The Texas Historical Commission (THC) is the state agency for historic preservation. Its mission is to protect, preserve, and promote the state’s historic and prehistoric resources for the use, education, enjoyment, and economic benefit of present and future generations.
In May 1953 Texas Governor Allen Shivers, under Resolution 44, appointed 18 nonpartisan members to oversee a Survey Committee charged with locating, preserving, and publishing materials that promote all of Texas history. Over the next 10 years numerous Texas county commissioners’ courts created County Historical Survey Committees. Matagorda and Wharton Counties appointed their first members in Fall 1956, with meetings to be held beginning 1957. Early on, county precinct commissioners were asked to name 4 persons from their precinct to be apponted members for a 2-year period. The limit of 12 was soon seen as too few, and membership could be unlimited. Na,es were forwarded to the county judge by the organization’s chairman every 2 years.
Texas Senate Bill 241 (1963) authorized Governor John Connally and Texas county judges to appoint Historical Committee members every 2 years with guidance from State Survey Committee. Each county was to set aside in its budget funds for their HSC and were encouraged to set aside a place for their meetings.
In 1964 Governor Connally created RAMPS (Recording, Appreciation, Marking, Preserving, and Surveying) with a goal of dedicating 5,000 historical markers in 5 years. This was accomplished prior to the end of 1969.
House Bill 1512, approved in March 1973, changed the name of this organization to Texas Historical Commission, with all county commissions to follow suit.
The 1956 charter members of Wharton County Survey Committee were George Northington III (Chair), Dr. T. M. Neal, Mrs. E. O. Guenther, Mrs. Betty McCroskey (Wharton), Mrs. Louise Hutchins (El Campo), Mrs. M. W. “Bennie” Crowell (Louise), Mr. John I. Marik (East Bernard), Mr. Peter Harton (Danevang), Mrs. Ralph Pugh (Iago), and Mrs. Walter “Ella” Hudgins (Hungerford).
Duties and responsibilities of a CHC are set forth in Texas’ Local Government Code (Chapter 318) and give CHC’s considerable latitude to organize and undertake activities appropriate to the county’s size and resources.