Texas Day by Day

Find out what happened in Texas history.

Gospel singing convention established

124 years ago today on April 28th, 1900

Day by Day image

On this day in 1900 the Southwest Texas Sacred Harp Singing Convention was organized at McMahan, ten miles east of Lockhart. Sacred harp music is a religious folk music that derives its name from Benjamin Franklin White's The Sacred Harp (1844). It features a cappella singing of white spirituals written in shaped notes. The sacred harp is the human voice. Although all-day singings with dinner on the grounds are not as widespread as before World War II, they regularly occur in East Texas. The two oldest and largest annual events are the Southwest Texas Convention at McMahan, held in the spring, and the East Texas Sacred Harp Singing Convention in Henderson, organized in 1914 and held in August. Sacred harp singings traditionally were (in some places, still are) a part of a community's homecoming celebration, in which the church was of major importance.

Share this entry on Social Media:

Related entries in our Handbook of Texas:

Prairie chicken namesake born in England

169 years ago today on April 28th, 1854

Day by Day image

On this day in 1854, Henry Philemon Attwater was born in Brighton, England. He immmigrated in 1873 to Canada, where he soon became interested in natural history. During 1884 Attwater collected specimens in Bexar County, where he befriended Gustave Toudouze. In 1889 Attwater moved with his family to Sherman and then to San Antonio; in 1900 he moved to Houston to become the agricultural and industrial agent for the Southern Pacific Railroad. In 1907 Attwater and Mervyn Bathurst Davis served on the committee that recommended passage of legislation requiring hunting licenses in Texas, with all revenues from licenses and fines to be used solely for game protection and propagation. Attwater retired in 1913 to devote himself to the study of natural history. During the 1920s he sold his collection to the Witte Museum in San Antonio. Attwater's greater prairie chicken (Tympanuchus cupido attwateri) is one of several species named in his honor. Attwater died in 1931.

Share this entry on Social Media:

Related entries in our Handbook of Texas:

handbook of texas logo

Want more? Get the book!

From Cabeza de Vaca's ship-wreck in 1528 through the Texas Revolution to present day—almost 500 years of recorded history—a myriad of significant events in Texas history have occurred. These events are arranged by day of the year to allow the reader to see into the past on any specific day.

Now Available!
Texas on This Day book cover image
Texas on this Day: 500 Years of History
texas day by day logo
*No membership required, but donations are welcome to help cover the costs.

Recent & Upcoming Anniversaries

The following entries have anniversaries that occurred this month or will occur in the next

470th Anniversary

335th Anniversary

325th Anniversary

315th Anniversary

245th Anniversary

205th Anniversary

200th Anniversary

195th Anniversary

185th Anniversary

180th Anniversary

175th Anniversary

170th Anniversary

160th Anniversary

155th Anniversary

150th Anniversary

145th Anniversary

135th Anniversary

130th Anniversary

125th Anniversary

120th Anniversary

105th Anniversary

100th Anniversary

90th Anniversary

85th Anniversary

80th Anniversary

75th Anniversary

60th Anniversary

55th Anniversary

45th Anniversary

40th Anniversary

25th Anniversary

tsha logo
legacy of texas logo
texas almanac logo

Be the first to know

Sign up for our newsletter, Especially Texan, and stay up to date on all things Texas.