The Liberty County Historical Commission has once again been recognized for its efforts to preserve and promote local history, receiving the 2025 Distinguished Service Award from the Texas Historical Commission. This year marks the 14th consecutive year that the LCHC has earned the award.
The award is presented annually to county historical commissions that demonstrate excellence in preserving local history, educating the public and carrying out projects that support the mission of the Texas Historical Commission. Liberty County was one of only 62 counties statewide to receive the recognition for work completed during 2025.
Representing the Liberty County Historical Commission during the recognition were Chair Linda Jamison, Vice Chair Roberta Thornton and her husband, Neal Thornton, and Secretary Beverly Davis. The Liberty County Commissioners Court on Tuesday, June 9, acknowledged the achievement with a proclamation presented by County Judge Jay Knight. State Rep. Janis Holt also joined the celebration, presenting a recognition from her office.
While the award highlights the commission’s accomplishments over the past year, Jamison said much of the organization’s work takes place behind the scenes.
“We’ve always have a lot going on,” Jamison said.
One of those ongoing efforts involves helping people from across the country trace their family roots. Jamison said she frequently receives phone calls, emails and text messages from individuals researching ancestors who once lived in or passed through Liberty County.
“I get telephone calls all the time from people that are out of state, primarily, that are working on their family history, genealogy, and at one point or another, their ancestors either came through Liberty County or stayed here and died here, and they can’t find records,” she said.
Using the commission’s extensive collection of cemetery records and historical documents, Jamison often assists researchers who are unable to travel to Liberty County themselves.
“They’re most appreciative when they are miles off and can’t get to the records that are available here,” she said.
Cemetery preservation remains another major focus of the commission’s work. Jamison said members continue to work on the preservation of Anderson Cemetery, a project she expects will continue for several years.
“That’s going to be a multi-year preservation project, and it’s going very well,” she said.
The commission has also expanded its efforts to bring local history directly to residents through guided historic walking tours. Recent tours through Liberty have attracted strong participation from community members interested in learning more about the city’s past.
Liberty, which is recognized as the third-oldest town in Texas, offers a wealth of historic sites and stories that make it ideal for such tours, Jamison said.
A recent walking tour focused on locations that had not been highlighted during previous events. One stop included the old Liberty Post Office, where participants learned about former school sites and a unique piece of New Deal-era history that many residents may not realize exists.
Jamison explained that during the Great Depression, the Works Progress Administration established by then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935, funded artists to create murals depicting Texas history for public buildings across the state. Liberty was selected to participate in the program, and a mural was installed in the city’s original post office on North Main Street.
When the current post office was constructed, the mural was carefully removed and relocated to the new building.
“When you go through the double doors, it’s easy to miss because it’s up high,” Jamison said. “If you don’t know of that mural and you haven’t seen it, please go in and take a look. It’s just magnificent.”
Jamison said educating residents about local history remains one of the commission’s primary goals.
“Calling the citizens’ attention to local history is a primary focus that we have,” she said.
The commission plans to continue offering walking tours and hopes to eventually expand them beyond Liberty to communities such as Dayton and Cleveland.
“So watch,” Jamison said. “We’ll be doing more tours and watch for those and join us.”
I would love to see them do the Cemetery Tours that I believe they did back several years ago.