The Enduring First Lady of Texas
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THE ENDURING FIRST LADY OF TEXAS IMA HOGG’S INFLUENCE ON HISTORIC PRESERVATION IN TEXAS by ELIZABETH SODEK MOCZYGEMBA Bachelor of Arts, 2006 Baylor University Waco, Texas Master of American Studies, 2008 University of Dallas Irving, Texas Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of AddRan College of Liberal Arts Texas Christian University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy December 2014 Copyright by Elizabeth Sodek Moczygemba 2014 ii Table of Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: The Foundations of Ima Hogg’s Career ...................................................................... 22 Chapter 2: The Varner .................................................................................................................. 67 Chapter 3: Bayou Bend ................................................................................................................. 92 Chapter 4: Winedale ................................................................................................................... 118 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 165 Appendix: Photographs and Maps .............................................................................................. 182 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................... 201 Vita .............................................................................................................................................. 210 Abstract ....................................................................................................................................... 211 1 Introduction “It is not taboo to go back and fetch what you forgot.” This saying, derived from the West African concept of Sankofa, teaches that people must go back to their roots in order to move forward. It is important to reach back and gather what the past has to offer and use it to enrich humanity so it can move forward. Whatever is lost or forgotten can be reclaimed, revived, preserved, and perpetuated. Sankofa, represented by a bird or tribal heart, presents a beautiful and important concept. Without knowledge and appreciation of the past, people lose a part of themselves and the future never will be fully realized. One Texas woman, Ima Hogg, understood this concept and dedicated most of her adult life to preserving the past and developing culture within Texas for future generations. Ima Hogg advocated the concept of Sankofa through her work and words: “We need authentic, tangible reminders of our national virtues and heroes to make us feel a part of the best in our heritage. A nation without regard for its past will have little future worth remembering.”1 Hogg’s efforts allow visitors to experience history through preserved architecture and some of the finest collections of American decorative arts at the Governor Hogg Shrine in Quitman, the Jim Hogg State Park in Rusk, the Varner-Hogg State Park in West Columbia, Bayou Bend Mansion in Houston, and Winedale near Round Top (See Appendix, figure 7). Her contributions to Texas culture are incalculable. She elevated the field of historic preservation and museum standards within her beloved home state by introducing and encouraging professional standards. 1 Ima Hogg to Bayou Bend Docents, 25 November 1964, Ima Hogg Papers, Box 2, MFAH Archives. 2 Collective Memory and Identity History is more than stories of ancestors and times past. It forms the foundation for a people’s identity and culture. Historian Carl Becker distinguishes two histories: events that actually occurred and the events as people remember them. The Civil War is an event which occurred while the WPA narratives recorded former slaves’ memories of slavery. Historical memories can be further divided into memories from those who experienced the incident first-hand and those who did not. Grandfathers sharing war stories with their sons and grandsons are examples of memories of those who experienced events. Museum exhibits regarding the Civil War and slavery show how those who did not experience either event “remember” it. When the memories of those who experienced events combine with those who were not alive to witness the event, a collective memory develops.2 French sociologist Maurice Halbwachs first proposed the concept of a collective memory in the 1920s, describing it as personal memories shaped by social circumstances. A collective memory matures into more than static stories in a book about times past; it is a dynamic force which affects various people in different ways. Groups shape collective memory by forming their own versions of the past to define what is socially acceptable, what should be remembered, what should be forgotten, and who deserves access to levels of power and society.3 Regardless of how groups view and use the past, they often display a desire to preserve physical remnants of that past. They recognize the importance of historic preservation to commemorate important events and people for the education and appreciation of future generations. 2 Gregg Cantrell and Elizabeth Hayes Turner, Introduction to Lone Star Pasts: Memory and History in Texas (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2007), 2. 3 Cantrell and Turner, Lone Star Pasts, 2-3. 3 Toward the end of the nineteenth century, Americans searched through their own history, attempting to forge and solidify a national identity. The western frontier afforded Americans a unique identity. In the absence of cathedrals, national monuments, and religious shrines, nineteenth-century Americans turned to great natural landmarks, which could not be found elsewhere in the world, for national pride. Eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Americans saw themselves as conquerors of nature and builders of cities. As civilization reached the Pacific Ocean, the notion of frontier began to change and end, forcing America’s defining characteristics of western expansion and unspoiled nature to end as well. Facing rapid economic and demographic changes, Americans then looked to history to create a common identity. Industrialization forced many to look back at previous virtues in the hope Americans would survive commercialism.4 The growing need for historic preservation can be linked to the emergence of the Progressive Movement. Leaders of the new movement saw social disorder caused by immigration, industrialization, urbanization, and modern technology. They shared a nostalgic view of the past and believed the way to preserve traditional American values for future generations was to recreate history.5 This in turn led to the desire to preserve physical evidence of a history and culture unique to Americans. Women in Preservation Creation and perpetuation of collective memory, particularly through historic preservation, appealed to women. Traditionally, women have considered themselves 4 Randy Roberts and James S. Olson, A Line in the Sand: The Alamo in Blood and Memory (New York: The Free Press, 2001), 203-4. 5 Eleanor Clark, “Miss Ima Hogg: A Case Study of the Colonial Revival Collecting and Museum Making in Texas” (master’s thesis, Baylor University, 2005), 14-15. 4 guardians of their noble history and culture and perceived it as their duty to perpetuate the memory of times past through the preservation of cultural values. Memorializing traditions, culture, and history did not threaten customary gender roles; rather, it was accepted as an extension of women’s domestic role as caretakers. Therefore, preservation and historical activities presented nineteenth- and twentieth-century women a way to carve a space in the public sphere through public service and education.6 Women’s efforts transformed the material culture of historic homes into storehouses of generations of domestic and hereditary memory, becoming more than places built by men.7 Progressive-era women inherited from nineteenth-century predecessors the perception of their social role as the chief guardians of domestic virtue. “New” men concerned themselves with carving successful identities within the business and political spheres as they moved out of the agrarian world, leaving women the opportunity to step in to preserve culture, heritage, and history.8 Preservation organizations allowed the extension of that domestic role into the public arena. Women used history as an instrument for self-definition and empowerment. They raised money, addressed governments, and appealed to the general public to ensure the survival of a collective memory. They were successful due to their willingness to get politically involved when heritage was at stake.9 Any discussion of historic preservation, regardless of gender, begins with Ann Pamela Cunningham. Cunningham’s name is now synonymous with historic preservation. 6 Gaines F. Foster, Ghosts of the Confederacy: Defeat, the Lost Cause and the Emergence of the New South, 1865-1913 (New York: Oxford University Press, 1987), 173-79. 7 Material culture refers to the products of a society. It is often synonymous with artifacts, such as silverware, furniture, and pottery, but can also include language. These products can be studied to gain a richer understanding of human behavior and culture. John Deetz, In Small Things Forgotten: An Archaeology of Early American Life (New York: Anchor