Today we’d like to introduce you to James Glassman.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I founded the history advocacy group Houstorian in 2006 as a response to the perceived public indifference to preserving Houston history, especially among younger Houstonians, and newly-arrived Houstonians. As a forward-looking community, we love new, but we tend to forget our past. Put another way, Houston suffers from collective amnesia. Houstorian’s mission is nothing short of changing the way Houstonians look at their own city and curing that amnesia. Houstorian seeks to deepen and enrich both local’s and visitor’s understanding of this history-rich community. Houstorian is active, loud, and always looking for new ways to put Houston’s history in everyone’s heads and hearts.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Houstorian has been a daily job, but social media has been a great way for Houstorian to find our audience. We love to share Today in Houston History tweets and find historic images for Instagram.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Houstorian – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
We like to say we’re Houston’s loudest preservation group — we certainly have more social media followers than the other preservation and history groups. We’re proud that we re-introduced the blue and white curb tiles. From our founding, we’ve used the vintage tiles in our branding, and are excited that so many others have fallen in love with them since then!
We are known for our Today in Houston History tweets and our sly t-shirt designs. Last fall, we were honored to be featured at the Main Street Marquee.
But, we are most proud of the community’s recognition of the beloved, erstwhile landmark Astrodome. Harris County owns it and is working towards ensuring that it remains a contributing member to Greater Houston.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Houstorian is always looking for new ways to show Houstonians their own history. The answer to the riddle “what is a Houstonian” can be found in our collective history.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.houstorian.org
- Instagram: houstorian
- Twitter: @houstorian
Image Credit:
Glassman photo by Jared Margolis
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
