(Photo by Fred King)

One hundred sixty-six years ago, there was a big party in downtown Houston. It was held at Main and Preston in what was then the President's House for the Republic of Texas. On Sam Houston's last night in office, his supporters got a little rowdy, pulled up the house's floors and burned the wood to keep warm. This didn't sit well with incoming President Mirabeau B. Lamar. Through a series of lawsuits, the Republic's first elected presidents played out their political and personal rivalries in court. These stories are being preserved through the efforts of Harris County District Clerk Charles Bacarisse and his records staff, the recipients of this year's Stewart Title Award.

District Judge Mark Davidson first discovered this trove of deteriorating, historic records in an un-air conditioned warehouse when he took office in 1989, but the judge couldn't interest anyone in their preservation until Bacarisse became district clerk six years later.

Harris County has never dedicated funds for this project, so it has been carried out only as money became available through budget savings in the district clerk's office and donations from individuals. The page-by-page process of stabilization is meticulous and time-consuming. About one-third of these irreplaceable artifacts have been rescued so far, but a huge amount of work remains. In November, the project took an important step forward when the Houston Bar Foundation established a fund to accept donations to cover the estimated $770,000 cost of the preservation project.

Although these records include famous names like Stephen F. Austin, these documents are probably more important for what they can tell us about everyday Texans. There are few historic written accounts detailing the lives of average citizens. The court records contain a vast amount of information in divorce petitions, land disputes, wills submitted for probate and criminal prosecutions that provide a unique look at our collective past. Now this information will be available for generations of historians and genealogists through the efforts of the Historic Documents Preservation Project.

While reviewing this nomination, the Good Brick jury stated that this was probably the single most important project it would be asked to judge. Greater Houston Preservation Alliance is proud to recognize Harris County District Clerk Charles Bacarisse and the records staff with the Steward Title Award.

Next winner: Houston Chronicle

Project team:
Louisiana Binding Service, Inc.