Welcome to the Irving Heritage Society. 
We are based in the Heritage House, shown above.

     To learn about the Society and its activities, click HERE.
     To learn about the history of the City of Irving and also the Heritage House, click HERE.
     Click HERE for a list up future Society activities.
     A list of current officers, directors, and committee chairs are found HERE, plus an application for membership as well as a list of former presidents.
     Links to other Internet sites in Irving and those with a relation to history are found HERE.

Continue below for reports of current activities, photographs, and information of items for sale.

 


HERITAGE HOUSE TOURS

The Irving Heritage House will be open on Sunday, August 1, from 3pm - 5pm. Docent led tours will begin at 3pm and 4pm. Admission is free. Built in 1912 by C.P. Schulze, brother of one of Irving’s co-founders J.O. Schulze, the Heritage House is a restored pioneer home. This Texas State Historical Landmark is located at 303 S. O’Connor. Many beautiful antiques are throughout the Heritage House. Some of the furnishings include an 1840 clock, an organ (ca.1880), a square piano (ca.1860), Limoges, Sevres, and Bavarian porcelains, and many more items from the past. The house was built with a basement, a unique feature for homes in the area. 

Back by popular demand, the summer monthly tours of the Irving Heritage House will feature a display of the bridal gowns of yesteryear. Gowns dating from the 1880s to a mid-century informal gown from the 1950s will be displayed. The 1903 gown, coat, and shoes ensemble of Agnes Sueppel Schulze, wife of Irving co-founder J. O. Schulze will be included. The 1936 wedding gown of Catherine Schulze, shown above, and her bridesmaids’ gowns, the 1948 formal gown of Jean Werry and the 1950s wedding dress of Barbara Terrill will also be displayed. The 1880 gown is fashioned with a bustle.

HERITAGE SOCIETY PARTICIPATES IN CITY'S FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION

The Irving Heritage Society float in the downtown parade

Two Heritage Park buildings were open for the celebration. Here are the Caster Cabin greeters.

(Click HERE for more photos of the Fourth of July celebration in Heritage Park)

          The Depot clean-up crew - Kevin Kendro, Patti Owen, Cindy Santoscoy and son Sean 
(missing is Eleanor Bell, who took this picture)

(Click HERE for more pictures of the Depot workers, displays, and visitors.)

NEW OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS ELECTED FOR 2010-2011 TERM

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The Officers and New Directors of the Irving Heritage Society for the 2010-2011 term, elected at the General Meeting on May 16,  are shown here. Click here for the list of all Officers, Directors, and Committee Chairs. See twenty-five photographs of the meeting taken by Mary Higbie by clicking here.

On the back row are Treasurer Gary Schepf, Parliamentarian James Dickens, 3rd Vice-President (Projects) Sonya Watkins, and Historian Kevin Kendro. 

In the middle row from the left are Director Patti Owen, Director Cindy Santoscoy, Director Kelly Meagher, Corresponding Secretary Sue Haley Huffman, Recording Secretary Pam Engman, and Director Janice Carroll. 

The three on the front row are President-Elect Mary Moorman, President Eleanor Corry Bell, and 2nd Vice-President (Programs) Margie Stipes. 

Not shown are the 1st Vice-President (Membership) Esther Nachimson and New Director Patty Landers Caperton. The New Directors will serve from 2010 to 2013; Directors for the terms expiring in 2011 and 2012 are not included in the photograph.

IHS HONORED BY LA CIMA CLUB

On May 12, the La Cima club honored those who have received the John R. Hill, Jr., Legacy Award from the La Cima Club over the years.  This award is given annually to those individuals and/or organizations which are instrumental in pioneering and visionary achievements in the City of Irving, the Las Colinas Community, and/or the La Cima Club. The Irving Heritage Society received it in 2003.  The Matkins received it last year.

See photographs by Mary Higbie by clicking here.

6TH ANNUAL FISH FRY A HUGE SUCCESS

The Irving Heritage Society hosted their 6th annual fish fry on Friday, April 23.  It was declared to be the best one yet!!!  New friends as well as familiar faces mingled among the 350 guests. See photographs of the event taken by Mary Higbie here.

"CELEBRATING IRVING - THE CITY AND THE MAN"
 TRIVIA CONTEST WON BY TEAM REPRESENTING
 THE IRVING CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU

The final Trivia contest of the "Celebrating Irving - The City and The Man" was held on Sunday, April 25, 2010, at the Valley Ranch Library. Four teams competed, having won the top places after competing in the preliminaries held on March 27 in the Irving Arts Center Dupree Theater. The runner-up team was called The Irving Senior Arts Program; the other competing teams were the Henry Holmes Breakfast Forum and the Irving Public Library.

The winning ICVB team, seated, shown with their prizes, are Diana Pfaff, Ann Pfaff, Roland Medina, and Maura Gast. Standing behind are Dan Matkin, announcer, and Mary Higbie, organizer of the Celebration.

The Irving Heritage Society was awarded a grant from Humanities Texas for the “Celebrating Irving – The City And The Man” month long project. Humanities Texas is the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, which conducts and supports public programs in history, literature and philosophy, and other humanities disciplines. Funded for the event is also provided by the City of Irving through the Irving Arts Board.         

Additional photographs of the early activities of the Celebration events by Mary Higbie may be found here; additional photographs by Mary Higbie of the Trivia Contest Finals may be found here.

(NEW) The Irving Community Television Network (ICTN) has a two-and-a-half minute video presentation about the Trivia Contest, complete with many interviews. See it at http://irvingtx.swagit.com/play/05172010-55/0/ or click here. 

IRVING ISD OFFERS TWO ONLINE ACTIVITIES FOR
"CELEBRATING IRVING - THE CITY AND THE MAN"

For students in grades 4 - 8 (though other ages are welcome to participate as well) there are two online activities for the Celebrating Irving: The City and The Man event this April 2010.

Online Trivia - How much do you know about Irving-both the city and the man? Test your knowledge at this website. Click on the website below and then click on your grade level to begin. Hints or places to find the answer are given as well. Results will be pulled on May 1st or according to your school’s end date.

Places in Irving - The City of Irving has many places of interest. Visit some of them virtual through our google map. Note that some pictures take a little longer to load. Record what you see on the worksheet available here  You can have more than one place for each letter of the alphabet. There are a few letters without an answer. Turn your A-Z sheet into your school librarian. Enjoy our city!!!

PHOTOGRAPHS OF RECENT HERITAGE SOCIETY EVENTS

Photos of the Heritage Park Caster Cabin crew and other Fourth of July scenes - Click here

Photos of the cleanup. display, and visitors to the Depot at Heritage Park - Click here

Photos from the General Meeting and Installation of Officers on May 16, 2010 - Click here

Photos from the Heritage Valentine Tea on February 14, 2010 - Click Here

La Cima Antiques Road Show and Heritage Society Silent Auction on October 8, 2009 - Click here.

"Heritage House Ladies" after receiving High Spirited Citizens award on August 6, 2009 - Click here

SEATS FROM TEXAS STADIUM FOR SALE

Seat pairs removed from Texas Stadium in Irving have been made available to the Irving Heritage Society to sell to the public. These are in "as-is" condition and must be modified to be useful, as the legs had been attached to concrete walls. Several sources are available to provide legs, to be determined by the buyer. A Certificate of Authenticity will be provided with each pair of seats.  Purchase price is $100 for a pair of two seats. Call 972-252-3838 to order or for more information.

                                 

        Seat pairs for sale in "As-Is" condition.      Example of added support bracket

IRVING PICTORIAL HISTORY BOOK AND CENTENNIAL COOKBOOK PLUS OTHER ITEMS FOR SALE AT HALF PRICE OR LESS

        

"Irving, Texas, From Rails to Wings, 1903-2003" by Norma Stanton is available for $15 and "Irving, Texas, Centennial, 1903-2003, Cookbook and Family Histories" by Helen Ogden Widener is available for $10 from the Society. The fully-illustrated history book, over 200 pages, tells the story of the City of Irving, its people, and its growth over its first century. The 400-plus page cookbook has both history and recipes, with an added bonus of an interactive compact disc. Both books are bound hardback and were published by the City of Irving as part of its centennial celebration. These extra copies have been graciously donated by the City to the Society to help fund the upkeep of the Heritage House. Get yours at the Heritage House during the monthly tours or call 972-252-3838 to order your copies.

THE WHISTLE STOP NOW ONLINE

Click here to read the latest issue (June 2010) 

of the Irving Heritage Society Newsletter, THE WHISTLE STOP.

 
Click here to email Webmaster               Click here for Membership Application Form
Last updated on July 26, 2010                             Copyright © 2010 by the Irving Heritage Society. All rights reserved.