Victoria Case is a student at Sam Houston State University pursuing a double major in History and Fashion Merchandising, with a minor in Art History. She is passionate about exploring the intersections of history, material culture, and storytelling, with a particular interest in how everyday objects and garments reflect lived experiences. As a Preservation Scholar Victoria has worked on the Sam Bell Maxey Postcards Project with Stacie Flood and Anne Ruppert at the Sam Bell Maxey House in Paris, Texas.
When I began my internship at the Sam Bell Maxey Historic Home I expected to learn preservation through hands-on work. What I did not expect was how much I would enjoy uncovering the stories hidden within a collection of postcards.
As a Preservation Scholar, my primary project has been inventorying and cataloging the Crook family postcard collection. Each postcard feels like a piece of a larger puzzle. Who wrote it? Where were they traveling? Who was waiting to receive it? As I organize and document each item, I find myself asking questions that connect these seemingly ordinary objects to the lives of the people who once owned them. Through this work, I have come to appreciate how preservation allows us to reconstruct stories that might otherwise be forgotten.
This project has also broadened my understanding of what preservation can be. While I have spent much of my time working with paper collections, being on site has introduced me to much more than archives and museum collections. I have had the opportunity to work with the home’s textile collection, assist with educational programming, participate in field trips focused on historic architecture, and learn about the many professionals who work together to preserve and interpret historic sites and structures. As a student majoring in Fashion Merchandising and History, and minoring in Art History, discovering the textiles has been especially meaningful. Clothing and textiles tell stories just as powerfully as letters, photographs, or postcards, and they represent the intersection of fashion and history that I hope to explore throughout my career. Observing the work of educators, site managers, and preservation specialists has given me a broader understanding of how preservation extends beyond caring for historic objects. It also includes engaging the public, sharing stories, and creating meaningful experiences that help people connect with history.
Working alongside the Friends of the Historical Commission has shown me that preservation is about more than caring for historic places or things. It is about preserving the objects, memories, and experiences that help us better understand the past. Every item that is cataloged and researched becomes part of a larger story that can be shared with future generations. This experience has strengthened my desire to pursue a career that combines history, fashion, and creative interpretation. Whether I am working with historic textiles, museum collections, or cultural institutions, I hope to continue using preservation to connect people with the stories that shape our shared history. I am grateful to be a Preservation Scholar and excited to see where this experience leads next.
This post is part of our blog series “Scholars Speak,” which features writing from our 2026 cohort of Preservation Scholars. Click the link to learn more about this donor-funded program, which expands the range of perspectives represented in the Texas historical narrative by placing students from historically underrepresented communities in paid, 10-week summer internships with the Texas Historical Commission.