HISTORIC PRESERVATION LINKS US TO OUR PAST

“How will we know it’s us without our past?”
— John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath

This great American author understood the importance of knowing about the men and women and the events that came before us. Steinbeck knew that understanding where we came from would help us understand who we are today.  For Texans, the stories of the Alamo and the Texas Revolution teach the ideas of self-reliance, independence, and pride—characteristics that we still appreciate and foster today. Being able to see the buildings, look at the documents, and hear the stories of our past not only honors our ancestors, it protects these great gifts for the next generation.

HISTORIC PRESERVATION BOOSTS THE TEXAS ECONOMY

According to statistics, tourism is the third largest industry in the state, and heritage tourism—travel directed toward experiencing the heritage of an area—is an important component of that mix.
According to the state’s department of Economic Development and Tourism:

• One in every 20 Texas employees work in the travel industry
• Travelers spend more than $113 million in Texas every day
• Without tourism, each family in the state would pay an additional $650 in taxes.

Simply put, it makes good economic sense to save—and share—our unique historic resources with travelers who want to learn about the Lone Star State, and in doing so, make an important contribution to the financial well-being of Texas.