Stephen F Austin State University - Stone Fort Yearbook (Nacogdoches, TX)

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Ralph W. Steen Library The Ralph W. Steen Library, completed in 1973, was named for the late Dr. Ralph W. Steen, who served as SFA president from 1958 to 1976. The central collection is organized in an open stack, subject divisional arrangement with divisions for Reader ' s Services, Humanities, Sciences and Social Sciences. The university library also houses several special collections which emphasizes mate- rials that relate to the life, culture, industry and history of East Texas. Also included in this area is a Forest History collection. The audiovisual department contains re- corded music, films, filmstrips, audio re- cordings and other non-print materials. Another part of the library is the curricu- lum collection which serves as a laboratory facility for students in teacher education programs and consists of state adopted text- books and curriculum bulletins. The Gov- ernment Documents Department contains selected U.S. Government publications as well as many state documents. The Steen Library stands on the SFA campus as a symbol of the future, serving the students as a means of educating them- selves for a better tomorrow. In contrast, the Hoya Library represents the past, housing records and historical items which gives us a glimpse of yesterday. 13

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HO A MEKOWtAL LtBSARY - HI piiiiiiisiCiiiiiHiiisiiiriiiiiiiiii B-J i-.ii.li b ■ ■ ■ Hoya Memorial Library and Museum The house which serves as the Hoya Lib- rary and Museum is also known as the Adolphus Sterne home. The history of this house is the history of East Texas from colonization until after the Texas Revolu- tion. Adolphus Sterne, a pioneer citizen of Nacogdoches, was born in Cologne, Ger- many April 5, 1801. He came to Nacog- doches in 1824 and opened a general mer- chandise store. Both he and the store quickly prospered and in 1828 he built the house for his bride, Eva Catherine Rosine Ruff. The front rooms of the house, the room behind the Sam Houston room, the back porch, the mantels and floors are all original, just as he built them. The small house in the back yard is also original even though its exact purpose is not known. Everyone was welcome at the Sterne home. From the time it was built in 1828 until the Texas Revolution began in 1835, the Sterne house was a favorite gathering place for both Mexicans and colonists. General Sam Houston was baptized into the Roman Catholic church in the Sam Houston room with Mrs. Sterne standing as his godmother. Adolphus Sterne died in New Orleans March 27, 1852. His body was brought to Nacogdoches and buried in Oak Grove Cemetery. Joseph T. von der Hoya and his three brothers came from Prussia to Nacog- doches in 1836, where they built their first home on a 200 acre land grant just south of town. In 1869, Mrs. Sterne, who then lived in Houston, sold the Sterne home to Joseph von der Hoya for 550 gold dollars. He and his family lived in the house until his death in 1896. After that time, his family went by the family name of Hoya. The land and buildings of Hoya Memo- rial Library and Museum were given to the city of Nacogdoches on August 26, 1958 by Mrs. Jennie Hoya Mast and Mrs. Clara Hoya Gray as a memorial to their father Charles Hoya and their grandfather, Joseph von der Hoya. 12

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The Eugene H. Blount Home The Blount Home, located across from the SFA campus entrance, is a beautiful old home set back among huge old trees, away from the noise of North Street. The land on which the house is located is originally part of the homestead of Thomas J. Rusk. In 1923, the Honorable Eugene H. Blount purchased the land and built the home. Blount ' s grandfather was a signer of Texas ' Declaration of Independence and Blount was a member of the 37th and 39th Texas Legislature. The Blount Home is considered an architectural masterpiece. It was designed by Dietrich Rulff who was the first profes- sionally trained architect from Nacog- doches. The Nacogdoches Count} ' Historical Trust purchased the land and home in the fall of 1980 to be leased to the Nacogdoches Chamber of Commerce. The Blount Home was chosen by the Chamber of Commerce because of its historical background and its convenience to the students and visitors of SFA. 14