BRAZOS PAST: Waco goes to work
By Terri Jo Ryan
Tribune-Herald staff writer
This Labor Day weekend, Brazos Past pauses to acknowledge the working folk of Waco’s past, and the myriad occupations they had. From frontier blacksmiths and saddle makers to 20th century office clerks, all have had a role to play in the development of this city.
About the photographers
Lewis Wickes Hine (1874-1940), a sociologist who used his skills as a photographer to bring societal ills to public attention, gained fame for documenting child laborers working long hours in dangerous conditions. In 1911, the National Child Labor Committee hired him to further explore such conditions across the country, and he included Waco in his stops.
In November 1939, photographer Russell Lee (1903-1986) visited Waco and took dozens of pictures for the Farm Security Administration, a federal agency charged with documenting the lives of people during the Great Depression.
Sources: Library of Congress; the Texas State Library and Archives Commission; Handbook of Texas Online; ArtCyclopedia.com; National Child Labor Committee archives.
90 Years Over Waco
“90 Years over Waco,” a free presentation of the Waco History Project, will take place at 7 p.m. Sept. 20 at the Lions Den, 1716 N. 42nd St. in Waco.
The Lions Den once was the airport terminal to historic Rich Field, the World War I Army aviation base.
The legacy of Rich Field, Waco Army Air Field, Blackland Army Air Base and Connally Air Force Base will be explored through words and photos from Wilton Lanning Jr., Waco Regional Airport manager Richard Howell and others. For more information, visit WacoHistoryProject.org.
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