Spring 2026 newsletter
The History Expo, archeology at area festivals, new courthouse displays, the Rock Hill Freedom Colony and our Distinguished Service Award.
2026 Deep East Texas History Expo
Jasper County hosted the 2nd Annual History Expo, sponsored by the Commission, with 250 visitors and exhibits from Newton, Tyler, San Augustine and Nacogdoches counties, and tribal dancers from the Alabama-Coushatta reservation. Judge Mark Allen called it “a major success.”
Archeology stewards at area events
Keith Stephens and Lori Horne appeared in costume at the Merryville Pioneer Heritage Festival and demonstrated archeology at the South Texas State Fair in Beaumont, where kids dug for artifacts in “Digging in the Dirt.” About 400 visitors saw their displays. Lori Horne also installed an Archeology 101 display and a display for African American History Month at the courthouse.
Rock Hill Freedom Colony
With help from the County Clerk’s office, our researcher discovered that the Rock Hill area was once a 1,677-acre plantation, and that John Redd (1819–1894), who had been enslaved there, bought it six years after Emancipation.
Archive explorer Mary Creamer
Mary is compiling a 300-page report on Jasper County officers from the beginning to the present, including elections, birth and death dates and burial places. The Commission will publish it soon.
Read the full newsletter pages below.
Posted May 1, 2026. Back to all news and events