Houston's Own KUHT -- America's First Public Television Station

America's first public television station got its start right here on the UH campus. KUHT-TV debuted in 1953 and became one of the founding stations of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in 1969. Today, KUHT-TV/HoustonPBS continues to produce innovative programs that are enjoyed by the Houston community.

In the KUHT Collection, hundreds of black and white photographs illustrate the work that went on both in front of the cameras and behind the scenes at KUHT-TV, while approximately 35 films provide a rich sample of the station’s diverse offerings. In all, the collection contains 336 items.

Most of the photographs date from the station’s early days in the 1950s, but later decades are also represented. The collection includes images of production staff and on-air personalities as well as celebrities that had appeared on PBS programs through the years: Mister Rogers, Julia Child, Phyllis Diller, Dustin Hoffman – and even Sesame Street’s Big Bird.

The films in this collection explore a wide array of topics of both local and national interest including the evolution of African-American music, the blowout of an offshore oil well in the Gulf of Mexico in 1979, the controversy surrounding the proposed Equal Rights Amendment in 1977, integration in two area school districts in the 1960s, and documentaries on boxer Jack Johnson and Tejano music legend Lydia Mendoza. Of particular note is a series of programs from the 1960s called “Education for Survival – Civil Defense,” which covers Cold War-era subjects such as “Weapons in the Nuclear Age,” “Propaganda and You,” and “Radiation and Effects.”

KUHT still engages viewers with its wide range of quality shows.  With programs that cover everything from music, movies, science, local arts, cooking, and cartoons there is sure to be a show that piques your curiosity.  If you're in the mood to dance like a maniacal beast in the comforts of your living room or lounge lazily to soothing instrumentals, check out Austin City Limits.  The longest running music series in this country, it exposes viewers to musical talents from all genres.  Increase songs to your playlists by catching a new enticing performer or just revel in watching your favorite musician do their thing on stage.  If you're feeling the urge to observe and analyze this crazy and fascinating world around us, check out Independent Lens.  This five-time Emmy Award-winning documentary film series brings insightful and thought-provoking films based on universal human themes.  For the children in your life or just for your own amusement, KUHT provides a fine array of programming for kids as well as for the kid at heart with shows such as Curious George, Arthur, and of course Sesame Street.

Make sure to check out these photographs and films in the KUHT Collection to appreciate the transformation of this innovative station from its humble UH beginnings.

Live piano playing on set

Workers assembling a KUHT set

Art department musings

Mr. Rogers with his fellow puppets

Happy Mother's Day!

Since Mother’s Day is this weekend, we decided to put together some of our best photographs of proud women in their role as mothers. We also put together some facts about the history of how this holiday was established in the US.

Some first efforts to establish a day to commemorate mothers were done in the 19th century, when Ann Reeves Jarvis held “Mothers’ Day Work Clubs “ to teach women how to improve the sanitary conditions in West Virginia, to try and lower infant mortality by fighting disease and curbing milk contamination.

In addition, this group of women also worked as volunteers tending wounded soldiers of both sides during the US Civil War from 1861 to 1865. After the war, the women created a “Mother's Friendship Day,” where people would meet in picnics and women had an active role in promoting peace. Julia Ward Howe, a Bostonian, composed "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and she also wrote and issued a popular "Mother's Day Proclamation" in 1870, as a call for women in the US to participate socially and politically to promote peace and reconciliation between the Union and Confederate States.

However, it is Ann Jarvis' daughter, Anna Marie Jarvis, who is considered responsible for establishing the tradition as we celebrate it today. Inspired by her mother’s efforts Anna continued promoting the holiday after her mother’s death in May 9, 1905. On May 12, 1907, Anna announced her idea of day of national celebration in honor of mothers. She also passed out white carnations for every mother present in the St. Andrew’s Church in Grafton, West Virginia, where her mother had taught for over 20 years.

On May 10, 1908, the first Mother's Day celebration was held in the church as a service where white carnations were passed out again. Later, West Virginia Governor William E. Glasscock issued the first Mother's Day proclamation on April 26, 1910. The day was established as a national holiday in 1914 by President Woodrow Wilson, who passed a resolution designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day.

Although Anna Jarvis had the idea the celebration would be deeply intimate, a true honoring of our mother’s, the holiday became so widespread and popular that It became commercially profitable. In this holiday more flowers and greeting cards are bought that in any other day, and phone traffic increases by 37%.

For the rest of her life until her death in 1948, she dedicated herself to trying to return Mother’s Day to a simple celebration in which each of us thanks and honors our mother's for all they do.

Visit the Blanche Espy Chenoweth, Her Life, Her Times, the Harry Walker Photographs, and the Houston and Texas Feminist and Lesbian Newsletters collections for more photographs of women celebrating motherhood. 

From all of us at the UH Digital Library, have a happy Mother's Day!

Third Ward History

Construction of the Houston Negro Hospital

Completion of the Houston Negro Hospital

In the early 1920s, the need for a new African American hospital became clear to the Houston community and its physicians.  Dr. Benjamin Covington and four other Houston doctors addressed that need by establishing the Houston Negro Hospital in Houston's Third Ward.  Joseph Cullinan, a successful oilman who had founded Texas Company (later Texaco), donated $80,000 to the group in 1923 to help fund this landmark institution.

The hospital opened to patients on May 14, 1927, 86 years ago, and provided a place for African American physicians, who were not allowed to admit patients to the African American wards in Houston’s other hospitals, to practice medicine and train students and nurses. It initially operated on an “insurance” system in which individuals and families paid a yearly subscription which entitled them to treatment. The hospital’s early years were difficult, with problems that included a lack of patients and dissension among and between the hospital’s two boards, one African American and one white.

Throughout the 20th century the hospital underwent many changes, including the elimination of the insurance system. In 1961 the hospital was renamed Riverside General Hospital, and in 1984 the building underwent historical renovations. The original hospital building and the School of Nursing building are listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and Riverside General Hospital still operates today, primarily as a substance abuse center.  This hospital stands as the only remaining historically black hospital in the United States today.

The hospital was the first nonprofit hospital for African Americans in Houston, and these varied documents provide insight into the founding, construction, initial problems, and political and social forces at play during its early years. These documents are compiled in our Joseph S. Cullinan Papers Collection which are found at the UH Digital Library.

The Dedication Ceremony On Juneteenth 1926

Cinco De Mayo This Sunday!

El Día de la Batalla de Puebla (The Day of the Battle of Puebla), though more people recognize this day as as Cinco de Mayo, will be celebrated by many this Sunday. Often mistaken for Mexican Independence Day (September 16), Cinco de Mayo is actually a commemoration of the Mexican Army's victory over the French on May 5th, 1862. 4000 Mexican troops miraculously defeated 8000 well-equipped French troops, an army who hadn't been defeated in 50 years making for a symbolic Mexican David defeating a French Goliath. While Cinco de Mayo is a historical celebration, it is recognized by many as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride, which is why we at the UH Digital Library would like to showcase share with you a bit of Mexican heritage found in some of two of our collections. 

The Alonso S. Perales Photographs Collection contains several photographs spanning the career of one of most influential Mexican Americans of his time - Alonso S. Perales. A civil rights lawyer, diplomat, political leader and soldier, Perales was one of the founders of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) in 1929, helped write LULAC’s constitution, and served as its second president. Alonso S. Perales saw himself as a defender of la raza, or race, especially battling charges that Mexicans and Latin Americans were inferior and a social problem. 

Here we see Alonso S. Perales with teacher, activist, and early LULAC leader José Luz Sáenz.


A photo of civil rights activist Adela S. Vento who wrote "Alonso S. Perales: His Struggle for the Rights of Mexican Americans." The side of the photo reads "Mrs. Adelita S. Vento in the orchard tree that I gave her when I was little."


Hand-color photographer Luis Marquez was the official photographer for and art adviser of the Mexican Pavilion at the 1939-40 World’s Fair. The Luiz Marquez Photographs Collection features several hand-colored photographs given to Mrs. Allred after she and Governor Allred visited Mexico in 1937. Only The University of Houston and the National Autonomous University of Mexico carry large collections of Luis Marquez's work.

Depicting a man carrying maracas and wearing a headress, Marquez's coloring in "Danzante de la Pluma" makes the photograph seem more vivid than real-life itself.



Titled "Tipo de Huautleca", you can see the level of detail in Marquez's work in the shading of the sanctus bells as well as the decay in the brick pillar.

Explore more of Mexico's vibrant culture in both our Luiz Marquez Photographs and Alonso S. Perales Photographs collections. While you're there, take a look at our other great collections and learn a bit about the University of Houston, our city, Texas History, and more here at the UH Digital Library!