Dallas Historical Society Hosts Lecture Featuring The Story of Southfork Ranch

Whether you grew up in Dallas or just got here as fast as you could, there is always something new to learn about our fair city. The Dallas Historical Society is a great place to start.

Their mission is to “collect, preserve and exhibit the heritage of Dallas and Texas to educate and inspire present and future generations.”

The Dallas Historical Society is an absolutely fantastic resource with a collection of over 3 million items. Located in the Hall of State in Fair Park, they offer public programs like their Historic City Tours, Brown Bag Lecture Series, the Pour Yourself Into History happy hour, and An Evening With! Lecture Series. Their educational programs serve thousands of students every year, and they keep an astonishing oral history collection. Even the pandemic has not slowed them down.

Two upcoming events look to be particularly intriguing. On March 25, join the DHS for their first off-site virtual event. The “An Evening With!” Lecture Series will take you on a tour of the iconic Southfork Ranch.

History at Southfork began in 1978 when Lorimar Productions chose the North Texas showplace as the site for the CBS TV series Dallas. The hit series, which counted millions of viewers across the United States and in 95 countries as fans, was originally broadcast in the United States from 1978 to 1991. The series continues to be broadcast in syndication and still is in first-run status in many countries around the world. Because of the ranch’s high profile on television, the beautiful white mansion, the pool, the barns, and surroundings quickly became a tourist mecca. Join general manager Janna Timm and Sally Hammons for this all-access virtual pass!

On March 31, you’re in for another historic treat when the DHS presents their Brown Bag series featuring two prominent female civil rights activists — Juanita Jewel Craft and Kathlyn Joy Christian Gilliam.

Kathlyn Joy Christian Gilliam was a civil rights activist and the first African American woman to serve on the Dallas Independent School District’s (DISD) board of trustees. Gilliam played an active role in the fight for civil rights in Dallas, especially in the realm of education. The city of Dallas designated the Gilliam’s House as a historical landmark in 2015, and it was turned into a museum and resource center later that same year. The museum is a historical landmark that serves as a center to train children in Southern Dallas to become future leaders by providing computer literacy courses, reading camps, and a debate center. Since her passing in 2011, Gilliam’s vision to improve the lives of African Americans throughout the city through productive dialogue and educational opportunities lives on.

Upon her passing in 1985, Juanita Jewel Craft was perhaps Dallas’s most beloved public figure. Broadly recognized locally for her local activism, grace, and fair-mindedness, she was a long-time NAACP organizer and Youth Council advisor, Goals for Dallas participant, Linz Award winner, State Democrat committeewoman, and national delegate, preservationist, Dallas city councilwoman, and community-based humanitarian. She had a profound record of sustained acts of kindness in both the South Dallas and greater communities.

Keep up to date on the Dallas Historical Society’s event calendar right here.