WOODVILLE – Susan Shine Kilcrease, who is the curator of Silsbee’s Ice House Museum, will give a presentation at the annual meeting of the Tyler County Heritage Society on Saturday, Jan. 31.
Kilcrease’s presentation will spotlight the “Dog People” of Caneyhead, with “The Dog People of Caneyhead, The Hidden Culture of the Neches River Bottom”.
The so-called “Dog People” were of English, Scottish, Irish and Welsh descent, and migrated to the Big Thicket region in the early 19th century, from the Carolinas. The moniker came from their tradition of using dogs – locally bred curs – to hunt for everything.
Kilcrease created an exhibit on the Dog People for the Ice House Museum, in 2023. She became the curator of the museum in March of 2020, and is responsible for all of the exhibits, research and design, as well as grant writing and marketing of the museum.
Kilcrease, who has roots in Tyler County and can trace her lineage to Josiah Wheat, is an eighth-generation Texan. Her earliest ancestor in the region was Benjamin Franklin Richardson, who built a ferry on the Neches River in 1829, and was awarded a Zavalla Land Grant two years later.
Her interest in history was a direct result of the lessons taught to her by her father, Darrell D. Shine, a surveyor, as well as her grandparents and also through her lifelong pursuits of research and travel.
The TCHS Annual Meeting is a chance for Society members and the public to join in and see what the organization does. In addition to the presentation by Kilcrease, TCHS will also elect its slate of officers and directors for the coming fiscal year. The meeting, which is held at the Pickett House, on the Heritage Village premises, will begin at 5 p.m. with a meal.
Before that, the Tyler County Forest Museum, which is located in the Hamm House, across from the Pickett House, will host its open house, beginning at 4:30 p.m.
The cost for attending the meeting is $20 per person, and includes the open house, dinner served at the Pickett House and the presentation. The organizers are asking, if possible, to please make a reservation with the venue by calling 409-403-2030.
Memberships to TCHS are available, at $20 per individual; family memberships for $30 and business memberships priced at $60. Extra donations will be accepted at this event, which also serves as a fundraiser for TCHS.
TCHS works to preserve, restore, maintain and teach the history of Tyler County and the Deep East Texas region through a variety of endeavors, such as programs, demonstrations, music, drama and displays at Heritage Village. TCHS wants to thank the public for its continued support of Heritage Village.
