Texas Treasure Historic Business award nominations sought

Do you own or know of a business that has served its community for 50 years or more? If so, then nominate them for the Texas Treasures Business Award.

Nominations are processed quarterly on Feb. 1, May 1, Aug. 1, and Nov. 1.

The Texas Treasure Business Award program is an initiative of the Community Heritage Division and is overseen by the Texas Historical Commission. Created in 2005 by Senate Bill 920, as authored by Sen. Leticia Van de Putte of San Antonio and sponsored by Rep. Charles “Doc” Anderson of Waco, the program pays tribute to the state’s well-established businesses and their historical contributions to communities across Texas. More than 500 businesses have been honored since the program’s inception, with recipients ranging from H-E-B to small-town bakeries, florists, general stores, and more.

“While civic buildings, forts, battlefields, and cemeteries are all important sites that provide us with invaluable historical insight, commercial businesses can also serve as a connection to our more immediate and local past,” the THC website reads. “What’s more, these places often figure so significantly in our own personal memories that they become synonymous with home itself. Have you ever gone back home only to find that your favorite local spot had unexpectedly closed? When we lose these places, a piece of home is lost with them.

“That’s why historic preservation shouldn’t only happen in hindsight,” the website continues. “In fact, the past as we know it depends on what we preserve today. By acknowledging local businesses while they are still in operation, we honor them as places of living history and are able to record their stories and ensure their legacy for generations to come.”

Businesses are encouraged to nominate themselves so their stories can be documented and a permanent record created. Becoming a TTBA honoree also allows them access to resources and partners within the THC network as well as exposure in regular statewide promotions of historic destinations, according to the website.

Recipients receive a window decal and an official award certificate signed by their elected state officials. Their attaining TTBA status also helps raise the profile of their communities as a historic destination for heritage travelers.

Here’s the nomination form.