Chapter Activities and Project Ideas
Webb Society chapters thrive through meaningful, hands-on engagement with Texas and local history. These activities help students explore the past, build community connections, and develop valuable research, writing, and leadership skills. Whether your chapter is just getting started or looking for fresh ideas, this list offers a flexible menu of projects to inspire historical inquiry and outreach.
List of Suggested Activities
Each chapter is free to design a program that fits local interests and community needs. What follows are suggested activities—not requirements. We encourage chapters to adapt, share successes, and collaborate across campuses and communities.
1. Establish a Historical Resource Center
Create a study center on campus to collect and preserve local historical materials. This space can be part of a library, department, or museum, and should serve both the chapter and the surrounding community. Whenever possible, partner with existing historical organizations to avoid duplication.
2. Conduct Research and Write Papers
Encourage members to write original papers on local or regional history topics using primary sources like letters, photos, maps, and oral histories. Topics might include family stories, local institutions, or transportation networks. Outstanding papers may be submitted to Touchstone or presented at TSHA events.
3. Organize a Community Collections Program
Lead an effort to inventory and collect historical materials from your town or county. With proper permission, chapters can acquire diaries, photos, letters, and artifacts through loan or donation. Make sure to document each item clearly and share your findings with a local archive or museum.
4. Record Oral Histories
Interview community members—especially older residents—about their experiences. Focus on local industries, migration, cultural traditions, or life during historical events. Be sure to ask questions that highlight what makes your region unique, and preserve both the recordings and transcripts for future use.
5. Document Folk Traditions and Skills
Preserve fading cultural practices like syrup making, adobe brick building, or sheep shearing. Capture these traditions through photos, interviews, and written descriptions. Recipes and handcrafts can also offer valuable insights into regional and ethnic history.
6. Take Field Trips to Historic Sites
Organize group visits to museums, battlegrounds, heritage sites, or historically significant buildings. These trips help bring history to life and often spark ideas for future research or community projects.
7. Research Local Place Names
Explore the history behind the names of towns, streets, rivers, schools, and landmarks. Place name research often reveals stories about early settlers, indigenous communities, or forgotten events in local history.
8. Survey Local Architecture
Study the design and history of buildings in your area. Learn how different architectural styles reflect changes in community growth, values, and technology. Share your findings with local preservation groups or historical commissions.
9. Host a History or Folk Fair
Plan an event that highlights your community’s past and cultural diversity. Include exhibits, reenactments, food, music, and student presentations. Invite local schools, museums, and community groups to participate and attend.
10. Support History Education in Local Schools
Collaborate with public or private schools to start or support Junior Historian chapters. Host student visits, offer mentoring, and help develop research projects. These partnerships benefit both the schools and your college or university.
11. Partner with Historical Societies
Work with local or county historical organizations on ongoing projects. Your chapter can help with research, documentation, exhibits, and events. These partnerships strengthen community ties and give members hands-on experience in public history.
12. Share Your Work Through Public Media
Create radio segments, newspaper columns, podcasts, or video interviews that explore historical topics. These outreach efforts raise awareness about your chapter’s work and help educate the wider community.
13. Discuss Articles from the Southwestern Historical Quarterly
Use TSHA’s scholarly journal in your chapter meetings. Discuss the strengths and limitations of different articles, critique research methods, and identify possible local extensions of the topics. This helps sharpen analytical skills and encourages deeper engagement with Texas history.
14. Maintain a Chapter Archive
Keep a record of your chapter’s activities, including member lists, meeting minutes, photos, project summaries, and media coverage. Use scrapbooks, digital folders, or archival boxes to organize materials year by year. These records help preserve your chapter’s legacy and inspire future members.
15. Attend TSHA and Webb Society Meetings
Encourage your chapter to participate in the TSHA Annual Meeting in early March and the Webb Society Fall Conference. These gatherings offer opportunities to present student work, network with historians, and learn from other chapters across Texas.