Our Collections
Special Collections holds items related to
- history
- urban and ethnic studies
- literature
- folklore
- art
- photography
- government
- anthropology
- sociology
- education
- the sciences
- business
Our collection contains
- over 20,000 books, periodicals, and other printed primary and secondary items
- an estimated 9,000 linear feet of archives and manuscript materials, including photographs and oral history interviews
- thousands of maps, many of which document the surveying and development of South Texas
- manuscript materials and university records in digital formats as well
Manuscript collections
Special Collections and Archives has a growing body of papers of individuals, organizations, and institutions that reflects the development of our urban area and surrounding region. Such records include those of civic and political leaders, business people, writers, as well as everyday families. Visit our online finding aids to search and browse our manuscript collections.
Find out more about our flagship collections
- Daniel E. Kilgore Collection
- over fifty linear feet of documents as well as a seminal body of Texas books and documents assembled by Daniel E. Kilgore (1921-1995), who was a longtime certified public account in Corpus Christi, renown Texana collector, and past president of the Texas State Historical Association. General topics include Texas and South Texas, Mexican Americans, Mexico, ranching, county and city growth.
- Dr. Hector P. Garcia Papers
- Corpus Christi physician, founder of the American G.I. Forum, and legendary community leader, Dr. Hector P. Garcia was active in political and civic affairs for over fifty years. He ranks as one of the most important figures in Mexican American history. His papers comprise one of the most valuable resources in existence on the Mexican-American experience during the last half of the twentieth century. Dr. Garcia's papers contain his voluminous archives dealing with the American G.I. Forum which he began in 1948 and cover the major issues faced by Mexican Americans during his career as a champion of civil rights.
- Charles F. H. von Blucher Family Papers
- the records of an eminent pioneer family of Nueces County surveyors. Beginning with Felix and Maria von Blucher during the nineteenth century, the Blucher Family Papers contain valuable, hand-drawn maps, as well as other business and personal records spanning several generations. The Blucher Papers also include the Conrad Blucher Surveying Collection comprised of maps and field notes dealing with South Texas that reflect the work of the Blucher surveyors over the years.
University Archives
Special Collections and Archives also houses select university records and printed items such as university catalogs, campus newspapers, and student annuals. We have materials from these university incarnations:
- University of Corpus Christi (1947-1973)
- Texas A&I University at Corpus Christi (1973-1977)
- Corpus Christi State University (1977-1993)
- Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (1993-present)
Print publications
Special Collections and Archives contains books on Corpus Christi, South Texas, and Mexico as it relates to the history of Texas. Most of our books are accessible through Bell Library's online catalog. The department also holds copies of periodicals and newspapers published in South Texas and northern Mexico, some of which are on microfilm.
Digital collections
Selected items from our manuscript and photograph collections and University Archives have been digitized. These items are freely available online in the TAMU-CC Repository. Our digital exhibits help tell the story of some of our digitized materials.