Jasper County Historical Museum

09/09/2026

🇺🇸 With Gratitude

The Jasper County Historical Museum was honored to take part in today’s Jasper Remembers 9-11 ceremony commemorating the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001.

We are grateful for the opportunity to share a small piece of Jasper’s history during the ceremony and especially grateful to welcome members of the FDNY into the Museum to visit our 9/11 exhibit.

Our sincere thanks to Roy James, Chris Lanier, Taylor Justice, our visiting firefighters, first responders, veterans, community leaders, and all those who worked to make today’s remembrance possible.

It was a privilege for the Museum to simply be a part of this meaningful day.

We remember. We honor. We will never forget. 🇺🇸

— Jasper County Historical Museum

09/05/2026

Jasper County Historical Museum continues to reflect on the history preserved both inside the Museum and just outside on the courthouse square.

Our 9/11 exhibit tells a local story within a national tragedy.

It includes FDNY Ladder 155 materials, first responder patches, challenge coins, photographs, letters, commendations, a firefighter helmet and shirt, and pieces of steel that help preserve the connection between Jasper and New York.

That connection extends beyond the Museum walls.

In 2016, members of the Jasper community traveled to New York to receive a piece of steel recovered from Ground Zero. The steel was brought home and incorporated into Jasper’s 9/11 Memorial, creating a lasting connection between this community and members of the New York City Fire Department.

The memorial itself asks us to stop and remember.

“SEPT. 11, 2001”

“ALL GAVE SOME, SOME GAVE ALL”

“NEVER FORGET”

These words are familiar, but familiarity can sometimes make us pass by too quickly.

A closer look reminds us that every part of the exhibit and memorial carries a story — of loss, service, sacrifice, friendship, remembrance, and the decision to preserve history for those who come after us.

This is especially meaningful when young visitors stand before the memorial or view the Museum exhibit. Many were not yet born on September 11, 2001. For them, this history must be preserved, explained, and passed forward.

That is the role of a memorial.

That is the role of a museum.

The 16th annual Jasper Remembers 9/11 ceremony will begin at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, September 9, at the Veterans Memorial and 9/11 Memorial on the northwest side of the Jasper County Courthouse lawn. This year marks the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001.

The program will bring together first responders, honor guards, members of the FDNY, representatives of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas and Fort Polk, music, prayer, wreath presentations, military remembrance, and reflections on Jasper’s history.

Before we gather next week, we invite you to look again.

At the monument.

At the steel.

At the artifacts.

At the names, the letters, the photographs, and the stories.

And remember why they were preserved.

Jasper remembers. 🇺🇸

09/05/2026

On This Day in Texas History — September 5, 1836

Sam Houston was elected President of the Republic of Texas on September 5, 1836, only months after the decisive Texian victory at San Jacinto.

Houston entered the race just eleven days before the election and won by a wide margin, receiving 5,119 votes. Henry Smith received 743 votes, and Stephen F. Austin received 587. Mirabeau B. Lamar was elected vice president.

Houston took office on October 22, 1836, becoming one of the defining leaders of the young Republic. He would later serve a second term as president of the Republic of Texas, represent Texas in the United States Senate, and serve as governor of Texas.

The election of 1836 was more than a political milestone. Texas was a brand-new republic facing enormous challenges—financial instability, questions of international recognition, relations with Mexico, and the difficult work of building a functioning government. Houston’s popularity following San Jacinto helped give the new nation a measure of stability at a critical moment in its history.

As we remember the people and events that shaped Texas, we also remember that communities across East Texas—including the families and settlements that would shape Jasper County—were living through these same remarkable years of change.

Jasper County Historical Museum
Preserving the stories that connect our local history to the larger story of Texas.

08/28/2026

The Jasper County Historical Museum is proud to share an exciting project from Lamar University’s Center for Resiliency — the First SETX Resiliency Digital Collection (2026).

Created in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, this online collection includes 250 historical items from across Southeast Texas, including photographs, documents, digital images, and personal letters dating as early as 1878. Many of the photographs had never been digitized before.

We are especially honored that Jasper County history is represented in this important regional project. Lamar University recognizes Jasper-area contributors Julia Napper, Gayle Meigs, and Lisa Kotz, along with other historians, museums, libraries, churches, and community partners who helped make the collection possible.

The collection includes several pieces of Jasper history, including the Peachtree Street WPA paving project, the aftermath of the downtown Jasper robbery and fire, the Jasper State Bank, the 1937 Jasper County Jail, the Woman’s Civic Club of Jasper, the Jasper Community House, proposed Jasper street markers, and the Jasper Steers baseball team.

We invite you to explore the collection and see how Jasper’s story is woven into the larger history and resiliency of Southeast Texas.

https://www.lamar.edu/center-for-resiliency/research/resiliency-collection.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com

08/27/2026

JASPER REMEMBERS 9/11

The Jasper County Historical Museum is honored to participate in the 16th Annual Jasper Remembers 9/11 ceremony as our community commemorates the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001.

As part of the program, Museum Director and Woman's Civic Club of Jasper, President, Lisa Kotz will present “Military Maneuvers in 1941.” Her presentation will share the history of Jasper and the surrounding region’s role in the large-scale military exercises that helped prepare American forces for World War II and contributed to Jasper’s longstanding connection with Fort Polk.

Wednesday, September 9, 2026
8:30 a.m.
Veterans Memorial and 9/11 Memorial
Northwest side of the Jasper County Courthouse lawn

The ceremony will remember those who lost their lives, honor first responders and military personnel, and recognize the families who have shared in their service and sacrifice.

Special guests will include members of the New York City Fire Department, representatives of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas, Fort Polk, and other area dignitaries.

Please read the attached official press release for complete information, and help us spread the word by sharing this post.

We will never forget.

08/24/2026

On This Day in Jasper County History

John Bevil was born on August 24, 1784, in Mecklenburg County, Virginia. An early settler and developer in what became Jasper County, Bevil arrived in Texas during the 1820s. The surrounding area became known as Bevil’s Settlement.

In 1835, John Bevil represented the municipality at the Consultation at San Felipe de Austin. There, he proposed that the Municipality of Bevil be renamed Jasper. The resolution passed on December 1 and was approved on December 3, 1835.

Today, we remember John Bevil and his important place in the early history of Jasper and Jasper County.

Pictured is the Jasper County Historical Museum’s displayed copy of the 1835 resolution changing the municipality’s name from Bevil to Jasper.

08/19/2026

For three consecutive years, Jasper-Newton Electric Cooperative’s Operation Round Up has helped the Jasper County Historical Museum preserve, interpret, and share the history of our community.

We are grateful to announce that JNEC Operation Round Up has awarded the Museum a $1,000 grant for our 2026 Technology & Educational Communications Project. This funding will help provide an updated technology workstation supporting historical research, educational programming, exhibit development, volunteer coordination, grant administration, and community outreach.

This award continues a partnership that has produced tangible results inside our Museum.

In 2024, a $1,000 Operation Round Up grant helped the Museum purchase educational and presentation equipment that continues to serve our programs and visitors.

In 2025, Operation Round Up support helped make our Jasper Courthouse Clock exhibit possible.

And now in 2026, their support is helping us strengthen the technology behind the work we do every day.

Operation Round Up is powered by JNEC members who voluntarily round their electric bills to the next whole dollar. Those small contributions come together to support organizations and projects throughout our communities—and here at the Museum, we have seen firsthand the difference they can make.

To JNEC, the Operation Round Up Committee, and the participating members who make these grants possible: thank you. Your continued investment in the Jasper County Historical Museum is helping us preserve yesterday while preparing to tell Jasper County’s stories tomorrow. ❤️

08/17/2026

https://www.jaspercountytxmuseum.org/patron/

Each year, our Friends of History Patron Drive helps support the daily work of the museum, including exhibit care, public programming, visitor engagement, collection stewardship, educational outreach, and the preservation of local history for future generations. Young Historian (Jr. High and High Sc...

08/15/2026

The Jasper County Historical Museum gratefully recognizes **Brent and Heidi Meaux** as 2026 Friends of History Patrons at the **Sergeant Jasper Circle** level.

Support from community-minded individuals, businesses, and organizations helps us preserve, protect, and share the rich history of Jasper County for future generations.

Thank you, Brent and Heidi, for your generous support of our mission and for helping keep local history alive.

08/14/2026

The Jasper County Historical Museum gratefully recognizes **Pam Kincannon** as a 2026 Friends of History Patron at the **Homesteader** level.

Support from community-minded individuals, businesses, and organizations helps us preserve, protect, and share the rich history of Jasper County for future generations.

Thank you, Pam, for investing in our mission and helping keep local history alive.