Kyle Ainsworth, special collections librarian at Stephen F. Austin State University’s East Texas Research Center, pictured far right, accepts a $3,000 donation from representatives of The Sons of the Republic of Texas. Pictured, from left, are Joe Allport, Adolphus Sterne Chapter, Nacogdoches; Greg Bell, Ephraim Daggett Chapter, Fort Worth; Dan Ray, Thomas J. Rusk Chapter, Dallas; Dr. Jeffrey Owens, North East District representative; Randy Pollard, past president general and San Jacinto Chapter representative, Houston; Larry Lucas, Piney Woods District representative; Jeff Corbin, second vice president general and San Jacinto Chapter representative, Houston; Ken Raney, SRT treasurer general; and Devin Lindsey, SRT president general.
July 3, 2025 - Stephen F. Austin State University’s East Texas Research Center recently received a $3,000 donation from The Sons of the Republic of Texas as part of the group’s efforts to commemorate the role played by the Department of Nacogdoches in the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas — an area that encompassed all of Texas east of the Trinity River — in the Texas Revolution.
“The Bexar Department commemorates the Battle of the Alamo and the Brazos Department commemorates San Jacinto Day, but the Department of Nacogdoches, where the revolution had its beginnings four years before the famous battles, has no annual celebration,” said Ken Raney, SRT treasurer general. “We want to honor those events and people.”
Five SRT chapters contributed to the donation: the Adolphus Sterne Chapter in Nacogdoches, the Ephraim M. Daggett Chapter in Fort Worth, the James George Chapter in Athens, the San Jacinto Chapter in Houston and the Thomas J. Rusk Chapter in Dallas.
“These five chapters answered the call to participate in making the first donation to The Sons of the Republic of Texas-East Texas Research Center contribution fund,” Raney said. “This team of North Texans — with some considerable support from colleagues in the San Jacinto Chapter and Second Vice President General Jeff Corbin — has made this donation possible.”
The donation will be used by the ETRC to acquire and preserve documents from three periods of early Texas history: Spanish Texas (1591-1821), Mexican Texas (1821-36) and the Republic of Texas (1836-46).
“This investment in East Texas history will help us in a lot of different ways,” said Kyle Ainsworth, ETRC special collections librarian. “In addition to helping students with their research, it will help make the records more accessible to those wanting to learn more about their communities.”
He added that SFA is the perfect partner to help SRT members reach their goal of celebrating an annual commemoration in Nacogdoches.
“We have the documents and the historians to help interpret the documents,” Ainsworth said. “And we have the Old Stone Fort.”
The Battle of Nacogdoches, which was fought Aug. 2-3, 1832, is widely considered one of the events that ultimately led to the Texas Revolution. The battle involved the Old Stone Fort, which is now the Stone Fort Museum on SFA’s campus.
The ETRC is a part of the state’s Regional Historical Resource Depository program and preserves court records for eight counties in East Texas. Additionally, it holds the Republic of Texas records for Nacogdoches and San Augustine counties.
“This state program allows us to preserve these really important early East Texas records,” Ainsworth said. “We also get Republic era collections from private individuals.”
The SRT members will hold their inaugural commemoration at 3 p.m. Aug. 3 at the Charles Bright Visitor Center in downtown Nacogdoches, where they will officially observe the 193rd anniversary of the Battle of Nacogdoches. The public is invited to attend.
For more information on The Sons of the Republic of Texas, visit srttexas.org. For more information on SFA’s East Texas Research Center, visit sfasu.edu/library/archives.
About Stephen F. Austin State University
Stephen F. Austin State University, the newest member of The University of Texas System, began a century ago as a teachers’ college in Texas’ oldest town, Nacogdoches. Today, it has grown into a regional institution comprising six colleges — business, education, fine arts, forestry and agriculture, liberal and applied arts, and sciences and mathematics. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, SFA enrolls approximately 11,000 students while providing the academic breadth of a state university with the personalized attention of a private school. The main campus encompasses 421 acres that include 40 academic facilities, 11 residence halls, and 68 acres of recreational trails that wind through its six gardens. The university offers more than 80 bachelor’s degrees, more than 40 master’s degrees and four doctoral degrees covering over 120 areas of study. Learn more at sfasu.edu.
