We’re thrilled to announce Real Places 2025 keynote speakers; also, hotel room blocks are nearly sold out.





RP25 Header [ [link removed] ]




"You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to Texas Historical Commission (THC) email updates [ [link removed] ]. The THC manages 40 state historic sites, the Texas Heritage Trails Program, Texas Main Street Program, Historical Markers Program, and many more historic preservation and heritage tourism initiatives across the state."

Real Places 2025 is Just Two Months Away!

Don’t miss your chance to attend Texas' premier historic preservation and heritage tourism conference, presented by Phoenix 1 Restoration and Construction, LLC, in partnership with the Friends of the Texas Historical Commission. *Register before the final price increase on March 22.*

We’ve mentioned it will feature over 100 expert speakers from across Texas and the U.S., more than 50 sessions and workshops, and several renowned featured presenters. Now, we’re thrilled to announce this year’s keynote speakers!

Collage with headshots of Real Places 2025 keynote speakers: Andrew Feiler, Rosie Rios, Mandy Lockaby, Andrew Torget, Stanley Graves, and Susan Tietz [ [link removed] ]

Our first keynote speaker is *Andrew Feiler*, a photographer and author from Georgia who will present “A Better Life for Their Children: Julius Rosenwald, Booker T. Washington, and the 4,978 Schools that Changed America.” Feiler authored a book of the same name about the Rosenwald Schools—public institutions built between 1912 and 1937 for African American children across the segregated South. To tell this story visually, he photographed 105 schools and interviewed dozens of former students, teachers, preservationists, and community leaders in the 15 states where Rosenwald Schools were located, including Texas. An exhibit of the same name is currently featured at the Bullock Texas State History Museum.

Our next keynote presenter will be *Rosie Rios*, a former Treasurer of the United States. She is also chair of America250, a nonpartisan initiative working to engage every American in commemorating and celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Semiquincentennial. Rios will share what this historic milestone means for Texas, America, and the future.

At the THC Awards Banquet on Thursday, April 24, *Mandy Lockaby* will present “We’ve Been Working on the Railroad,” the story of women’s integral role in the development and history of the railroad in America and overseas. Lockaby is a conductor on the BNSF Railway and serves on the board of the Slaton Railroad Heritage Association, which oversaw the restoration and operation of the Slaton Harvey House and its successful bid to become a THC state historic site.

*Andrew Torget* is a historian of 19th-century North America at the University of North Texas, where he holds the University Distinguished Teaching Professorship. He will share the remarkable early history of Galveston Island and its transformation into the second wealthiest city in the United States and most important port in the country behind New York City—before being destroyed in the Great Storm of 1900. The session will then examine the aftermath of the hurricane and the remaking of both Galveston and Texas.

The final presentation will share milestone achievements and events in the Texas Historical Commission’s nationally renowned and award-winning Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program (THCPP), which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. The presenters will be *Stanley Graves*, senior principal of Architexas and former director of the THC’s Division of Architecture, and *Susan Tietz*, current coordinator of the THCPP.

We’ve got a great lineup in store for you! View the full schedule [ [link removed] ] and register today.

Register Now button [ [link removed] ]

________________________________________________________________________



Hotel Room Blocks Almost Sold Out

If you have not yet secured a hotel room, now’s the time. The room blocks at both the conference hotel, the *Renaissance Austin Hotel*, and the nearby overflow hotel, the *Embassy Suites by Hilton Austin Arboretum*, are almost sold out.

"If you’d like to secure the discounted conference pricing from the Renaissance or Embassy Suites, act fast! Find links to book directly on our Plan Your Trip page [ [link removed] ]."

Once these room blocks sell out, we will provide information about other hotel options in the area. It is possible the Renaissance and Embassy Suites may have regular-priced rooms—we will update the Plan Your Trip page with the most current information we have.

*BOOK YOUR ROOM* [ [link removed] ]






________________________________________________________________________



Thanks to our 2025 Featured Sponsors!
RP25 Featured Sponsors






________________________________________________________________________

*Get More Updates About Texas History!*

Facebook [ [link removed] ]Twitter [ [link removed] ]Instagram [ [link removed] ]YouTube [ [link removed] ]Linkedin [ [link removed] ]

Texas Historical Commission [ [link removed] ] [ [link removed] ]

SUBSCRIBER SERVICES:

Manage Subscriptions [ [link removed] ]  |  Unsubscribe All [ [link removed] ]  |  Help [ [link removed] ]

View this email in a web browser. [ [link removed] ]



________________________________________________________________________



This email was sent to [email protected] using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of
Texas Historical Commission
1511 Colorado Street
Austin, TX 78701

GovDelivery logo [ [link removed] ]

body .abe-column-block { min-height: 5px; } table.gd_combo_table img {margin-left:10px; margin-right:10px;} table.gd_combo_table div.govd_image_display img, table.gd_combo_table td.gd_combo_image_cell img {margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px;} table.govd_hr {min-width: 100%;}