilm copies.
Trade literature collections: catalogs, manuals, and advertising material related to a range of material culture items, with a particular emphasis on windmills and water development, agriculture, and western life.