A new collection featuring former Mayor Annette Strauss’ papers will soon be available to view at the Dallas Municipal Archives.
The sprawling vault of ledgers, manuscripts, blueprints, photographs, and more found in the climate-controlled depths of Dallas City Hall recently received some new artifacts. A brand-new collection is currently being prepared by city archivist John Slate, who has been working to preserve the city’s history for 24 years.
“We protect the assets of the city and that, in turn, protects the rights of citizens,” Slate told The Dallas Morning News. “They have the right to use these documents to prove or disprove something or some action by city government.”
Alongside countless files ranging from the more mundane to the more significant, such as documents on former President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, the Dallas Municipal Archives also holds some interesting items from notorious criminals, such as a wanted poster featuring Clyde Barrow or fingerprints taken of Jack Ruby.
Soon to join them is a collection of former Mayor Annette Strauss’ papers. Strauss served the city from 1987 to 1991 at a time when a female Jewish political leader was not the norm, as attested to by several items of correspondence referring to her as “Mrs. Theodore Strauss.”
“She had this society background, so she had to work harder to convince people that she was serious about governing Dallas,” said Slate, per the DMN.
The public will be able to come to view this new collection — featuring letters, scrapbooks, photos, campaign handouts for voters, and even a bumper sticker — this summer. However, Slate encouraged anyone with a nagging curiosity about the city to come to the basement of 1500 Marilla St. and poke around the roughly 17,000 boxes contained in the vault.
“If you think you aren’t interested in history, think about the park closest to your house and come look at the aerial photos that show what grew up around it,” he said, reported the DMN.
Anyone looking to do research can contact the Dallas Municipal Archives by calling 214-670-5270 or emailing [email protected] to arrange an appointment.
