Tarleton Thursdays: University Photo Collection

The history of Tarleton can be told in many ways, and one of those is through photographs. The archives recently received 2.5 linear feet of of photographs. While two and a half feet may not sound like much, believe me, that is a lot of prints and negatives. The images range from the early days of Tarleton to the present. Some of the photographs are of familiar subjects or events, while others will take some time to figure out. Some of the subjects include faculty, staff, various campus organizations, the farm, buildings, events, and aerial views of the campus. In looking at the aerial views one can see how the campus has grown over the years. Some of the early aerial photos have very few buildings and the streets are not always like they are today. Thankfully the smokestack is visible in most of the aerial photos.

Featured above is a photo of the newly completed Trogdon House in 1923. It was originally designed by Dean J. Thomas Davis as his family home and Davis oversaw the construction of the house. Judging by the lack of grass in the yard, this is probably one of the first images of the completed home. Notice the large amount of open space behind the house with other houses in the background. Later the Dick Smith Library will be built behind the house.Other images of Tarleton can be found by searching the Cross Timber Historic Images database from the library's webpage. For more information about the University photo collections, contact archivist Gary Spurr at spurr@tarleton.edu.