Twenty historic documents that provide significant information about Texas history and many of the characters — both famous and infamous who contributed to the Lone Star State’s colorful past — will be unveiled for the first time at a reception at the State Bar of Texas Building, 1414 Colorado Street in Austin, on Monday, September 26, 2011, starting at 4 p.m.
The reception will include remarks from former U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker, III — whose great-grandfather’s circuit court "minute" book from Galveston County during the 1860s will be among the documents unveiled — and State Bar of Texas President Bob Black. The State Bar and Baker Botts L.L.P. are co-hosting the event.
The reception – as well as a hearing in Texas Supreme Court Chambers earlier in the day – will showcase the work of The Texas Court Records Preservation Task Force that for the past year has worked to uncover forgotten and, in many cases, decaying records stored in courthouses across the state.
The Texas Supreme Court created the 19-member Task Force last November and charged its members with preparing a report on the condition of state historical records. Bill Kroger, a partner at Baker Botts L.L.P., and Mark Lambert, Deputy Commissioner of Archives and Records for the Texas General Land Office, co-chaired the Task Force and will attend the reception.
About the Historical Texas Court Records Reception
What: Unveiling for the first time 20 key Texas historical documents
When: 4 p.m. on Monday, September 26, 2011
Where: State Bar of Texas Building, 1414 Colorado Street in Austin
Speakers: James A. Baker, III, former U.S. Secretary of State and senior partner at Baker Botts L.L.P. Bob Black, President of the State Bar of Texas