Welcome the Tyrrell Historical Library to The Commons!

The Tyrrell Historical Library was established in 1974 to serve as a research repository for historical and genealogical information related to Beaumont and the surrounding Southeast Texas community. It functions as an integral part of the public library system of the City of Beaumont and contains both published and unpublished materials related to the history of the region. In addition to books on the history of Beaumont and Southeast Texas, the Tyrrell is home to thousands of books on Texas history and worldwide genealogy. It is also home to a growing archival collection that includes a wide array of personal papers, business and city records, as well as civic and fraternal organizational records.

Their initial collection is comprised of two very interesting collections: The John Dollinger, Jr. Inc. album holds photos from the eponymous steel manufacturer in Beaumont, Texas. Founded in 1902, the company achieved its greatest production outputs in the 1980s, before closing in 1995. The contained photos depict Dollinger projects, ranging from stadium bleachers to boilers. They also include photos of employees at work parties and celebrations.

In a second album, The Winter Family Papers, papers of six generations of the Winter family, beginning with Ann Clarke (*1779), are shown. Over the course of these generations, the family moved from North Carolina, to Alabama, to Louisiana, to Missouri, and finally to Texas. The materials in the album date from 1817 to the 1960s. All of the material belonged to Edwina Winter and her family. The bulk of the collection is composed of the papers of generations of Mrs. Winter’s mother’s family. The collection includes books, scrapbooks, correspondence, diaries, newspaper clippings, memoirs, autograph books, calling cards, ledger books, and photographs.

Check out these fabulous No Known Copyright Restrictions images that are waiting for you to comment, annotate, and tag.