The office of County Surveyor is one that dates back to the early days of Texas.  Under the Republic of Texas, the County Surveyor was appointed by Congress. The Constitution of 1845 made the office elective for a two-year term, and in 1954, a constitutional amendment increased the term of office to four years. Over the years, as open land in Texas began to disappear, the importance of the office decreased and the office was left vacant in many counties. In Travis County, the office was abolished in 2001.

The duties of the County Surveyor included surveying land and recording and examining field notes of surveys made in the county. The County Surveyor made plats of all surveys in the county and transmitted sketches and field notes of the same to the Commissioner of the General Land Office, along with a list of all certificates or warrants on file in his office.

The collection consists of Surveyor’s Record books, Surveyor’s Record Index books, Surveyor’s Record File books, field notes, and assorted records.

Surveyor’s Record books, dating from 1838-1999, include surveys, plats, field notes, land warrants and scrips. The earliest records, those dating from 1838-1839, date prior to the formal establishment of Travis County, and are therefore referred to as Bastrop County records. Earlier records also include properties in counties outside Travis but within the Travis Land District. Volumes overlap in date, as several volumes were recorded in concurrently.

Surveyor’s Record Index books are organized alphabetically by grantee name, and refer to the information found in the Surveyor’s Record books. Many of the entries in the first three books are duplicated from one to the next. They include grantee name, number of acres, and a reference to the Surveyor’s Record volume and page number. Index Book Z is an index to Travis Land District records, and Index Book 6 is an index to Certificates of Survey.

Surveyor’s Record File Books, 1856-1907, are records of application to the County Surveyor for survey. Books 4, 5 and 6 have indexes included within the volumes; book 7 is not indexed.

Field notes are the primary record of the survey and are recorded at the time the fieldwork is being done. These loose records date from 1848-1930, but are scattered and incomplete and are not indexed.

Assorted records include materials relating to the disputed location of 4 leagues of Travis County school land in Throckmorton County, and undated blank forms used by the Surveyor’s office.

To view the collection finding aid, click here.  Please contact the Archivist at 512/854-4675 for more information or to view these records.

County Judge Sam Biscoe served as the Master of Ceremonies, and special presentations were given by Dwayne Holman, formerly of the Texas Association of Counties, and Judge Bob Perkins. Judge Perkins, the second longest-serving judge in Travis County history, has served a combined 36 years as a Justice of the Peace, County Court at Law Judge, and District Court Judge.  Mr. Holman and Judge Perkins spoke on the history, development and importance of county government in Texas and in Travis County.

Nearly 300 photographs of county elected officials throughout history were on display at the History Day event.  The Travis County History Day committee sincerely thanks the current and former officials and family members who helped us in gathering so many images.  Most of the images are now also part of the Travis County Archives collections.  We welcome any further additions of photographs and images of elected officials to the Archives.

Also on display at the event were some of our county’s earliest election records, campaign memorabilia, short histories of each elected office, and the names of all individuals who have served in those offices. Nearly 1,000 individuals have served as elected officials in Travis County history.

History Day was a great success, and many current and former elected officials were in attendance, including F.W. “Joe” Horton, the last County Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Rubert Ceder, a former Commissioner who served in the 1960s.  We are grateful for everyone who came out to celebrate History Day with us!

Special thanks and recognition go out to the sponsors of Travis County History Day: the Austin Bar Association, the Travis County Archives, and the Travis County Historical Association.  The support of these organizations has been instrumental in the success of Travis County History Day.

Please click here to view photos from the event.

Parking for History Day will be available in the 700 Lavaca parking garage.  Visitor parking is located on the second floor; any other unmarked spots may also be utilized – parking tickets can be validated at the event.

Travis County History Day has proven to be a wonderful opportunity to learn about and to celebrate our rich history.  This history is due in part to the hundreds of individuals who have served as elected officials since Travis County’s establishment in 1840.  Elected officials have helped shape Travis County into what it is today, and the valuable contributions of these individuals are to be commemorated and celebrated.  We want to thank all current and former elected officials for their dedication to the citizens of Travis County.

Travis County Judge Sam Biscoe will serve as Master of Ceremonies.  Judge Bob Perkins, renowned for his decades of service as a Justice of the Peace, County Court at Law Judge, and District Judge, will be the featured speaker. Dwayne Holman, formerly the Judicial Education Director for the Texas Association of Counties, will also speak at the event.

A variety of historical photographs, documents and artifacts will be on display, including photographs of elected officials throughout Travis County history.

We invite all past and present elected officials to join us for this special occasion.  We also welcome family members and members of the public. The reception is sponsored by the Austin Bar Association and the Travis County Historical Commission.

Call for Photographs

In preparation for this event, the History Day planning committee is gathering photographs of current and former elected officials.  The images will be used in History Day exhibits, and if desired, a copy will be preserved in the Travis County Archives.

If you are a current or former elected official, we welcome you to submit a portrait of yourself, either in print or high resolution digital format, for inclusion in the event.  If you are the family member of a former elected official, we invite you to submit any photographs (from their time in office, if possible) that you might have.  Images can be in print or digital format.

Please submit any images by September 15, 2011.  Digital images can be sent by email to the Travis County Archivist.  To submit printed photographs, please call 512-854-4675 for more information.  We thank you for your assistance and contribution to this event!