Rotating Exhibits

When Texas Got Its Kicks On Route 66

The Texas/Dallas History Division invites you to take a trip on historic Texas highways. Along the way, you'll see many sites, including photos and postcards of roadside destinations, maps of the great highways of a bygone era, travel guides before the emergence of road signs and other cool materials before Interstates were ever invented. Explore the exhibit "When Texas Got Its Kicks On Route 66" this summer through September 15 in the reading room of the 7th floor.

Permanent Exhibits

Scene on the Brazos

The "Dean of Texas Artists," Frank Reaugh (pronounced "ray"), came to Texas with his parents in 1876. As his family made the trek from Jacksonville, Illinois to Terrell, Texas, Reaugh passed the time by sketching the sights. While formally trained at St. Louis School of Fine Arts and Académie Julian in Paris, Reaugh found his artistic expression through the landscapes and animals of the Southwest - especially the Texas longhorn. Thus, the "Painter of the Longhorn" was born. Reaugh was a firm believer in making art avail=1able for public viewing. Shortly after he settled in Oak Cliff in 1890, he worked with civic and cultural leaders to create forums for the public display of art. When the Carnegie Library was built in 1901, Reaugh thought this institution made a perfect venue for public art. He convinced library officials to create an Art Room in the new public library. The Art Room was to display works from various artists in a variety of media, with the expressed purpose of making art accessible and free to the public. He started the art collection by donating his painting, Scene on the Brazos.

More special collections exhibits (Fine Books Division) - click here