SHSU Civil War Consortium

09/11/2026

Yesterday we were honored to host Mike Vorenberg, the winner of this year's Tom Watson Brown Book Award and Nau Prize, for our Constitution Day Lecture. Mike gave a fascinating talk on Constitutional issues related to the "end" of the Civil War.

09/10/2026

This past June, the inaugural Sam Houston State University Civil War Consortium Summer Symposium brought nationally recognized historians, students, alumni and educators together to explore the legacy of the American Revolution and Civil War.

Held at the Don E. & Katy Walker Education Center, the symposium, themed “Four Score and Seven Years Later: Civil War Americans and the Legacy of the Revolution,” featured discussions on nationalism, memory, African American participation, wartime atrocities and more.

Led by consortium co-directors Brian Matthew Jordan and Evan C. Rothera, the event extended learning beyond the classroom while creating opportunities for students and alumni to connect with leading scholars in the field.

The Civil War Consortium is the only academic center for the study of the Civil War west of the Mississippi River, hosting lectures, workshops, visiting historians and an emerging scholars program throughout the year. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/4xajVib

09/09/2026

Thrilled that Pulitzer Prize winning historian Caleb McDaniel will be joining our summer symposium faculty! Registration is now open!

09/07/2026

Thanks to Chris Mackowski for inviting our co-directors to share a bit about our founding and our future!

Sam Houston State University in Hunstville, Texas, has launched a n...

08/21/2026

Rice University historian Fay Yarbrough will join the faculty of the 2027 Summer Symposium to talk about her prize winning book on Choctaw Confederates and the Civil War in the Indian Territory! Join us June 18-19, 2027, at the Sam Houston Memorial Museum!

07/23/2026

Over the coming days, we'll be announcing next year's SHSU Civil War Consortium Summer Symposium faculty. We're excited to announce that historian Linda Barnickel will join us to discuss her book on the Battle of Milliken's Bend! Next year's symposium, "Dark and Bloody Ground: The Civil War West of the Mississippi," takes place June 18-19, 2027, at the Sam Houston Memorial Museum.

07/14/2026

SHSU Civil War Consortium's graduate student Kayleigh Berger spent her summer interning for the Walker County Historical Commission. She installed an exhibit on Rep. Richard Williams, the formerly enslaved man who served in the Texas legislature during Reconstruction, at the Gibbs Powell Home. A new Texas Historical Marker for Rep. Williams has been unveiled on the Walker County Courthouse lawn. We are proud of Kayleigh and all those working to tell the story of the Civil War and Reconstruction in Walker County and beyond!

07/09/2026

Thrilled to be co-hosting our friend Mike Vorenberg, whose latest book won the Nau Book Prize and was runner-up for this year's Lincoln Prize!

Excited to announce our Fall 2026 Constitution Day Lecture!

Dr. Michael Vorenberg of Brown University will discuss his book "Lincoln's Peace: The Struggle to End the Civil War".

We hope you can join us!

07/09/2026

Looking forward to this event, made possible by the work of so many SHSU Civil War Consortium affiliate faculty. And our graduate student Kayleigh Berger has curated an exhibit on Representative Williams at the Gibbs-Powell House!

Excited for this historic event next Tuesday, and especially proud of our graduate student and Journal of Southern History intern Kayleigh Berger, who has curated an exhibit on Rep. Williams at the Gibbs-Powell House!

06/16/2026

Co-Director Brian Matthew Jordan and SHSU President Alisa White signed the SHSU Civil War Consortium Enrichment Endowment at this year's Summer Symposium!