The foundation of my research for my project to write the biography of Congressman Hatton W. Sumners of Dallas (1875-1962) is his papers that reside in the archives of the Dallas Historical Society in its headquarters building, the Hall of State at Fair Park in Dallas.
But I have a sad tale about my archive, and potentially the Sumners Papers. The archivists had been reopening for one researcher at a time, and I had an appointment for yesterday! BUT the recent polar weather that inflicted itself on essentially all the State of Texas also specifically harmed the Hall of State. The building had just completed a wonderful restoration and upgrading but suffered massive damage when the fire suppression system piping froze and ruptured (the system was supposed to be protected by heaters but the state’s grid, ERCOT, turned off the electricity). As a result, the Hall of State flooded, including the subbasement in which Sumners’s papers are housed. The building is closed.
Impressive rescue operations at the Hall of State are underway: recenthttps://www.dallasnews.com/arts-entertainment/visual-arts/2021/02/26/a-stab-in-the-heart-storm-damage-at-fair-parks-hall-of-state-put-rare-artifacts-in-peril/
No word yet specifically on the Sumners Papers....I’m hoping for the best....