W. Caleb McDaniel
@wcaleb.org
Professor of History at Rice University and author of "Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America" (Pulitzer Prize, 2020).
Cross-posting from https://updates.wcaleb.org
Cross-posting from https://updates.wcaleb.org
Pinned
Grades are in, so now there is only one committee meeting standing between me and the end of the semester. Whew!
December 19, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Grades are in, so now there is only one committee meeting standing between me and the end of the semester. Whew!
As part of its America 250 programming, the Woodson Research Center at Rice has put together an exhibit of campaign materials, including this plea from Barbara Jordan in her first bid for elected office.
December 19, 2025 at 5:43 PM
As part of its America 250 programming, the Woodson Research Center at Rice has put together an exhibit of campaign materials, including this plea from Barbara Jordan in her first bid for elected office.
Tracey Rhoades has a nice write-up about our book Slavery, Segregation, and the Second Founding of Rice University in the winter issue of Rice Magazine.
December 19, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Tracey Rhoades has a nice write-up about our book Slavery, Segregation, and the Second Founding of Rice University in the winter issue of Rice Magazine.
Today in the offices of the Journal of Southern History, we had a cake to honor Randal Hall as he concludes his twelve years as Editor. I certainly have some big shoes to fill!
December 17, 2025 at 9:19 PM
Today in the offices of the Journal of Southern History, we had a cake to honor Randal Hall as he concludes his twelve years as Editor. I certainly have some big shoes to fill!
Updated some notes in my open research notebook: Refugeed Slaves, Refugees to Texas.
December 11, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Updated some notes in my open research notebook: Refugeed Slaves, Refugees to Texas.
Two Upcoming Articles: https://updates.wcaleb.org/2025/12/11/two-upcoming-articles.html
December 11, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Two Upcoming Articles: https://updates.wcaleb.org/2025/12/11/two-upcoming-articles.html
Rice News has a story about my new role as editor of the Journal of Southern History (as of January 1). Here’s a snippet:
"McDaniel, the Mary Gibbs Jones Professor of Humanities, said he sees the editorship as an extension of Rice’... https://updates.wcaleb.org/2025/12/09/rice-news-has-a-story.html
"McDaniel, the Mary Gibbs Jones Professor of Humanities, said he sees the editorship as an extension of Rice’... https://updates.wcaleb.org/2025/12/09/rice-news-has-a-story.html
December 9, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Rice News has a story about my new role as editor of the Journal of Southern History (as of January 1). Here’s a snippet:
"McDaniel, the Mary Gibbs Jones Professor of Humanities, said he sees the editorship as an extension of Rice’... https://updates.wcaleb.org/2025/12/09/rice-news-has-a-story.html
"McDaniel, the Mary Gibbs Jones Professor of Humanities, said he sees the editorship as an extension of Rice’... https://updates.wcaleb.org/2025/12/09/rice-news-has-a-story.html
There’s a burn ban in effect at our campsite, so my teenager improvised.
November 26, 2025 at 1:32 AM
There’s a burn ban in effect at our campsite, so my teenager improvised.
I’m looking forward to being a keynote lecturer at the HHL Student Research Conference at UH-Downtown on December 1. My working title, with apologies to Sam Wineburg, is “AI (Archival Investigation) in an Age of Artificial Intelligence; or, Why Study History When There’s a Chatbot on your Phone.”
November 22, 2025 at 2:58 PM
I’m looking forward to being a keynote lecturer at the HHL Student Research Conference at UH-Downtown on December 1. My working title, with apologies to Sam Wineburg, is “AI (Archival Investigation) in an Age of Artificial Intelligence; or, Why Study History When There’s a Chatbot on your Phone.”
My dog seems especially interested in the lyrics to James Taylor’s “The Walking Man.”
November 22, 2025 at 2:08 AM
My dog seems especially interested in the lyrics to James Taylor’s “The Walking Man.”
Updated some notes in my open research notebook: J. H. Townsend.
November 19, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Updated some notes in my open research notebook: J. H. Townsend.
Updated some notes in my open research notebook: Elias Dibble, Richard Brock.
November 18, 2025 at 10:20 PM
Updated some notes in my open research notebook: Elias Dibble, Richard Brock.
And here’s another interesting find from the New Orleans Advocate about another Emancipation Park founder, Richard Brock: an information wanted ad, apparently seeking news about family members.
"Information wanted of H... https://updates.wcaleb.org/2025/11/17/and-heres-another-interesting-find.html
"Information wanted of H... https://updates.wcaleb.org/2025/11/17/and-heres-another-interesting-find.html
November 18, 2025 at 3:02 AM
And here’s another interesting find from the New Orleans Advocate about another Emancipation Park founder, Richard Brock: an information wanted ad, apparently seeking news about family members.
"Information wanted of H... https://updates.wcaleb.org/2025/11/17/and-heres-another-interesting-find.html
"Information wanted of H... https://updates.wcaleb.org/2025/11/17/and-heres-another-interesting-find.html
Well this is pretty cool: a sermon delivered by Rev. Elias Dibble. Born enslaved, Dibble ministered to Houston’s first independent Black Methodist church and is remembered as one of the founders of Emancipation Park. His sermon appeared in the New Orleans Advocate on March 3, 1866. (Hat tip.)
November 17, 2025 at 11:07 PM
One of the pieces of software I use most often as a historian is the simple command-line Unix program cal. It’s short for “calendar.” So if, for example, I want to say what day of the week June 19, 1866, was on, I just type cal jun 1866 at the command line, and I get the calendar for that month.
November 17, 2025 at 2:21 PM
One of the pieces of software I use most often as a historian is the simple command-line Unix program cal. It’s short for “calendar.” So if, for example, I want to say what day of the week June 19, 1866, was on, I just type cal jun 1866 at the command line, and I get the calendar for that month.
Checking in at today’s gala event for Olivewood Cemetery, hosted by Descendants of Olivewood at the historic DeLuxe Theater in Houston’s Fifth Ward.
November 16, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Checking in at today’s gala event for Olivewood Cemetery, hosted by Descendants of Olivewood at the historic DeLuxe Theater in Houston’s Fifth Ward.
Updated some notes in my open research notebook: Elias Dibble.
November 13, 2025 at 2:06 AM
Updated some notes in my open research notebook: Elias Dibble.
Now surveying the name badge options at the SHA.
November 6, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Now surveying the name badge options at the SHA.
Surveying the airport snacks in Houston while waiting to board my flight for the Annual Meeting of the SHA.
November 6, 2025 at 12:28 AM
Surveying the airport snacks in Houston while waiting to board my flight for the Annual Meeting of the SHA.
Always a good day to get an email from a special collections librarian who has been busily working away on a question you asked in May, and has turned up new sources to help! Thank you, librarians!
November 5, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Always a good day to get an email from a special collections librarian who has been busily working away on a question you asked in May, and has turned up new sources to help! Thank you, librarians!
Grateful to Rosie Nguyen for this video and news report on the Second Foundings Conference held here in Houston, October 10-13.
November 5, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Grateful to Rosie Nguyen for this video and news report on the Second Foundings Conference held here in Houston, October 10-13.
Just got my annual reminder from a stranger’s email that my Generic Syllabus Maker needs to be updated to include the next calendar year. Done! Now I just have to figure out why the Rice-specific one isn’t working …
October 31, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Just got my annual reminder from a stranger’s email that my Generic Syllabus Maker needs to be updated to include the next calendar year. Done! Now I just have to figure out why the Rice-specific one isn’t working …
Updated some notes in my open research notebook: AAHRC at Gregory School, Elias Dibble, Sandy Parker.
October 31, 2025 at 12:53 PM
Updated some notes in my open research notebook: AAHRC at Gregory School, Elias Dibble, Sandy Parker.
Updated some notes in my open research notebook: Elias Dibble, Houston Evening Star, Houston Fire Festival, Juneteenth, Sandy Parker.
October 30, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Updated some notes in my open research notebook: Elias Dibble, Houston Evening Star, Houston Fire Festival, Juneteenth, Sandy Parker.
LSU Press reminds me that today is officially publication day for the book! Thanks @lsupress.bsky.social. See https://bit.ly/secondfounding for more.
October 22, 2025 at 8:02 PM
LSU Press reminds me that today is officially publication day for the book! Thanks @lsupress.bsky.social. See https://bit.ly/secondfounding for more.