The mission of Milam County Historical Commission is to protect, preserve and promote the history of Milam County. And the members and officers work throughout the year to keep the county’s history alive.
One way to do that is through historical markers. The county already has more than 100 markers within its boundaries.
“But there are many opportunities to have more,” said the group’s new chairwoman Joan Ratliff.
There are three types of markers: Subject, Registered Texas Historic Landmark and Historic Cemetery Marker. The Texas Historical Commission will accept applications for Subject and RTHL markers from March 1 to May 15 this year, while Historic Cemetery Marker designation applications may be submitted any time, she said.
Anyone with an idea for an historical marker or questions about the process can contact Lynn Young, the marker chairwoman, at Lynn-FYoung@gmail.com.
The commission is also focused this year on documenting information on the Freedom Colonies in Milam County.
“Historically, these communities were established by former slaves following the Civil War and often included homes, a school, a church and cemetery. At this time, we believe there were seven colonies in Milam County and we are researching each colony so that we may document them,” Ratliff said in an email. If anyone has information to share on these colonies, contact Ratliff at joan@ rainbowcourts.com.
The Certified Local Government committee is chaired by Dr. John Pruett. The purpose of CLG is to better protect historic resources by identifying local priorities, practicing recognized historic preservation standards and finding ways to preserve historic buildings, sites, structures and objects to include markers, members said
In 2006 and again in 2014, the committee conducted a survey of Milam County’s historic resources. These documents are accessible to the public at the Lucy Hill Patterson Library in Rockdale. The CLG committee maintains the inventory and survey of these historic resources, documenting the item’s condition and adding assets as required with time.
This year’s goal is to digitize the survey documents to be more available to the public and enhance security, according to members.
“I think that we should never forget the stories of the past. That is why historical research is both exciting and essential to me. It is crucial to uncover the truth about our historical experience, either good or bad, the value of diversity and community, and teach others that truth, in order to learn from our past, encouraging and allowing them to pass the information and stories into the future,” Pruett said in an email.
The cemetery committee is chaired by Holly Bonorden Jentsch. The committee’s goals this year include surveying all cemeteries in Milam County for the Texas Historical Commission atlas and the Nation Maps Corps. The survey would also include a photo inventory and geographical locations of cemeteries for maps.
The Heritage Tourism committee is chaired by Ratliff.
“Heritage tourism is a growing industry in Texas due to the state’s wealth of history and historic sites. It is vital to our economy and is a way to educate people about our history. The definition of heritage tourism is travel directed toward experiencing the heritage of the area,” Ratliff said. “Heritage tourism uses assets that already exist, historic, cultural and natural resources. So rather than creating or building new attractions, we promote looking at our history for sustainability.”
“One of our most successful projects has been the Preservation Grand Fund which is over $250,000 worth of historic preservation that has been competed in the county through matching grants,” said Young, the immediate past chairwoman of the group.
The commission is funded through grants and individual donations, and people are welcome to join at www. milamcounty.net and look for Mission of Milam County Historical Commission under the quick links column on the left side of the web page.
The site is under construction, but there is information still on the old site at www. MilamCountyHistoricalCommission.org.
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