The immensely popular 2022 Preservation Dallas Summer Sizzlers series kicks off on July 14 at the Wilson Carriage House. If you’ve never attended a Summer Sizzler, you’re in for a treat.
Preservation Dallas draws on the expertise of local historians, preservationists, restoration experts, museum directors, and archaeologists (to name just a few) to share their insights in a series of educational lectures every Thursday night for six weeks.
The Summer Sizzlers series was founded in 2002 by former Preservation Dallas Director Dwayne Jones to educate, inspire, and engage members and non-members on topics that have an element of fun, intrigue, and, of course, nostalgia.
“This year, we are excited to bring some topics that have not been covered in our programming before, like wet plate photography, art conservation, and the women’s suffrage movement in Dallas,” Membership and Program Director Jennifer Solomon said. “Attendees will also learn about all of the former headquarters for Dr Pepper. Most people know about the Mockingbird plant, but not as many know about the bottling plant and headquarters located on the edge of Deep Ellum, which is a Dallas Landmark building today. We asked our former director David Preziosi to do an encore presentation of his lecture on historic dining establishments in Dallas, which was very popular at the Legacies Conference this past January. Finally, our Cemeteries of Dallas tour last Fall showed us there was a great deal of interest among our members in cemetery history and preservation, so we will have a session about the various symbols found in cemeteries and hidden stories you can uncover when you know what to look for. All our lectures will take place inside the Wilson Carriage House, a pleasant refuge from the summer heat!
Here’s a sneak peek at the first two in the series:
Session 1
Not Organizing for the Fun of It: Suffrage, War, and Dallas Women in 1918
Thursday, July 14 | Wilson Carriage House | 6 p.m.
Who were the local activists fighting for women’s right to vote? During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, women’s clubs became a center of social life and activism. By March 1918, Dallas women won the right to vote in Texas primaries and radically changed one prominent politician’s views on suffrage. Local scholar Melissa Prycer tells us about these Dallas legends — and who we should thank each time we cast a ballot!
Session 2
An Eclipse, a Murder, and the Wet Plate Collodion Photographic Process in Dallas
Thursday, July 21 | Wilson Carriage House | 6 pm
In 1873, train service came to Dallas. Along with it came a British photographer named Alfred Freeman, who introduced the wet plate collodion photographic process to a town bustling with the spirit of progress. Join local photographer John Hall of Rodeo Tintype as he discusses Freeman, the history and methods of the wet plate process, and the current “wet plate revival,” including a demonstration of the 19th Century magic before your eyes!
Individual sessions are $10 each for current members of Preservation Dallas and $20 each session for non-members. Save money by purchasing all six Summer Sizzlers sessions as a bundle!
You can register here.
