Shelby County Today

The first test unit dug during the Sand Hill community archeological project. Found in the test unit were broken glass pieces believed to have been from a school window, nails, and a lid from what could have been a paint or tar can.

July 11, 2022 - Stephen F. Austin State University’s Dr. George Avery, staff archeologist and cultural heritage coordinator, along with volunteer archeological stewards from the Texas Historical Commission, began to unearth the history of an often-neglected gem in Nacogdoches County – the Sand Hill community.

Tucked between Melrose and Chireno along Highway 21 sits Sand Hill, a community established as a freedom colony — those in which African Americans settled after they were freed. To date, there are about 500 freedom colonies recorded in Texas.

According to Avery, researchers of that era often neglected or overlooked freedom colonies, leading to a lack of historical resources cataloging their rich cultures.

“The project is meant to introduce the Sand Hill community to the idea of learning about their past by using archeology,” Avery said. “There are not many historical documents about them, so what we’re doing here is providing information for the documents.”

As part of a grant, Avery, along with stewards and volunteers Lori Horne, Keith Stephens, John Jefferson and Archie Rison Jr., began the dig on June 27 at a location in the community that was believed to have been a Rosenwald School ­– a school built through support by the Rosenwald Fund, which was established to construct schools for African Americans between 1920 and 1932.

The group began the project by canvasing the area with a metal detector and marking areas where they hit a target. After that, they used ground-penetrating radar to look for areas of disturbed earth across the site.

It didn’t take long to find the first artifacts.

About an inch into the sand-filled, weed-ridden earth of their first test hole, the group found broken glass believed to have been from a school window, nails, and a lid from what could have been a paint or tar can.

“We are finding a surprising number of artifacts here,” Avery said.

Volunteer archeological steward Keith Stephens uses tools to inspect the initial dig, or test unit. Found in the test unit were broken glass pieces believed to have been from a broken school window, nails, and a lid from what could have been a paint or tar can.

Rison, a 1971 SFA graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in sociology, recalled fond memories of the short travel from his hometown Nacogdoches to Sand Hill to visit family on his mother’s side, as well as participating in the area’s ample hunting scene.

As what he considered a “kid from the big city of Nacogdoches” compared to the “country” of Sand Hill, Rison remembered it as a place that wasn’t rich financially but was rich in spirit.

“This was a thriving Black community at one time. It was really thriving. Were they rich? No, but they were rich in culture, heritage and togetherness. If a hog was killed, they didn’t mind sharing it.”

According to Avery, the first couple of days were an introduction, and the bulk of the work will commence when the heat begins to subside.

Avery hopes to present the stories of and artifacts found at Sand Hill in May 2023 during the Aya Symposium, a vehicle for the multidisciplinary exploration of Texas Freedom Colonies held in conjunction with the Texas Purple Hull Pea Festival.

“You learn what people did and what they used back in the day. It’s a learning process of human behavior,” Rison said, referencing the significance of the project.

Since the artifacts are from private property, they belong to the property owners. However, Avery has asked the owners to let SFA hold the artifacts until they are washed, photographed and analyzed. They will then be offered back to the property owners.

Anyone who thinks they may have familial ties to a Texas freedom colony and is interested in an archeological project in the community can contact Avery at averyg@sfasu.edu.

For more information about SFA’s Department of Anthropology, Geography and Sociology, visit sfasu.edu/anthrogeosoc.

Volunteer archeological stewards Keith Stephens, left, and John Jefferson place a grid over the test unit. The project is to introduce the Sand Hill community to the idea of learning about their past by using archeology.

June 7, 2022 — Two new Bachelor of Science degrees will be added to Stephen F. Austin State University’s offerings in the fall. The Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering will be housed in the College of Sciences and Mathematics and taught by faculty members in the Department of Physics, Engineering and Astronomy.

The Southern Association of College and Schools Commission on Colleges approved the new degree programs in June. Students can now enroll in the programs and begin working toward their degree when the fall semester begins Aug. 22.

“SFA currently offers an engineering physics degree with concentrations in mechanical engineering and electrical engineering,” said Dr. Matthew Beauregard, professor and interim chair of the Department of Physics, Engineering and Astronomy. “The engineering physics program is accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. ABET recommended that SFA create parallel baccalaureate degrees in electrical and mechanical engineering. We will be seeking ABET accreditation for the new programs in the near future.”

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in mechanical and electrical engineering should grow by 7% from 2020 to 2030.

“The BLS estimates there will be more than 520,000 mechanical and electrical engineers employed in the U.S. by 2030,” Beauregard said. “Demand, coupled with salaries that hover around $100,000 a year, makes these careers a solid choice.”

The Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering will comprise 122 credit hours. The Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering will take 126 credit hours to complete. Each program will be offered on the Nacogdoches campus through face-to-face instruction utilizing facilities in the Cole STEM Building.

All current faculty members in the Department of Physics, Engineering and Astronomy will contribute to the program. Additional faculty members are slated to be added after initial enrollment goals are realized.

The steps to obtaining approval to offer these degree programs began in fall 2020 with a coordinated effort throughout SFA’s Division of Academic Affairs. They progressed to SFA’s Board of Regents in spring 2021. The process then had to meet the approval of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, which was granted in April 2022. The recent approval by SACSCOC means the programs are ready to go.

“I would like to thank everyone involved for their vision and dedication,” Beauregard said. “This would not have been possible without the historical labors of faculty members within the department and administrators on this campus. I especially want to recognize the tremendous work by Dr. Dan Bruton, empowerment by our dean Dr. Kimberly Childs, leadership support by Dr. Lorenzo Smith, and the careful and concerted analysis done by Dr. Marc Guidry, John Calahan and Alisha Collins.

For more information about the degree programs, contact the Department of Physics, Engineering and Astronomy at engineering@sfasu.edu.

May 25, 2022 –– Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host the monthly Les and Theresa Reeves Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 9 in the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St.

Dr. Allen Owings, longtime educator and professor emeritus of horticulture at the Louisiana State University AgCenter, will present “Super Flowers, Super Shrubs and Super Trees for a Super Landscape.”

Born and raised in Hammond, Louisiana, Allen received his bachelor’s degree from Southeastern Louisiana University, a master’s degree from Louisiana State University, and a doctoral degree in horticulture from Mississippi State University in 1991. Owings retired in 2017 after 26 years of educational service, which included serving as coordinator for the LSU AgCenter Louisiana Super Plant program.

Owings has provided statewide extension service programming for nursery growers, landscapers, garden centers, and to master and home gardeners. Currently, Owings is employed as a senior horticulturist at Bracy’s Nursery in Amite, Louisiana, and horticulturist at Clegg’s Nursery in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. There, Owings works in education, outreach, social media and new plant production, and connects with nursery professionals and landscapers across the country.

The Les and Theresa Reeves Lecture Series is held the second Thursday of each month. It is preceded by an attendee social at 6:30 p.m., and a rare plant raffle will follow the program. The lecture is free and open to the public, but donations to the Les and Theresa Reeves Lecture Series fund are always appreciated.

Parking is available at the PNPC and Raguet Elementary School, located at 2428 Raguet St.

For more information, call (936) 468-4129 or email sfagardens@sfasu.edu.

Dr. Mario Ajero, professor of piano at SFA, instructs a group of Music Prep piano students. Registration for Music Preparatory summer programs is underway.

May 21, 2022 – Registration continues for summer lessons and camps offered by the Music Preparatory Division of the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music.

Private lessons will be offered in piano, voice, cello, violin/viola, and trumpet. Summer lessons begin on Monday, May 23, and continue through Friday, July 29. Private lesson schedules will depend on students’ and teachers’ summer availability and can be for four, six, eight or 10 total lessons.

Piano group classes will be offered for children and adult students. Learn to read music, play chords and create music with others in a variety of music styles. These group classes will be offered from Monday, June 27, through Thursday, June 30.

Kindermusik classes are offered for children ages 0 through 6. Kindermusik is an early childhood music and movement program based on the belief that every child is musical, every parent is the child’s most important teacher, and the home is the most important place for learning. Based on research, music nurtures a child’s cognitive, emotional, social, language and physical development. Classes begin on May 23 and continue through August 4 on varying schedules, dates and times, depending on age. Cost is $70 per month with sibling discounts available.

Registration forms and more information, including detailed schedules and private lesson tuition, can be accessed at sfamusicprep.com/summer-flex-lessons, or contact Music Prep Director Alba Madrid at musicprep@sfasu.edu, or call (936) 468-1291. The Music Prep House is located at 3028 Raguet St.