The Richardson Echo is proud to announce a new section dedicated to the preservation of local Richardson history. The purpose of this section is to preserve and exhibit pieces from local history. The materials on display are all a part of the author's private collection of printed materials and ephemera.

Several years ago I became interested in Richardson's history, where it came from and how Richardson got to be where it is. Particularly, I noticed that much of the history of Richardson after World War II was undocumented. I decided to spend some effort collecting items that might otherwise be lost.

We tend to think of history as far in the past, and out of the lifetimes of currently living persons. With respect to Richardson, much of that includes its days as a farming community with cotton being one of its mainstays. Some of what is lost is more recent history.

What we see in Richardson today is part of a trajectory set not necessarily by pioneers in early pre-suburban homes but by leaders, merchants, and residents that were part of its high growth years from the 1950's through the early 1980's. Early economic decisions that were a combination of deliberate decisions and lucky accidents set the stage for a highly technically educated resident-workforce that had roots throughout the United States and eventually throughout the world.

Suburban landscapes are often thought of as soulless and lacking a sense of place. That criticism is likely true in many instances and it is certainly not entirely without merit when it comes to Richardson. Nonetheless, Richardson distinguished itself in some ways during that growth period with much of that owing to education and industry.

My hope is to capture the artifacts of that earlier time and spirit before they are lost. Capturing this gives us a sense of what we thought of ourselves and it also tells us how things change. The landscape of a city is not static but is ever changing.

This collection is small and my hope it that it will grow. I will start out with some minor items of interest that I hope will spark some interest. As we go along I will add other more significant items. Some of the items will undergo some formal preservation techniques outside of their presentation here.

You, your parents and relatives and people you know can help. I would love to acquire personal pictures or other items that people own that reflect our city at a time in the past. These pictures and items could be anything. They could be pictures of kids playing in a park, or in a neighborhood. They could be pictures of a trip to a local shopping center that has changed since that time decades ago. They could be printed materials like those from school or civic events. They could be things of commercial interest like printed advertisements featuring something in Richardson or physical objects like promotional novelties from businesses.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any of these materials.

My hope is that this effort is enlightening, educational, and I hope it gives the reader a sense of how Richardson came to be what it is today. This is a living section of The Echo that will change as I acquire, scan, and photograph new items and I share them with you. Enjoy.

To access the section go to the Extras section on the menu and click Richardson History.