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Texas Folklore Society

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Texas Folklore Society

The Texas Folklore Society collects, preserves, and shares the practices and customs of the people of Texas and the Southwest. Mrs. Former Secretary-Editor F. E.

The Texas Folklore Society is the second oldest folklore organization continually functioning in the United States--second only to the American Folklore Society founded in 1888. Chartered in 1909, the Society held its first meeting on the campus of the University of Texas in 1911. Bess Brown Lomax was on the program with a paper on the now-famous "Boll Weevil" song, which John Lomax had collected

in the Brazos bottom in 1909. Annual meetings have continued regularly since 1911, except for interruptions in 1918-1921 and 1944-1945 caused by the great wars and their aftereffects. The Society has stimulated the recording and study of the rich folk culture of Texas and the Southwest, has attracted both laymen and scholars, and has distributed its publications throughout America and the world. Abernethy said of the Society's purpose:
I believe that the Society's main purpose is to search for ways to preserve folklore without embalming it and to present a fairly well-educated public with the treasures of their culture's folk life. I do not believe that our purpose is to proliferate esoterica and pedantry among a small, especially educated clique. I further believe that the Texas Folklore Society's purpose is to preserve and present the Folklore of Texas. This does not mean that our purpose is to be chauvinistic or provincial, both of which are brought about by states of mind rather than geographical locations. It means as Kittredge said so many years ago, that Texas really is the folklorist's happy hunting ground, that we have all the fields we can ever plow, and that the work and the room to work is as wide as its borders and as inexhaustible as the winds that blow across the Staked Plains. And this work should be done by those who know the land and love it and understand it. And finally, I believe that the purpose of the Texas Folklore Society is not to hide the light of the lore under a bushel of academic guidelines and definitions and scholarly verbiage but to let that light so shine among men that all the world but, Lord, most especially Texans may see the richness of the land and its people and its history and its continuity. In this land and its people and its history Texans must realize the place of their belonging, a motherland to moisten with their sweat, and finally to nourish with their bones."

09/03/2026

THROWBACK THURSDAY: This week, we're taking a trip back 20 years to our 90th Annual Meeting in Galveston. While we're reminiscing, make sure to save the date for Texas Folklore Society 108th Annual Meeting, April 2–4, at Tarleton State University in Stephenville!

09/02/2026

Labor Day weekend plans? Check out the official Western Swing Festival schedule! And make plans to attend this free event in the Cowboy Capital, Stephenville, Texas!

🎻 OFFICIAL WESTERN SWING FESTIVAL SCHEDULE!

The schedule is set! Here’s when your favorite artists will take the stage at the 2026 Western Swing Festival in Stephenville.

📍 Stephenville City Park
📅 September 5 - 6
🎟️ FREE ADMISSION

09/01/2026

𝑰𝑺 𝑱𝑬𝑺𝑺𝑬 𝑱𝑨𝑴𝑬𝑺 𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑳𝑳𝒀 𝑩𝑼𝑹𝑰𝑬𝑫 𝑰𝑵 𝑮𝑹𝑨𝑵𝑩𝑼𝑹𝒀? 👇🏽

Was Jesse James really killed in Missouri in 1882? Explore the Granbury graveyard mystery, the mysterious 1951 death, and the evidence behind the legend.

08/26/2026

Every community in Texas and the Southwest has unique stories to share! William G. Pomeroy Foundation Legends & Lore grant program brings them to life with a fully funded marker.
Legends & Lore markers recognize the folkways, traditions, songs, and stories that shape a community’s identity. From larger-than-life legends to tales passed down across generations, Legends & Lore markers strengthen heritage tourism, spark curiosity, and connect people to what makes their community unique.
The fall 2026 Legends & Lore grant round is now open through Monday, Oct. 12. Don’t miss this opportunity! Learn more and apply: https://www.wgpfoundation.org/history/legends-lore/
Applications are currently being accepted from: Alabama, Connecticut, Idaho, Louisiana, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Get started today and celebrate your community's folklore and legends.

08/25/2026

We're excited to be included in the East Texas Historical Association Fall Conference lineup! Join us October 8-10 in Nacogdoches.
The TFS panel, "Living Traditions in Texas" will feature "Mourning in the Time of Social Media," by Blanca Jenkins, East Texas Baptist University; "The Music That Connects Us: Hootenannies, Hollers, and Hymns," by Elisha Oliver, Texas Folklife; and "The Ottine Swamp Monster," by Mary Fogel, Texas Folklore Society.
Get more information and register to attend 👉🏽https://etha.wildapricot.org/event-6757097

08/24/2026

Alliance for Texas History has issued a call for papers for its 2027 Annual Conference. Get your proposals in by the November 1 deadline. 👇🏽

We are pleased to share our Call for Papers on what promises to be an engaging and vibrant conference in the RGV. For all the information on the Call for Papers, and other news as it comes available, visit www.atxh.org/2027-conference

Please share our announcement with your friends and colleagues.

08/21/2026

Did you know? The roadrunner, Paisano in border Spanish, has been the official mascot of the Texas Folklore Society since 1932. J. Frank Dobie and members of society chose this bird because it epitomizes the free spirit of the brush country. Paisano is also a common moniker used when greeting fellow TFS members and friends.

While visiting a ranch near Roma in the Rio Grande Valley, photographer Sean Fitzgerald took this shot of a roadrunner carting around a freshly caught lizard. The fast birds are known to stab their prey before pounding them against the ground to soften them before they feast. “He ran back and forth like he was showing it off to me, even though I was hidden in a blind,” Fitzgerald says.

Find this photo in the latest issue of Texas Highways: https://shop.texashighways.com/products/detail?prod_id=2197

Address

1333 W. Washington Street, O. A. Grant Building, Suite 210
Stephenville, TX
76401

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 5pm

Telephone

+12544595445

Website

http://www.texasfolkloresociety.org/

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