In March 2019, the Texas Historical Commission (THC) received a grant from the National Park Service’s Emergency Supplemental Historic Preservation Fund to address the consequences of Hurricane Harvey on historic properties. To further our mission of protecting and preserving the state’s historic resources for the use, education, enjoyment, and economic benefit of present and future generations, THC awarded subgrants to local governments and professional consultants to conduct historic resources surveys for Aransas, Calhoun, Jefferson, and Refugio counties. 

These counties were identified and selected based on the lack of existing historic resource surveys, the likelihood of finding historic properties, and the threat of future hurricanes. The goal of these projects was to develop historic contexts and to identify historically significant properties, neighborhoods, and communities. Such surveys can be indispensable to raise a community’s awareness of its cultural heritage, create a lasting record of a community’s history, recognize those properties with potential for historic designation, and ensure historic resources are taken into account when federal agencies consider the impacts of their undertakings on the natural and human environment.