Blog Posts About The Medallion

By Bob Brinkman, THC Historical Markers Program Coordinator

The steamship Dayton began life in 1835 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Robert Beer oversaw its construction, and often captained the 111-ton sidewheeler steamship on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. At the time, he couldn’t imagine that the Dayton would be moving goods and people along the Texas coast and between Galveston and...

This article was originally featured in the December 1989 issue of The Medallion.

Outdoor signs have been an integral part of commercial storefronts for more than two centuries. Some early signs were painted directly on building walls or display windows, while others were painted on wooden plaques that were hung from the building.

The advancement of technology in the 20th...

Text by Andy Rhodes, photos and video by Patrick Hughey

It was impossible to see in the murky water of Matagorda Bay. Divers searched for clues, hoping something would lead to the 1686 French shipwreck La Belle, long associated with the area. But on that overcast afternoon in 1995, the cloudy bay water obscured a visual confirmation by the Texas Historical Commission’s marine...

By Cody Seaman, Texas Military Sites Program Intern

Irvin Sims was working at an East Texas sawmill when America entered World War I. He registered for the draft, and immediately departed for training and service at the start of the war. Sims would go on to serve in the 20th Engineer Corps until February 1918, when he and dozens of fellow Texans met an untimely death.

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