Gary Blevins Collection

Named Collections > B > Blevins, Gary

Summary: Photographer and Texas Christian University graduate (Class of 1962) Gary Blevins gave the following photographs, post cards, documents, family memorabilia, books and artifacts dating mostly to early 20th century Fort Worth from the Blevins Family collection. Donor's father, Herbert Leslie Blevins, worked as a chauffeur; his maternal grandfather was a conductor for the Texas and Pacific Railway Company. The donor also donated photographs he took while volunteering for Historic Fort Worth Inc. and the Junior League of Fort Worth in the early 1970's.  

View the Gary Blevins Collection image gallery.

Artifacts:

  • Metal business plaque with hook, Stork's Nest and Specialty Shop, 108 West Sixth St., Lamar 4238, circa 1920. The Stork's Nest was a children's clothing shop owned by Mrs. Jessie V. McKinley that specialized in hand sewn fine children's wear according to the 1920 Fort Worth City Directory. (Image shown)
  • Pin: Texas Licensed Chauffeur, No. 98229, 1936
  • Pin: Texas Licensed Chauffeur, No. 76252, undated
  • Pin: "Shoo" Fly, undated
  • Pin: Southwestern Exposition and Fat Stock Show, Fort Worth, 1920

Post Cards:

  • "Beautiful Lake Erie. On the Interurban between Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas." Post mark date on back: 1911. Card addressed to Mr. T. L. Snow
  • "High School, Fort Worth, Texas." Postmark 1911. Card addressed to Mr. T. L. Snow, Quanah, Texas. Note: This building burned December 2, 1910.
  • "Sanatorium from airplane." No date, no other attribution. Note:  Fort Worth had Elmwood Sanatorium at this time, but the buildings and site don't match the known plans for Elmwood.
  • St. Nicholas standing in front of a fireplace decorated with stockings. On back is message from the officers and directors of the Stockyards National Bank, Fort Worth. Date unknown, early 1900's.

Stork's Nest and Specialy Shop, 1920

Pictured: Stork's Nest and Specialty Shop, 1920

Family Documents and Memorabilia:

  1. Chauffeur's License, # 87558, Department of Public Safety, Texas, for Herbert Leslie Blevins, (donor's father), 1941-1942
  2. War Ration Book One, U.S.A., for Mary L. Kimberling, (donor's great aunt) 1942
  3. Riverside Junior High School, report card, 1931-1932 for Herbert Blevins, 7th grade
  4. Business card: George Nelson, Retired Conductor, Texas and Pacific Railway Company. Nelson was donor's maternal grandfather
  5. Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen Traveling Card: G. A. Nelson, Paris, Texas, May 16, 1905. Paris Lodge # 584
  6. Southern Pacific Co. Trip Pass: G. A. Nelson and wife. From El Paso to Los Angeles, 1946
  7. Atcheson, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway System pass for G. A. Nelson and wife, from San Diego to Los Angeles. March 1946
  8. Texas and Pacific Railway Co. Employee's Trip Pass, G. A. Nelson and wife, from Fort Worth to El Paso (good from March - June, 1946)
  9. Identification card: G A Nelson
  10. Registration Certificate (draft) for G A Nelson, September 1918
  11. Great Northern Railway card calendar for 1940
  12. Postcard: Texas and Pacific locomotive # 904 (27 Years of Progress of T and P RY. Co. c. 1896
  13. "Conductor Bids Goodbye to # 11 after 40 Years", Fort Worth Star-Telegram, November 1, 1945
  14. "George Nelson, 70, retired T and P Conductor, is Dead" undated newspaper clipping. c. April 16, 1946
  15. "George A. Nelson" obituary, undated and unidentified newspaper, hand-dated April 16, 1946
  16. Explanatory note of family names with a Xeroxed copy of Nelson obituary
  17. "Gray Gets 5 Hits for His Young One-Armed Fan" September 14, 1944
  18. Correspondence: W. G. Vollmer to George Nelson, November 5, 1945
  19. Correspondence: A. J. Chester to O. W. Blocker, August 1, 1933 and O. W. Blocker to A. J. Chester, July 29, 1933
  20. Correspondence: V-Mail Christmas 1943, from Lt. Lloyd S. Blevins to Gary Blevins, from Australia. Writer was a member of the 8th Cavalry
  21. "Memories better with age" by Gary Blevins Class of 62. The TCU Magazine, Winter 1997
  22. "He sang to me" by Gary Blevins Class of 1962. The TCU Magazine, Fall 2000
  23. "Part of the People Power team at Texas Electric"  advertisement photographs by donor

 

Family Photographs:

  1. George and Bessie Nelson, sepia, torn, written in ink on back: Geo/Bessie Nelson
  2. Bessie Nelson with son, Bobby, sepia. Written in black ink on back: 3-15-31; written in red ink: Bobby and Bessie Nelson
  3. Eileen Blevins, donor's mother. 5 years old, 12-29-24
  4. Sailors on a train (going home for a 10-day leave), Herb Blevins is in 2nd seat, in white, on right (early 1940's?)
  5. Herb and Eileen Blevins, street shot
  6. Gary Blevins on a pony, at 3729 Race Street, late 1930's?
  7. Gary Blevins with mother, Eileen, on downtown street. October 10, 1943
  8. Gary Blevins with grandmother, Elizabeth Zwatchka Blevins, date unknown

 

Documentary Photographs: The following photographs were taken by donor while volunteering for project of Historic Fort Worth, Inc. and Junior League of Fort Worth in the early 1970's:

  1. Robert McCart House, 5028 Bryce, black and white photo
  2. Robert McCart House, portion of porch with Texas historical marker
  3. Robert McCart House, view from window showing broken panes
  4. Detail along floor of cabinet, showing locked cabinet. Location is unknown
  5. Stairwell at Ball, Eddleman, McFarland House, 1110 Penn Street
  6. Ball, Eddleman, McFarland House, 1110 Penn, exterior
  7. Knights of Pythias Bldg., 315 Main Street, showing knight in his niche and part of upper windows
  8. Land Title Block Bldg., 111 E. Fourth Street (at Commerce), detail of bas-relief over doorway on Commerce
  9. Texas Electric plant on N. Main, with smokestacks and Reddy Killowatt
  10. Westbrook Hotel barber shop with Shorty the shoeshine man
  11. Fourth and Main, from corner of Westbrook, looking east in mirror at Prince Jewelry
  12. Texas Electric public relations team: George Hedrick, Myron Reed, Jim Byrd, Hooper Sanders, and Jack A. Harris. 4th floor in Texas Electric Bldg. early 1970's
  13.  Beeman Fisher, president of Texas Electric