‘Keeping Texas German Alive’ Presentation at Fayette Public Library
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In her work with the Texas German Dialect Project, Dr. Blevins has been helping the Fayette Heritage Museum and Archives transcribe and translate the fascinating 1870s diary kept by Gustav A. Heilig, who first came to Fayette County to teach at the rural Bluff School.
The Fayette Heritage Museum and Archives is pleased to bring another interesting program in their speaker series to the Fayette Public Library. Dr. Margo Blevins will present her program, “Noch ein bisschen Deutsch: Keeping Texas German Alive,” on Thursday evening, June 18 at 6:30 p.m.
Texas has a German-speaking past that many people never knew existed — and the Texas German Dialect Project (TGDP) has spent nearly 25 years making sure it isn’t forgotten.
Dr. Blevins will survey the TGDP’s ongoing efforts: a growing archive of oral history interviews available to the public and collaborations with institutions like the Fayette Heritage Museum and Archives in La Grange to digitize historical letters and diaries.
Together they have been working on a transcription and translation of Gustav Heilig’s 1870s diary — a window into the life of a Bluff School teacher, Turner (gymnast), and, later, editor of the La Grange Deutsche Zeitung. Heilig, who immigrated to Texas as a child, was a member of virtually all of the numerous German heritage organizations active in the La Grange area in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Dr. Blevins will also preview the TGDP’s Texas German Dictionary, exploring the question: what does Texas German food and drink vocabulary reveal about the culture and history?
Margo Blevins is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Texas at Austin, working as a Project Manager for the Texas German Dialect Project. Her interest in Texas German began in 2012, resulting in her getting a Masters and Ph.D. on related topics. Her work focuses on the linguistics of Texas German and how to make records of it more accessible.
Blevins has been with the Texas German Dialect Project for 10 years and has given almost 50 presentations and lectures about the project and the language, both in Texas and internationally. She is also the current president of the German-Texan Heritage Society.
Her program will be held in the meeting room of the Fayette Public Library, Museum and Archives at 855 S. Jefferson in La Grange. Please use the after-hours door to the meeting room at the rear of the building along Franklin Street.