Atlas Data

The data available in the Atlas and Archives include site information on more than 150,000 sites in more than 30 separate databases. The data were transcribed directly from the original forms, and are unfiltered and unedited. The Texas Historical Commission makes no guarantee or warranties to the accuracy or completeness of the data depicted on this web site or the data from which it was produced. Please report any data errors or technical issues with this web site to the Atlas team using the error reporting tool for the specific data or at atlas@thc.texas.gov.

Official Texas Historical Markers are perhaps the state’s most visible and familiar form of historical record. More than 16,000 people, events and places have been thus commemorated, most notably during the 1936 Texas Centennial and through the current marker program beginning in 1962. In 1996, the Texas Historical Commission (THC) launched a two-year project, called Historical Markers 2000, to inventory, photograph and repair these monuments. For more information: THC State Historical Markers Program

Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks (RTHLs) are a type of Official Texas Historical Marker. RTHLs are properties judged to be historically and architecturally significant and must be at least 50 years old. This is a designation that comes with a measure of protection under state law. The purchase and display of the RTHL marker is a required component of the designation process.

Cemeteries are important keys to Texas’ past. They are reminders of settlement patterns and reveal information about historic events, religion, lifestyles, and genealogy. Cemeteries range from single, isolated and often unmarked graves to expansive cemeteries spanning hundreds of acres and reaching up to hundreds of thousands of burials. Efforts to identify, locate, protect and preserve these endangered cemeteries remain a goal of the THC and our many partners around the state.

The Historic Texas Cemetery (HTC) designation was developed in 1998 and is an official recognition of family and community graveyards. The designation imposes no restrictions on private owners’ use of the land adjacent to the cemetery or the daily operations of the cemetery. Currently, there are more than 1700 HTCs in the Historic Sites Atlas.

The vicinity cemeteries GIS data contains very general areas where a cemetery location was reported at one time, but the exact location is unknown. Research for these vicinity circles was conducted in 2000-2005 by historians contracted by the THC. These historians researched maps and county anthologies and worked with county historical commissions and local informants. If, at that time, an exact location could not be confirmed, a circle was hand-drawn on a USGS map and linked to a Word document. In most cases, the locational information was never historically mapped on USGS maps, county highway maps, or other local history maps. Many were simple described as, “on the Old McDonald Place” with no other description. In other cases:
  • headstones or other above-ground evidence may have been removed
  • graves within a cemetery were reportedly moved, but additional graves may remain
  • the cemetery was plotted on a small-scale map such that an exact location or confirmation could not be determined without field investigations
  • a Notice of Unverified Cemetery may have been filed, but the location has not been investigated
  • or, in rare cases, the cemetery may have been plotted on a USGS map and later determined to either a memorial with no associated grave, a columbarium, a pet cemetery, or other associated feature that is not protected under Texas code.
Cemetery vicinity locations were digitized into the Atlas by THC staff. Source information and supporting documentation may be available through the THC’s Cemetery Program. Please contact Jenny McWilliams at jenny.mcwilliams@thc.texas.gov to see if additional documentation is available.

Information on current and past Texas County Courthouses.

Texas is home to more than 2,000 museums. Whether housed in a historic structure or a state-of-the art new building, each one is dedicated to telling the story of a community’s unique history. The list of museums in this database continues to grow. This is not a complete list of Texas museums. Any museum can contact Museum Services Program staff to learn how to add a museum to this database. The information is provided by each museum and is kept up to date by the museum. Changes and updates to museum listings can be submitted through the Report Error function on the Atlas.

The National Park Service (NPS) maintains the National Register of Historic Places, the nation's official list of properties significant in American history, architecture and archeology. More than 3,200 properties and sites in Texas have been added to this list, providing a comprehensive and growing index of Texas' cultural resources. For more information: THC National Register of Historic Places Program

Nationally significant historic places designated by the Secretary of the Interior because they possess exceptional value of quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States. Currently, there are 49 National Historic Landmarks in Texas including National Historic Park, Monument, Memorial, or Historic Sites.

State Antiquities Landmarks (SALs) are designated by the THC and receive legal protection under the Antiquities Code of Texas. Listing in the National Register is a prerequisite for SAL designation of a building or structure, although some designations predate this requirement. Only SALs with an architectural component—including buildings, structures, sites, objects, and districts—are included in the Atlas. Information about designated archeological sites is not available to the general public to protect the sites from vandalism and destruction. Currently there are over 300 SALs in the Historic Sites Atlas.

To locate properties worthy of nomination to the National Register, cities, communities, and organizations spend thousands of hours surveying local historical neighborhoods and downtown shopping districts. The Atlas contains survey information on more than 150,000 historic and cultural resources statewide. Please note that this data reflect the state of the property at the time the survey was conducted, and may no longer be correct. A particular structure may have changed owners, been renovated, or may have been torn down after the time of the survey. For more information: THC Historic Resources Survey