Smith County discusses Historical Commission creation

Published 5:30 am Thursday, November 21, 2024

The Smith County Commissioners Court is considering creating a County Historical Commission (CHC) to preserve the county’s historic and cultural heritage.

“We are one of two (out of 42) counties that does not have one… It’s something that sounds very important,” County Judge Neal Franklin said. “Because we already have the Smith County Historical Society and Historic Tyler…I thought maybe it was a competitive thing, but it’s not that way at all. They’re very supportive…They would love to see us have this commission.”

Conor Herterich, Preservation Texas’s Northeast Texas Program Officer and Endangered Properties Manager briefed the court on Nov. 19 on the benefits and responsibilities of establishing a Smith County Historical Commission and the process of appointing members.

County Historical Commissions were established to identify, preserve and celebrate cultural resources, which refers to historic buildings, cemeteries and archaeological sites.

According to research by the Texas Historical Commissioners CHC Outreach Coordinator Nano Calderon, the absence of a CHC has a detrimental impact on county-wide cultural and historic resources.

There are three state historical marker programs: Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, Historic Texas Cemetery and Historical Markers. Since the program began in 1936, 113 historical markers have been approved in Smith County.

Only 10 have been approved since 2014: one recorded Texas Historic Landmark, three Texas Historic Cemeteries and six Historic Markers. Ten years before, 19 were approved.

The number of new historic markers has decreased by 50%. No survey of state markers in the county exists, meaning it’s unknown whether markers are still in their original locations, in good condition, or if historical buildings are even extant or endangered.

While the City of Tyler has completed several historic resource surveys, there has never been a countywide survey.

“You can’t protect what you don’t know exists, you can’t recognize what you don’t know exists,” Herterich said. “The first point of order for a County Historical Commissioner is a countywide historic resource survey.”

A county historical commission is often the only entity that exists to identify, document and advocate for historic resources outside city limits. Its mission is to identify and encourage new historic marker applications, review and vet all marker submissions in the county, and forward them to the Texas Historical Commission for approval.

“The County Historical Commission serves as the point of contact between the Texas Historical Commission and the county,” Herterich said. “We need local expertise to serve as quality control and vet those applications for all state markers in Smith County.”

The commission would also partner with other preservation organizations across the county to create county-wide awareness and appreciation of historic preservation and its benefits and uses. It would also produce an annual report of its activities and recommendations.

In June, Herterich collaborated with the El Paso Historical Commission to host a workshop on adobe construction, preserving knowledge of traditional building materials. Adobe, a mix of clay, sand, water and organic binders like straw, is sun-dried and increasingly rare.

Statewide networking opportunities help the CHC grow and facilitate best practices.

The commission comprises seven county residents, appointed by the commissioner courts in January of odd-numbered years to serve for two-year terms. The commission would meet at least four times a year.

“We would love to have people not only from Tyler but in the outskirts as well,” Franklin said. “All the commissioners, if they know someone in their precinct that is ideal for this, that’s a historian.”

Funding would need to be budgeted in the next year, or approve funding as needed. Franklin said the current plan is to allow time for consideration before deciding whether the court wants to move forward.

In other business;

The Commissioners Court renewed its commercial crime insurance policy with McGriff Insurance Services and approved the 2025 Federal Equitable Sharing Agreement and Certification for Precinct 5 Constable.

The court also authorized several road improvement projects, including work on County Roads 129, 1246, 313, 32, 1100, 1131, 199, 1255 and 1113. Additionally, a construction contract was approved for improvements to County Road 118.