Belvin Hall, built 1935, was the first dorm built on the Sam Houston State University Campus. Built as the girls’ dorm, it was financed by a $150,000 loan and grant by the Depression Era New Deal program called the PWA, Public Works Administration. Click on the photograph at right to see the construction and vehicles of the early 1930’s.
Belvin Hall was named for Caroline Belvin who was an alumnus of Sam Houston Normal Institute (the original name of SHSU), class of 1882, and SHNI professor of primary and interpretative reading from 1903-1916, and Dean of Women on the Sam Houston State Teachers campus from 1917 until her retirement in 1929.
One of the most recent acquisition of the SHSU University Archives is this 68-year-old baseball program from March 18-19, 1949. The BearKats played their first two home games against the TCU Horned Frogs. The final score for the games was March 18, 8-5 to the Frogs and March 19, 9-8 to the Frogs.
Although they did not win, the BearKats were playing on a brand new baseball diamond. The Josey Vocational School dirt moving class who called the job, “Operation “fill-up,” constructed the field. This swampland turned baseball diamond later became Dewitte Holleman Field where the BearKats would play until the Don Sanders Baseball Complex was finished in 2006.
To find out more of the history of SHSU Baseball or Dewitte Holleman Field come visit the SHSU University Archives.
“Throughout the history of Sam Houston Normal she has been an institution of service-never has she failed to take part in any worthy movement or fallen down in any great undertaking.” From the The Alcalde, 1918. World War I was no different from 1917-1919 Sam Houston sent 200 of the finest young men “over there”; to Europe to fight for the great struggle of Democracy.
At home, the Sam Houston Normal Institute established a unit of the SATC, Students Army Training Course, where students could enlist as privates and continue their education. These soldiers/students bunked in the Austin Hall Building; sleep on mattresses bought from the Texas Penitentiary, and did drills and exercises as if they were in boot camp.
The above photographs shows the SATC on campus. Note the bottom right photograph of the campus. In front on the left is the Manual Training/Agriculture Building. In the middle with three floors is Austin Hall. In the back photograph, there are the spires of the Old Main Building. The top middle photograph shows the back of Austin Hall before the new columns and extra door, were added later as the college grew to the south.
To see more WWI materials in the archives come visit us in the Newton Gresham Library, room 400.
These images of the SHSU Homecoming in 1966 are from the University Archives.
Fifty years ago rain poured down on Pritchett Field as the BearKats battled in the mud to defeat the East Texas Lions. The BearKats fell to the Lions 17-14.
Scroll down and enjoy a look at the past….
The traditional bonfire was followed by a pep rally. (later it would become known as FireFest!)
Rain, Rain, go away, Nothin’ can stop a BearKat Game Day.
1966 Homecoming Queen, Judy Robbins, a senior Elementary Education major from Dallas. She was also a cheerleader, in Who’s Who; Alpha Chi; Orange Keys; Kappa Delta Pi; Alpha Delta Pi; Inter-House Council, and Sigma Phi Epsilon Sister of the Golden Heart.
Now that’s one busy BearKat!
Sammy the BearKat like most Kats doesn’t like the rain. Note how much difference 50 years makes in the image of our beloved Sammy BearKat.
On August 24, 1971, 45 years ago, ZZ Top, the hottest super-group in Houston at the time, came to Sam Houston State University. They came to play their breed of hard-rock in the Lowman Student Center Ballroom. (the room where the Barnes and Noble Bookstore is now). The images above are from the 1971 The Alcalde and The Houstonian.
The LSC Ball Room was the site of many 1970s concerts featuring groups or singers such as Cheap Trick, CowSills, Manhattan Transfer, Climax, Mac Davis, Mel Tillis, and more.
For more information come visit the SHSU University Archives in Room 400 of the Newton Gresham Library.
It’s time for the 101st season of BearKat Football!
Come this Saturday the BearKats will be back on Bowers Field to meet the Oklahoma Panhandle State Aggies. This game will be the annual BearKat, “Orange Out,” so the stadium will be covered in a sea of orange, white, and blue.
The image above is from a recent donation to the University Archives. This football program is from the October 28, 1950 game featuring Sam Houston State Teachers College BearKats vs. East Texas State Teachers College Lions.
The Sam Houston State University Archives collection of BearKats Football programs dates from the 1930s to the present. It you would like to look at these programs come visit the SHSU University Archives in Room 400 of the Newton Gresham Library.
Hello 1976! This is Sam Houston Avenue & 16th Street just off the main campus which was captured in this photograph from The Alcalde, 1976.
A lot has changed in this area since 1976. Some of the building you see in this photograph are gone. Gone are the Center Hotel, restaurant, and bowling lanes, Gulf Station, Sam Houston Hotel (which had two restaurants in it), bus station, Ward Furniture Building, and City Lumber. Tasty Freeze Big Tee Burger is now a storage building for Heartfield Floral across the street. The Center Motel block is now Sam Houston State University’s dorm called Sam Houston Village.
You can find more photographs of life off campus in The Alcalde. In University Archives there are copies of the Alcaldes from 1910 to 2007, excluding 1932-1935 (Depression years), 1944 (World War II), 1999-2001 (ceased printing in 1998 and started printing again in 2002 for the 125th anniversary of the University).
#WBW goes really way back to 1884 to see if you are you smarter than a student of the Sam Houston Normal Institute from 132 years ago.
This is a competitive examination from 1884 for the Sam Houston Normal Institute which is now Sam Houston State University. These exam were used to judge which 2 students from each legislative district in Texas would be sent, all fees paid, to SHNI by their respective senators.
So if you haven’t been totally drained from your final exams you might take a whack at some of the questions the students were asked 132 years ago.
P.S. I would love to know the answers myself.
Come and visit some other way back exams in the SHSU University Archives, room 400, of the Newton Gresham Library, M-F, 8-5.
The SHSU University Archives has a comprehensive collection from the 1900s through 2000s of what are called view books or informational booklets. These booklets are still produced for informing and enticing future students to attend Sam Houston State University. Today the view books are still sent to future students by the thousands. Now days this University information can also be found online which appeals to our tech savvy, social media loving, future students.
Above is the back cover of the 1982-1983 information booklet. The photographs are of KSHU 90.5, Computer Science 143 class, (note the C in the word computer is missing on the bulletin board behind the instructor), the ROTC repelling tower called the “Recondo,” the SHSU observatory which at the time was on top of the Farrington Building, and in the middle are two class gift entry gates that were at the original entrance to SHSU on Sam Houston Avenue.
To see more view books come visit the SHSU University Archives, room 400, of the Newton Gresham Library. We are open M-F, 8-5.
For over a 100 years the teaching of Agriculture has been a big part of Sam Houston State University.
For National Agriculture Day the University Archives thought it would be fun to show these four adorable sheep from the 1940s. This photograph was part of the 100th Anniversary of the SHSU Department of Agricultural Sciences and Engineering Technology. The Department of Agricultural Sciences and Engineering Technology held their big 100th Anniversary Celebration in 2011.
To see more Agriculture materials visit the SHSU University Archives.