Historical Records Project

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In 2008, former District Clerk Amalia Rodriguez-Mendoza launched an important project to identify district court case files of historical significance and to preserve them in their original form for future use and reference. For the purposes of this project, a case with historical significance was defined has having at least one of the following characteristics:

• The case involves a unique legal issue or controversy, prominent party, or other high profile or newsworthy aspect.
• The case has useful or significant informational content that reflects or exemplifies the cultural, political, economic, or social history of Austin and of Travis County.

With the assistance of an archivist, and in collaboration with several notable judges, lawyers, and the District Attorney, case files dating from as early as the 1890s through the present were identified.  Some of the several hundred case files identified include:

• State of Texas v. Chicago, Rock Island and Texas Railway Co., No. 13,230, 1898
• State of Texas v. John Dowell, No. 15,627, 1906
• R.S. Sterling v. Miriam A. Ferguson, et al., No. 51,394, 1932
• State of Texas v. Gulf Oil Corporation, No. 65,870, 1943
• Heman Marion Sweatt v. Theophilus Shickel Painter, et al., No. 74,945, 1946
• Edgewood Independent School District, et al. v. William F. Kirby, No. 362,516, 1984
• Mary Melinda Ballard v. Fire Insurance Exchange, No. 99-005252, 1999
• City of Sunset Valley, Texas; Save Barton Creek Association, Inc.; and Save Our Springs Alliance, Inc. v. City of Austin, et al., No. GV-04-000101, 2004
• John Woorall, et al. v. Pedernales Electric Cooperative, et al., No. GN-07-002234, 2007

More recently, numerous boxes of case files dating as far back as the very first session of the District Court in 1840 were located in a warehouse. These records received archival processing, arrangement and basic preservation treatments by the Travis County Archives. A future goal of the District Clerk historic records project includes the provision of these treatments to all historical District Court case papers. Such work includes rehousing papers into archival, acid-free containers; the removal of staples and page fasteners; flattening of rolled and folded pages; and enclosing fragile and photographic items in protective sleeves. In addition to case files, the District Clerk's office keeps minutes of all civil and criminal proceedings, bound volumes of which date back to 1840. As one of the most frequently referenced and handled types records held by the District Clerk, many of the volumes are deteriorating and in need of conservation treatments for preservation purposes and digitization to facilitate access by patrons and researchers. The final phase of the historical records project will address the the digitization of the books and the selection and hiring of a preservation service to complete the necessary conservation treatments.