Modern Times Lecture Series

The story behind the 1901 oil discovery at Spindletop plays like a modern TV adventure series, complete with murder, redemption, betrayal, romance, defying the odds, and an ever-changing cast of genuinely larger-than-life characters.

The Austin Séance presents a lecture and demonstration on the spread of Spiritualism during the latter half of the 19th century. This event will include a demonstration of certain Spiritualism practices and techniques.

The Austin Séance presents a lecture and demonstration on the spread of Spiritualism during the latter half of the 19th century. This event will include a demonstration of certain Spiritualism practices and techniques.

Join Albert Lucio and Jake Cordero of The Austin Séance for a hands-on workshop on the use and history of these fascinating divinatory devices. This group practice session lasts approximately 70 minutes.

The Austin Séance presents a lecture and demonstration on the spread of Spiritualism during the latter half of the 19th century. This event will include a demonstration of certain Spiritualism practices and techniques.

Award-winning historian Andrew Torget will chart the improbable rise of Galveston from an abandoned sandbar in 1836 to its emergence as the most important port city in the American Southwest.

Ney created iconic Texas figurative sculptures, while forging the young state’s intellectual underpinnings. Her salons, modeled after those she enjoyed in Berlin but held outdoors, became highly influential, a nexus for intellectual and political engagement in formative Austin.

The end of the 19th century saw the birth of numerous women's lineage organizations in the United States. We will explore the early history of all of these organizations and the ways in which their efforts shaped and continue to influence the field of historic preservation.

Filmmaker Jeff Kerr leads us on an entertaining look at Austin’s first streetlighting system that carried the city into the modern age.

The financial crash of 1893 created suffering throughout the United States. It also motivated fundamental changes in American politics and economy. Jeremi Suri, PhD, discuss the sources of the crash and its consequences.