Preservation Austin

“When you tear down an historic building that is essential to telling the story of how the city came or who lived here… once it’s gone, it’s just gone.”

****** (who??) established what is now Preservation Austin (formerly the Heritage Society of Austin) in 1953, and the organization dedicates itself to saving and preserving Austin’s historic buildings and places. Their main avenues toward this goal are education and advocacy, and they aim to offer solutions to save sites through implementing policy change that is favorable to preservation.

The nonprofit played a key role in preserving Congress Avenue and much of Sixth Street, and currently focuses on advocating for the creation of historic districts and continued community involvement throughout the city. Click here to listen to Preservation Austin’s director, Jacqui Schraad, discuss her own background with the organization, the challenges and importance of historic preservation, and the unique history of Austin. After hearing about Preservation Austin, create your own story using one of our themed interview packets. 

Mike and Karen's Wedding

Matt and Karen Peterson had a wonderful wedding. They met each other by coaching  track at a track meet and knew each other for two years before they were married. They were married in August at a golf course in Michigan with a wonderful reggae band. Luckily, there were no unexpected surprises and the wedding went off without a hitch. To hear more about Mike and Karen's wedding, click here.

Memories such as this mean a lot to us, so it is important to preserve them for future generations. This is why StoryPress created the technology to ensure that our experiences are kept in tact forever. With this app, you can make sure that all your most important moments are preserved in your own voice.

Thelma's Story

Thelma remembers what her life was like during her high school years. While in school, she recalls participating in baseball and other fun activities. She recalls that she made a lot of friends going to church and attending dances. Much to her delight, Thelma remembers what her favorite music and activities were as she grew up. To hear more of Thelma's story, click here.

Stories like this are important to remember. This is why StoryPress has created the technology to preserve our memories. Imagine that years in the future, your descendants will be able listen to your memories and generations will be able to know what it meant to live you life. With StoryPress, you can preserve these memories.

Lisa's Advice

Lisa reflects on her life and imparts some of the advice that she wished she had when she was younger. She insists that we should all be true to ourselves, no matter what others think. Because she didn't have the opportunity to be a kid for a long time, Lisa insists that we should all take advantage of being young as long as we can. No matter what, Lisa says, have fun as long as you can. To read more of Lisa's Story, click this link.

Stories such as this are important to remember. They shape who we are today and help us understand why we are who we are. This is why StoryPress has developed this app, to allow people to reflect on their past and understand their present. With this technology, we can preserve our present selves to look back on in a time when we have grown up.

Justine's Story

Justine tells her story about growing up in Illinois. She recalls her time in high school and her experience in the choir, the speech team, and the plays. During high school, she spent a lot of time with her friends, hanging out with boys, and going to dances. Her history teacher, she remembers was an important figure in her life and once told her "If anyone believes you have the truth, run the other way." To hear more about Justin's story, follow this link.

Memories such as this are important to understanding who we are today. StoryPress has taken the initiative to to make sure we can remember these experiences. By preserving your stories in your own voice, you can ensure that your memories are preserved forever.

StoryPress Now on Geneabloggers

This blog, StoryPress favorites is now listed on the genealogy blog website GeneaBloggers! This list of family history related blogs boasts over 2,000 blogs. Click here to visit GeneaBloggers' website or search "StoryPress" in the directory of blogs!

The Road to Spain

One StoryPress user remembers her multiple trips to Spain. Over the course of her life, she has been to Spain six times. She loved touring the different towns in the area and getting to practice her family. Seeing castles and countrysides created some of her favorite memories about the place. Though she wasn't too fond of the food that was cooked there, she remembers the people being extremely friendly and wonderful to talk to. To hear more about this story, click here.

Stories like this are important to remember. Although the years may pass, our memories are defining to who we are and how we view our future. That is why StoryPress has made the technology to preserve our memories available to all its users. With the help of this app, everyone can ensure that they preserve their experiences.

Joel's Story

Joel talks about his upbringing being raised in multiple locations. He remembers both his parents working very hard, especially his father, who worked full time and went to school while raising three children and recalls being very close to his siblings. In his story, Joel remembers the importance of his father's expectations to remain independent and financially responsible. Joel even said that at one point, he bought his own family a TV! To hear more about Joel's story, click here.

Stories such as Joel's are important to remember and pass on from family member to family member. That is why StoryPress developed its technology, to allow users to preserve their memories for future generations. In this way, your stories can be remember forever.

Lanora's Story

Lanora has had an incredibly full life. After growing up on a cotton farm, she opened her own restaurant and learned to run it herself. Lanora admits that she worked hard her entire life. The cotton farm and the restaurant were both hard work, but she admits that she loved every moment of it. To hear more about Lanora's experience, click here.

Lanora's experience is an important one. Just like hers, your memories are essential to defining who you are today. Because of this, StoryPress believes that all our experiences should be preserved. By using the technology of this app, you can easily become your own historian and ensure your memories are kept safe for generations. 

Lanora's Story

Lanora has had an incredibly full life. After growing up on a cotton farm, she opened her own restaurant and learned to run it herself. Lanora admits that she worked hard her entire life. The cotton farm and the restaurant were both hard work, but she admits that she loved every moment of it. To hear more about Lanora's experience, click here.

Lanora's experience is an important one. Just like hers, your memories are essential to defining who you are today. Because of this, StoryPress believes that all our experiences should be preserved. By using the technology of this app, you can easily become your own historian and ensure your memories are kept safe for generations. 

Etta's Story

Etta felt that she had a wonderful life. After growing up in New York, she met her husband at a young age and they had a long life together. While her husband was in the service, Etta moved around the country with her newborn daughter, learning to be an efficient mother on her own. With fondness, she remembers the way her husband made her laugh and the wonderful times that they had together. To hear more of Etta’s story, click here.

Memories such as these are important to preserve. They provide an important insight into the history of a person’s life and the way they got to where they are today. This is why StoryPress hopes to preserve these experiences. Through the technology offered by the app, StoryPress can help you to keep your own stories forever in your memory to remember wonderful experiences such as Etta’s. 

Remembering Orcas Island

Before her upcoming trip to Orcas Island with her family, Gramma Pat remembers the last time she went there with her family. She talked about how exciting it was to travel on the ferry over to the island and the wonderful view they saw. From the restaurants to the starfish to castles on top of the hill, Gramma Pat recounts with fondness the last trip she had and anticipates the fun that will occur on her upcoming vacation. To hear more about Gramma Pat's experience on Orcas Island, click here.

Stories such as Gramma Pat's are important to remember. The little memories about pleasant vacations such as this are often the ones that make us who we are today. With StoryPress, these memories can easily and effectively be preserved. StoryPress' goal is to ensure that everyone has the ability to hold on to these experiences. 

Levelle's Story

Levelle Connor grew up in a small town in Texas and spent her younger days living on her family’s ranch. When she grew up, she moved to California, where she built radios during World War II. As she continued to grow, she had the opportunity to travel to many places including Spain, Israel, and, her particular favorite, the Orient. She remembers the shopping being wonderful and the people being incredibly friendly. To hear the rest of Connor’s story, click here.

Memories such as this are important to preserve for the future. With the help of StoryPress, experiences such as Connor’s can be kept alive for generations to come and can remain for the future. By preserving your stories on StoryPress, your great-grandchildren can someday hear in your own words what it was like for you to grow up. Memories truly matter and with StoryPress, can be preserved forever. 

Naomi's Story

Imagine hearing the memories of an American Revolution veteran in his own words. Imagine listening to America’s first English colonists recounting the experience of that first harsh winter. History is better understood through the voice of those who experienced it. When a person tells their own story, there is a spark of excitement in their eyes.

As Naomi Bender tells of her experience living in Caracas, Venezuela for three years, this can be seen as true. “The terrain down there was just beautiful,” Bender remembers. “I just hated to leave.” Bender describes the gorgeous beaches and the weekends they spend swimming in the ocean. After this, Bend took a trip to Romania, where she said the mountains were wonderful. To listen to the rest of Bender’s story, click here.

Hearing Bender’s experience in her own words adds a new dimension to the story. That is why StoryPress hopes to record people’s experience in their own voice. Imagine your grandchildren sharing your stories with their own families in the future. At StoryPress, our goal is make this dream a reality. 

Lucy's Story

Imagine years from now that your great-great grandchildren can share your memories with their own families. Think of the connection they can feel to you, as they learn about what it was like to live your life. Although these stories can be passed down by word of mouth, there is something incredible about hearing someone’s experiences in their own words.

This holds true when listening to the memories of Lucy Pearse. Raised in Oklahoma near an Indian reservation, Pearse remembers a great diversity of people was drawn to her community in search of jobs. She recounts her experience going to school with a variety of cultures such as Italian and Russian. Pearse describes the assortment of people in her neighborhood and the different micro-communities created within her own, such as “Russian Hill.” To listen to more about Pearse’s story, click here.

Preserving memories such as this is the goal of StoryPress. With the help of this app, your stories can be passed down from generation to generation in your own words. Using this technology, you can keep your experiences alive and share them with the future. StoryPress hopes to ensure that your stories will never be forgotten. 

Claire's Story

Our memories define us and help us determine who we are. With each experience we learn more about who we are and how we relate to the world. Sharing these stories with our friends and families can help us connect to them in a way we could never have imagined.

For Claire Crowley, this sentiment holds true. The wife of an Irishman, Crowley traveled with her husband throughout Europe, experiencing many unique cultures and ways of life. In England, Crowley describes her delight in getting to see Queen Elizabeth and touring Scotland. She enjoyed visiting many places and found stories to tell about them all. “It was very spectacular,” Crowley remembers. To hear more of Crowley’s story, click here.

As we grow older, these memories fade and eventually may be lost forever. That is why StoryPress hopes to preserve these experiences. With the app’s technology, the stories of our past can be preserved for future generations to listen to and learn from. At StoryPress, we understand that memories matter.