The Briscoe Center for American History remains temporarily closed in line with university policy toward Covid-19. While the university is holding some classes on campus, many functions are still being conducted remotely, including a majority of those provided by the Briscoe Center. This policy applies to the center's exhibit spaces, classrooms, reading room, public services and off campus divisions, which include the Briscoe-Garner Museum in Uvalde, the Sam Rayburn Museum in Bonham and Winedale in Round Top. Most of our staff are working remotely and we continue to respond to online queries and requests. Updates to this policy will be posted on this page.
Briscoe Center Publishes Flash of Light, Wall of Fire
The Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin announces the Anti-Nuclear Photographer's Movement of Japan collection, a large archive of rare atomic bombing photographs.
In Memoriam: David B. Gracy II
The Briscoe Center pays tribute to David B. Gracy II, who died in Austin, Texas on September 26, 2020. Gracy was a renowned archivist and historian, who contributed to the work of the Briscoe Center, where his papers are placed.
The Jack Brooks Papers Project
The Briscoe Center has launched a new digital humanities project that focuses on the 42 years of legislative service by Congressman Jack Brooks.
Women's History Exhibit Goes Online
The Briscoe Center has released a digital panorama of its current physical exhibit, "On with the Fight!" which documents over 150 years of women's activism. The project (currently in beta) premiered for Austin Museum Day.
The Stephen Shames Photographic Archive
The center’s collections include the photographic archive of Stephen Shames, perhaps best known for his role as the Black Panther Party’s photographer between 1967 and 1973, Shames has also documented many political and social issues over a 50-year career.
South of Slavery
Mariah Hammack’s work focuses on the experiences of enslaved women, indentured servants, Black Seminole refugees, and free blacks who took solace in escaping the United States to live in a "free" Mexico. She is a former Briscoe Center fellow and researches under the supervision of Professor Daina Berry, chair of UT’s Department of History.
Oil City Blues
Dr. Henry Wiencek, an alumni of the UT History department’s doctoral program, used the Briscoe Center's ExxonMobil Historical Collection for his research into the Louisiana oil boom of 1900–1930. The discovery of oil may have led to predictions of a "New South," but as Wiencek shows, old racial codes and privileges managed to persist and even thrive.
