In this issue: Galveston Spiritualists in Print; The League of Women Voters of Houston; Migrant Stories: Continuing the Discourse through Exhibits and Public Programs
Galveston Spiritualists in Print
by Jo Collier, Collection Development Librarian
Yay, it’s the fall and I have an excuse to talk about spirits and stuff!
Although Galveston’s First Spiritualist Church wasn’t founded until May of 1895, it’s not surprising that many people were hosting home circles long before then. Of specific interest to me is Mrs. Susan “Sue” J. Finck, a medium who used slate-writing to communicate messages for gatherings in her home.
The experiences the family had are covered in the 1887 book Lifting the veil: or, interior experiences and manifestations. Susan, and her son Andrew A. Finck, wrote the book, with help from the spirits, of course.
If you're interested in seeing a hard copy, the HHRC has one in stacks. Or you may look at a digitized copy (from the Harry Houdini Collection at the Library of Congress) on the Internet Archive.
Photo of Susan Finck from the frontispiece of Lifting the veil, showing her with her slate.
The book starts with Susan recounting her youthful exploration of religion and philosophy. As she aged, she attended various denominations of Christian churches where disagreements over doctrine left her struggling to reconcile their teachings with a God of love. Her final break was with the Baptist church, not long after which she says (on page 41) her, “attention was attracted to the manifestation of Modern Spiritualism; and we began holding circles within our own home.”
The following chapters don’t tell a continuous story, per se, but include anecdotes about circles they took part in, messages received in daily life, visiting mediums, and even a message from Sam Houston received in 1885.
Of course, there are things that don’t sit easily within our modern sensibilities. For instance, at the time it was common for Spiritualists to have spirit guides (benevolent spirits that assist a medium) that were Indigenous Americans, which are referred to as “the red man.” A phrase in common usage at the time, but a bit cringe to us now.
A Houston Chronicle obituary for Susan (who died at 77 years on age, April 20, 1907) says she, "wrote a number of books” on spiritualism, but I was unable to find anything in the time I spent looking. There may be reference to these other books in The Spiritual Reformer and Humanitarian, a Spiritualist periodical the family started publishing in 1902, and which ran (irregularly) into 1905. The International Association for the Preservation of Spiritualist and Occult Periodicals has digitized the Rosenberg Library's holdings, which may be seen here.
Photo of Andrew Finck, from page 45 of Lifting the veil.
Both the book and periodical are a mix of New Thought philosophy with Bible verses sprinkled throughout. Quotations of Scripture are common in Spiritualist material of the time, as people within the movement did not see themselves as forming a new religion. Of course, as time went by, the Spiritualist movement splintered into groups that saw themselves as being a harmonious part of an established religion, reformers of existing religious structure, or outside it all together. We are fortunate to have access to some primary source materials, from our own neck of the woods, highlighting one family’s experiences within this movement.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Finck, S.J., & Finck, A.A. (1887). Lifting the veil: or, interior experiences and manifestations. Colby & Rich.
The League of Women Voters of Houston
by Jennifer Southerland, Processing Archivist
In 1920, women were granted the right to vote with the ratification of the 19th amendment. That same year, the League of Women Voters (LWV) was established. The LWV is organized into three levels- local, state, and national- with each level following a program that relates to the needs of its community. When members join their local league, they also join the state and national leagues.
Today, I am highlighting our local chapter, the League of Women Voters of Houston. Also established in 1920, the Houston league seeks to engage all members of the Houston community in the political process. The examples below show how they further this goal through information sharing, civic engagement, and providing opportunities to participate in said political process.
Information Sharing If you’ve been to the library during election season, you’ve probably seen educational papers explaining the ins and outs of the candidates and policies up for your vote. These papers, or voter guides, are one of the most valuable tools in the league’s information sharing toolkit. The league creates print and digital versions of their guides, with translations available in Spanish, Vietnamese, and Chinese.
Civic Engagement
Print copies of voter guides for the years 1950, 1970, 1990, and 2010
Many of the league’s activities fall under the scope of civic engagement, but one I find particularly interesting is their litigation efforts. For example, the Houston league submitted amicus briefs for the case Coalition to Preserve Houston and the Houston Independent School District vs. Interim Board of Trustees of the Westheimer Independent School District because they felt the formation of Westheimer Independent School District was a barrier to the continued integration of Houston schools.
Participation The Houston League has also worked to support participation in local government. They register voters at different community events in the city and partner with other organizations like the Houston Public Library to spread information about elections and encourage voting. You can even learn how to become a voter registrar on their website!
This is just an introduction to the League of Women Voters of Houston. If you want to learn more about the organization, come down to the Houston History Research Center (HHRC). The HHRC holds a collection from Houston league documenting roughly 60 years of the organization’s activities. You can even find a guide on pursuing litigation for community groups! HHRC also makes sure to keep copies of their old voter guides, so swing by if you’re interested in finding out who was running for what in 1950s.
League of Women Voters of Texas State Program for 1968 – 1970. League of Women Voters of Houston (RG E 0013 Box 7, Folder 81). Houston History Research Center, Houston Public Library.
Voter Guides from the League of Women Voters. Houston History Research Center Vertical File: H – Elections – By Years. Houston History Research Center at the Houston Public Library.
The Courts and Desegregation. League of Women Voters of Houston (RG E 0013 Box 14, Folder 7). Houston History Research Center, Houston Public Library.
Migrant Stories: Continuing the Discourse through Exhibits and Public Programs
by Elizabeth Lira, Archivist and Salima Bowaniya, Head Archivist of Hispanic Collections
Photojournalist Raquel Natalicchio’s exhibit, Al Otro Lado | The Other Side, is an emotionally moving and powerful exhibition that brings viewers face to face with the realities of migration. The exhibit features photographs and personal narratives of people from across many national backgrounds who wait at the Mexico-U.S. border for a chance of a better life for themselves and their families. Viewers will see and read stories of hope, desperation, survival, and community from people that have come from Mexico, Haiti, Romania, Guatemala, and beyond waiting at the border. Natalicchio’s photographs are paired with historical maps from the archival collections at the Houston History Research Center (HHRC), revealing the political and social complexities of migration in the context of a moving border throughout centuries. Also on display are items left behind by those making the journey across the border; intimate items ranging from journals, wallets, life jackets, and children’s shoes. The exhibition invites viewers to reflect on the human cost of migration and the enduring will to move, even as borders shift.
This exhibit has deeply inspired the Hispanic Collections archivist team at HHRC, and in response we have created a series of public programming focused on the topics of migration and immigration. We successfully kicked off the series in May with a special event in collaboration with Nuestra Palabra, who hosted an event as part of their book tour for the newly released Detained: A Boy’s Journal of Survival and Resilience by Dr. Esperanza and Gerardo Iván Morales. The book offers a powerful firsthand account of immigrating to the U.S. and being held in a detention center. Copies are available for checkout at multiple HPL branches. In July, we also hosted an artist walkthrough of the exhibition with Raquel Natalicchio, offering attendees an in-depth tour and personal insights into the stories behind her photographs. We hosted #JoinLaCharla: Immigration, Representation, and the Power of Language, in September. This three-part program featured a morning panel discussion followed by guided exhibit walkthroughs and a screening of the documentary Change the Subject + Discussion. We’re also excited to have partnered with FIEL (Familias Inmigrantes y Estudiantes en La Lucha), a local immigrant rights organization, to create a pop-up exhibit highlighting their history and grassroots organizing efforts. This pop-up exhibit will be on display in the Julia Ideson Building through December. Through these programs we have been able to elevate voices that continue the discourse of immigration.
We encourage everyone to view Al Otro Lado | The Other Side, on view until February 28, 2026 at the Houston Public Library's Dr. James and Betty Key Map Room in the Julia Ideson Building. This exhibit is free and open to the public during regular operating hours.
For more information about this exhibit and related programming, click here.
Photograph of Al Otro Lado | The Other Side exhibit wall at the Julia Ideson Building, The Dr. James and Betty Key Map Room, courtesy of HHRC.
Photograph featured in Al Otro Lado | The Other Side exhibit at the Julia Ideson Building, The Dr. James and Betty Key Map Room, courtesy of HHRC.
Photograph of a featured display in Al Otro Lado | The Other Side exhibit at the Julia Ideson Building, The Dr. James and Betty Key Map Room, courtesy of HHRC.
Screenshot image from @imgerardo_ivan, on Instagram, at the Saving Immigrant Voices event at the Julia Ideson Building, Auditorium.
Photograph from the Artist Walkthrough: Al Otro Lado | The Other Side at the Julia Ideson Building, The Dr. James and Betty Key Map Room, courtesy of HHRC.
Upcoming Events from Houston History Research Center
Join us for a charla (community discussion) with authors Denise Gomez and Dr. Jesús Jesse Esparza as they share their research for the forthcoming book The Barrio and the Badge: A History of Latinos and Law Enforcement in Houston. In this program, Dr. Esparza will lead a conversation with Denise about her chapter, “La Polimigra: Policing and Caging Undocumented Latino Immigrants in Houston,” and the stories behind it.
Together, we’ll reflect on this history and its connections to the present. A Q&A session will invite participants to share thoughts, questions, and experiences.
In this issue: Galveston Spiritualists in Print; The League of Women Voters of Houston; Migrant Stories: Continuing the Discourse through Exhibits and Public Programs
Galveston Spiritualists in Print
by Jo Collier, Collection Development Librarian
Yay, it’s the fall and I have an excuse to talk about spirits and stuff!
Although Galveston’s First Spiritualist Church wasn’t founded until May of 1895, it’s not surprising that many people were hosting home circles long before then. Of specific interest to me is Mrs. Susan “Sue” J. Finck, a medium who used slate-writing to communicate messages for gatherings in her home.
The experiences the family had are covered in the 1887 book Lifting the veil: or, interior experiences and manifestations. Susan, and her son Andrew A. Finck, wrote the book, with help from the spirits, of course.
If you're interested in seeing a hard copy, the HHRC has one in stacks. Or you may look at a digitized copy (from the Harry Houdini Collection at the Library of Congress) on the Internet Archive.
Photo of Susan Finck from the frontispiece of Lifting the veil, showing her with her slate.
The book starts with Susan recounting her youthful exploration of religion and philosophy. As she aged, she attended various denominations of Christian churches where disagreements over doctrine left her struggling to reconcile their teachings with a God of love. Her final break was with the Baptist church, not long after which she says (on page 41) her, “attention was attracted to the manifestation of Modern Spiritualism; and we began holding circles within our own home.”
The following chapters don’t tell a continuous story, per se, but include anecdotes about circles they took part in, messages received in daily life, visiting mediums, and even a message from Sam Houston received in 1885.
Of course, there are things that don’t sit easily within our modern sensibilities. For instance, at the time it was common for Spiritualists to have spirit guides (benevolent spirits that assist a medium) that were Indigenous Americans, which are referred to as “the red man.” A phrase in common usage at the time, but a bit cringe to us now.
A Houston Chronicle obituary for Susan (who died at 77 years on age, April 20, 1907) says she, "wrote a number of books” on spiritualism, but I was unable to find anything in the time I spent looking. There may be reference to these other books in The Spiritual Reformer and Humanitarian, a Spiritualist periodical the family started publishing in 1902, and which ran (irregularly) into 1905. The International Association for the Preservation of Spiritualist and Occult Periodicals has digitized the Rosenberg Library's holdings, which may be seen here.
Photo of Andrew Finck, from page 45 of Lifting the veil.
Both the book and periodical are a mix of New Thought philosophy with Bible verses sprinkled throughout. Quotations of Scripture are common in Spiritualist material of the time, as people within the movement did not see themselves as forming a new religion. Of course, as time went by, the Spiritualist movement splintered into groups that saw themselves as being a harmonious part of an established religion, reformers of existing religious structure, or outside it all together. We are fortunate to have access to some primary source materials, from our own neck of the woods, highlighting one family’s experiences within this movement.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Finck, S.J., & Finck, A.A. (1887). Lifting the veil: or, interior experiences and manifestations. Colby & Rich.
The League of Women Voters of Houston
by Jennifer Southerland, Processing Archivist
In 1920, women were granted the right to vote with the ratification of the 19th amendment. That same year, the League of Women Voters (LWV) was established. The LWV is organized into three levels- local, state, and national- with each level following a program that relates to the needs of its community. When members join their local league, they also join the state and national leagues.
Today, I am highlighting our local chapter, the League of Women Voters of Houston. Also established in 1920, the Houston league seeks to engage all members of the Houston community in the political process. The examples below show how they further this goal through information sharing, civic engagement, and providing opportunities to participate in said political process.
Information Sharing
If you’ve been to the library during election season, you’ve probably seen educational papers explaining the ins and outs of the candidates and policies up for your vote. These papers, or voter guides, are one of the most valuable tools in the league’s information sharing toolkit. The league creates print and digital versions of their guides, with translations available in Spanish, Vietnamese, and Chinese.
Civic Engagement
Print copies of voter guides for the years 1950, 1970, 1990, and 2010
Many of the league’s activities fall under the scope of civic engagement, but one I find particularly interesting is their litigation efforts. For example, the Houston league submitted amicus briefs for the case Coalition to Preserve Houston and the Houston Independent School District vs. Interim Board of Trustees of the Westheimer Independent School District because they felt the formation of Westheimer Independent School District was a barrier to the continued integration of Houston schools.
Participation
The Houston League has also worked to support participation in local government. They register voters at different community events in the city and partner with other organizations like the Houston Public Library to spread information about elections and encourage voting. You can even learn how to become a voter registrar on their website!
This is just an introduction to the League of Women Voters of Houston. If you want to learn more about the organization, come down to the Houston History Research Center (HHRC). The HHRC holds a collection from Houston league documenting roughly 60 years of the organization’s activities. You can even find a guide on pursuing litigation for community groups! HHRC also makes sure to keep copies of their old voter guides, so swing by if you’re interested in finding out who was running for what in 1950s.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
“Mission.” League of Women Voters of Houston. Accessed June 24, 2025. https://www.lwvhouston.org/mission.
League of Women Voters of Texas State Program for 1968 – 1970. League of Women Voters of Houston (RG E 0013 Box 7, Folder 81). Houston History Research Center, Houston Public Library.
Voter Guides from the League of Women Voters. Houston History Research Center Vertical File: H – Elections – By Years. Houston History Research Center at the Houston Public Library.
The Courts and Desegregation. League of Women Voters of Houston (RG E 0013 Box 14, Folder 7). Houston History Research Center, Houston Public Library.
Migrant Stories: Continuing the Discourse through Exhibits and Public Programs
by Elizabeth Lira, Archivist and Salima Bowaniya, Head Archivist of Hispanic Collections
Photojournalist Raquel Natalicchio’s exhibit, Al Otro Lado | The Other Side, is an emotionally moving and powerful exhibition that brings viewers face to face with the realities of migration. The exhibit features photographs and personal narratives of people from across many national backgrounds who wait at the Mexico-U.S. border for a chance of a better life for themselves and their families. Viewers will see and read stories of hope, desperation, survival, and community from people that have come from Mexico, Haiti, Romania, Guatemala, and beyond waiting at the border. Natalicchio’s photographs are paired with historical maps from the archival collections at the Houston History Research Center (HHRC), revealing the political and social complexities of migration in the context of a moving border throughout centuries. Also on display are items left behind by those making the journey across the border; intimate items ranging from journals, wallets, life jackets, and children’s shoes. The exhibition invites viewers to reflect on the human cost of migration and the enduring will to move, even as borders shift.
This exhibit has deeply inspired the Hispanic Collections archivist team at HHRC, and in response we have created a series of public programming focused on the topics of migration and immigration. We successfully kicked off the series in May with a special event in collaboration with Nuestra Palabra, who hosted an event as part of their book tour for the newly released Detained: A Boy’s Journal of Survival and Resilience by Dr. Esperanza and Gerardo Iván Morales. The book offers a powerful firsthand account of immigrating to the U.S. and being held in a detention center. Copies are available for checkout at multiple HPL branches. In July, we also hosted an artist walkthrough of the exhibition with Raquel Natalicchio, offering attendees an in-depth tour and personal insights into the stories behind her photographs. We hosted #JoinLaCharla: Immigration, Representation, and the Power of Language, in September. This three-part program featured a morning panel discussion followed by guided exhibit walkthroughs and a screening of the documentary Change the Subject + Discussion. We’re also excited to have partnered with FIEL (Familias Inmigrantes y Estudiantes en La Lucha), a local immigrant rights organization, to create a pop-up exhibit highlighting their history and grassroots organizing efforts. This pop-up exhibit will be on display in the Julia Ideson Building through December. Through these programs we have been able to elevate voices that continue the discourse of immigration.
We encourage everyone to view Al Otro Lado | The Other Side, on view until February 28, 2026 at the Houston Public Library's Dr. James and Betty Key Map Room in the Julia Ideson Building. This exhibit is free and open to the public during regular operating hours.
For more information about this exhibit and related programming, click here.
Photograph of Al Otro Lado | The Other Side exhibit wall at the Julia Ideson Building, The Dr. James and Betty Key Map Room, courtesy of HHRC.
Photograph featured in Al Otro Lado | The Other Side exhibit at the Julia Ideson Building, The Dr. James and Betty Key Map Room, courtesy of HHRC.
Photograph of a featured display in Al Otro Lado | The Other Side exhibit at the Julia Ideson Building, The Dr. James and Betty Key Map Room, courtesy of HHRC.
Screenshot image from @imgerardo_ivan, on Instagram, at the Saving Immigrant Voices event at the Julia Ideson Building, Auditorium.
Photograph from the Artist Walkthrough: Al Otro Lado | The Other Side at the Julia Ideson Building, The Dr. James and Betty Key Map Room, courtesy of HHRC.
Upcoming Events from Houston History Research Center
#JoinLaCharla: Crimmigration, Pol(ICE), and the Undocumented
Join us for a charla (community discussion) with authors Denise Gomez and Dr. Jesús Jesse Esparza as they share their research for the forthcoming book The Barrio and the Badge: A History of Latinos and Law Enforcement in Houston. In this program, Dr. Esparza will lead a conversation with Denise about her chapter, “La Polimigra: Policing and Caging Undocumented Latino Immigrants in Houston,” and the stories behind it.
Together, we’ll reflect on this history and its connections to the present. A Q&A session will invite participants to share thoughts, questions, and experiences.
Saturday, November 15
1 PM - 2:30 PM
Julia Ideson Building
Meldrum Room
REGISTER NOW