Ransom Center Treasures

Strange and wonderful treasures with magical powers can be discovered at Austin research center

Have you caught wind of the priceless stuff that makes its home in the copious Harry Ransom Center research collections at the University of Texas - Austin? The acquisition of the David Foster Wallace archives in 2010 caused a bit of a flap, for example, and the world’s first photograph is up on permanent display next to a 42-line Bible in the lobby.

Those very archives also hold enough extraordinary and unusual treasures to provide MacGuffins for literally dozens of madcap caper flicks for the humanities-educated masses. Just look at this list of eerie Ransom Center holdings and imagine Nicholas Cage squinting purposefully in pursuit of any one of them.

Edgar Allen Poe’s writing desk
Although it may be no picnic for a would-be culture thief to sneak this one out of the building, just think of the sort of macabre power imbued in its many beveled edges! Legend has it that not Poe but the desk itself wrote many of the enduring works of creepshow mastery to which the man’s famous name is attached. Museum-goers had the chance to stand near and absorb its dark magick during From Out That Shadow: The Life and Legacy of Edgar Allan Poe in late 2009, but it has been contained in the archival depths of the collection ever since.

Salvador Dali’s dream scissors
In 1945, Alfred Hitchcock hired Dali, the era’s most prolific dreamscapist, to design a dream sequence for his film Spellbound. Alas, the film’s producer (David O. Selznick, whose personal papers also reside at Ransom) didn’t like what he saw and hired a new production designer to re-shoot most of Dali’s work. A shot of a pair of scissors cutting though a curtain of eyes was one of the images to survive Selznick’s meddling, and those scissors — charged with the eldritch vibrations pulled in from outer space by Dali’s mustache — persist under lock and key in the Ransom archives.

The personal library of poet, known treasoner and suspected dark wizard, Ezra Pound
Heed this: if you’re a fan of the poetry of Ezra Pound, do not research the life of Ezra Pound. Between his powerfully hateful commentary on Italian Fascist radio during WWII (for which he was indicted in absentia as a US traitor in 1943), his crazy hobo hair and the widely acknowledged grace of his body of art, Pound is among poets what Bobby Fischer is to chess players. It’s practically certain that somewhere in his personal effects are dark spells best kept hid. Speaking of dark spells, though …

The writings and artifacts of known dark wizard and suspected spy Aleister Crowley
Now, don’t get excited. Crowley was probably not a Satanist, so we’re safe on that front. He was, however, a self-proclaimed prophet of the esoteric deity Aiwass and a vigorous believer in supernatural intimacy rituals (to put it lightly), so there’s that. The list of (obviously magickal) things in the Crowley collection includes typescripts of “The Elixir of Life” and “Magick Without Tears,” a set of typed notes on astral travel, a rare first edition of Liber Al (the holy book of Thelema, Crowley's hand-crafted religion) and a hand-painted Tarot set.

The Ransom Center holds thousands of other objects of significance to the shape of Western culture — these are just the eerie ones with magical powers. Take the time to feel the pulses of aether from these hidden treasures while browsing through Jean Cannon and Elizabeth Garver’s artfully curated feast of historical context at The World at War: 1914-1918, currently up in the first floor gallery.

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The especially bold may contact the Harry Ransom Center and inquire about appointments to witness much of the powerful magick — or the mundane cultural significance — for themselves.

The world’s first photograph on permanent display in the Harry Ransom Center, but there are more treasures to expect.

Photo courtesy of Lake Flato Architects

The world’s first photograph on permanent display in the Harry Ransom Center, but there are more treasures to expect.

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Now hear this

New Texas museum shines spotlight on Tejano music history

Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum, San Antonio, tejano music

Photo by Edmond Ortiz

Roger Hernandez serves as board president of the Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum.

For a city that proudly calls itself the capital of Tejano music, San Antonio has long been missing a permanent place to honor the genre’s pioneers and preserve its history. That gap officially closed In December with the opening of the Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum at 1414 Fredericksburg Rd.

The music couldn’t have found a better steward than its founder and board president. Roger Hernandez has had his finger on the pulse of Tejano music for decades. His company, En Caliente Productions, has provided a platform for countless performing artists and songwriters in Tejano, conjunto, and regional Mexican music since 1982.

Hernandez says his wife, who ran a shop at Market Square years ago, would often get questions from visitors about the location of a physical Tejano music museum, a thing that simply did not exist. In 2022, he banded together with friends, family, and other local Tejano music supporters to make the nonprofit Hall of Fame a reality.

“I decided I've been in the music scene for over 40 years, it's time to do a museum,” Hernandez recalls.

Hernandez says a brick-and-mortar Tejano music museum has long been needed to remember musical acts and other individuals who grew the genre across Texas and northern Mexico, especially those who are aging. Recently, the community lost famed Tejano music producer Manny Guerra and Abraham Quintanilla, the renowned Tejano singer/songwriter and father of the late superstar Selena Quintanilla-Perez. Both deaths occurred roughly one week after the Totally Tejano museum opened to the public.

“They're all dying. They're all getting older, and we need to acknowledge all these people,” Hernandez says.

The Totally Tejano Museum — named after Hernandez’s Totally Tejano Television Roku streaming — has 5,000 square feet of space packed with plaques, photos, promotional posters, musical instruments, and other memorabilia honoring the pioneers and stars of the beloved genre. Mannequins wear stage outfits from icons like Laura Canales and Flaco Jimenez, and a wall of photos remembers late greats. Totally Tejano Television plays legendary performances on a loop, bringing the exhibits to life.

The newly opened Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum includes a growing collection of memorabilia. Photo by Edmond Ortiz

Hernandez says the museum will soon welcome permanent and rotating exhibits, including traveling shows, a Hall of Fame section, and an area paying homage to Chicano music crossovers, such as the late Johnny Rodriguez, the South Texas singer-songwriter who blended country with Tex-Mex music. Plans call for the organization to hold its inaugural Hall of Fame induction in February 2026.

Eventually, a 2,000 square feet back room will be converted into additional display space and host industry gatherings, community symposiums, and record and video release parties. The museum also plans to add a gift and record shop and a music learning room where visitors can listen to early Tejano music and browse archival photos. Hernandez is already talking with local school districts about educational field trips.

Much like Tejano itself, the museum is a grassroots production. Hernandez and fellow board members have used their own money to rent, renovate, develop, and maintain the museum space. The board also leads the selection of the Hall of Fame honorees and curates the exhibits.

Hernandez has been heartened by the museum’s reception, both from media outlets and music fans around Texas and beyond.

“We had a radio station come in this morning from Houston to interview us,” he says. “People have come in from Lubbock, Texas. We have had people from Midland, Texas. We have another person who emailed us who’s coming in from New York. People are learning all about us.”

That includes many of the musicians who helped shape the genre. Johnny Hernandez, Sunny Ozuna, Elida Reyna, and Danny Martinez from Danny and The Tejanos are among the luminaries who have already graced the halls.

The Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum is now open 10 am-6 pm, Tuesday-Sunday, and closed Monday. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged. Fans can call 210-314-1310 for more information.

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