Dolph Briscoe Center for American History

This place is so amazing and oversees so much I really did not know how to categorize it. Educational was safe but it is also a very large collections repository for historic documents and photographs. Yeah, I know, z-z-z-z-z-z…but there is some cool stuff here. Seriously.
I worked within the reading and research room briefly on a project and found the staff to be extremely helpful and knowledgeable. First, you cannot bring your own pen or paper with you. They are a tad touchy about their documents and photos and do not want anyone slipping away with one of their older notable newspapers or making a mark on a valuable print.
They gave me a little locker for my things and I was guided through my bit of research by helpful staff. My 4 hours in the reading room produced three photos and one very important document for my client. Woohoo!
Among many other places, the Center oversees the Winedale property at Round Top. This is a fun place in the summer for watching Shakespeare outdoors and g-​r-​e-​a-​t food at Royers. One of the most unusual archive in their collection is of vintage video games. And the day I was there, they seemed all a twitter about the new historic collection of quilts and quilt history. My thought was «boring» but if it makes you happy, chica.
Most of their old photographs can be reproduced within a week or two at a reasonable cost. If you want to photo copy something, you can purchase a cash card for a dollar.