At the June 13 regular meeting of the Commissioner’s Court, Commissioner Jack Moseley announced that the Bandera County Historical Commission (BCHC) was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the Texas Historical Commission (THC) for their accomplishments during the 2023 year of service.
BCHC President Kimberly Miles stated that the THC started the award in 2002. Since then, BCHC has received this award 15 times in total and consecutively since 2015.
Counties that show above-average performance, substantial time investment, provide quality project descriptions and adhere to the preservation and the organizational standards of the THC fit the criteria and are awarded the Distinguished Service Award.
“Out of 254 counties in Texas that are eligible for the award, they only pass it out to eight; so I’m very proud of our commission and the work that all of our volunteers have done,” said Miles.
The THC established the Distinguished Service Award to recognize above average County Historical Commission preservation efforts and promote their accomplishments to the public.
The BCHC is a group of individuals appointed by the Commissioner's Court who share a common interest and donate their time and talent to various committees in the recording of the history of Bandera County.
In addition to actively participating in historical preservation, heritage, and restoration, the commission hosts various events related to the county's history each year.
BCHC Vice President Susan Hull, told the Bulletin, “Our BCHC includes some heavy-duty history hounds!”
This would account for the 650 volunteer hours of service in 2023 as recorded by the BCHC, with Miles stating, “It’s their passion for history and the different committees that they serve on.”
Per Hull, BCHC’s Historical Marker Committee will be starting an exciting project to revisit and evaluate all the 42 markers in Bandera County.
Starting on July 4 through Labor Day, it will be open to the public to submit photos and evaluations of the setting with prizes given for most markers visited.
The BCHC will release an announcement about this project in the coming weeks.
