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Monday 9am - 5pm Tuesday 9am - 5pm Wednesday 9am - 5pm Thursday 9am - 5pm Friday 9am - 5pm

McGovern Historical Center

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McGovern Historical Center

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The McGovern Historical Center is the Special Collections department of The TMC Library. This page is for sharing our cool materials and current projects.

The John P. McGovern Historical Collections and Research Center (McGovern Historical Center) is the Special Collections department of The TMC Library. We house, provide access, and preserve rare books, manuscripts collections, and institutional records relating to the Texas Medical Center (TMC) and medical history. Our notable historical collections document the foundations of the medical specialties, Texas medicine, rheumatology, and North American public health. The archival collections focus on the development of the institutions and hospitals in the TMC in Houston, the careers of Houston physicians and biographical information on Texas physicians. The McGovern Historical Center has collections in two locations. The Archives, located at the Historical Research Center at 2872 El Rio, suite 190, holds personal papers of medical personnel, institutional records of health care institutions, medical-related photos, graphic arts and objects. The Historical Research Center also houses several rare book collections, including the Mading collection on public health, the Dow collection about dentistry, and the Menninger collection about mental health. The McGovern Rare Book Collections is located in The Texas Medical Center (TMC) Library, which is in the Jesse Jones Library building located between Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas McGovern Medical School. The McGovern Rare Book Collections houses the John P. McGovern History of Medicine Collection, including the works of Sir William Osler, and the Burbank/Fraser Collection of Arthritis, Rheumatism and Gout. Visiting the Rare Book Room is BY APPOINTMENT ONLY.

10/21/2026

From IC 049 Kelsey-Seybold Foundation, currently box 7, folder: Newsletter, 1st in 1989 (this collection will be reboxed soon) - Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about Phobos but had no-one to ask, 1987.

10/20/2026

Volunteer award in the form of a clear plastic or acrylic fortune cookie, 1980s. IC 086 Hermann Archives, box 586.

10/19/2026

Most of our collections have a finding aid or inventory available online—they are searchable .PDFs that can be downloaded using the “button” on the right-hand side of the screen.

For collections that don’t have an inventory available, please contact staff at [email protected].

10/16/2026

It has been a very busy week here but a cool front is rolling in so here is your reminder to go outside this weekend!

IC086 Hermann Hospital Archives, b431.10 - Hermann Park in the later 1920s.

10/15/2026

Medical World News, 1960. This was a magazine aimed at medical professionals but not a formal journal. It ran from 1960 to 1994. It was published in Houston and we have an extensive collection of the photographs used to illustrate it, but use of them is a bit complicated since the original photographers need to be sought out. IC 077.

10/14/2026

The Garretsonian, 1908-1919. Journal of the alumni of the Philadelphia Dental College (now the Maurice H. Kirnberg School of Dentistry at Temple University). Named for Professor James Garretson (1828-1895), pioneer in oral surgery. Dow Collection on Dentistry.

10/13/2026

MS 066 Howard Hamilton, cartoon by Akio Awa.

10/12/2026

Biographical doodle page by Joseph Schwarting, undated but after 1976. Ic 094 Medical Arts Publishing Foundation, box 1.3.

10/09/2026

Children’s drawings of LifeFlight, gift to LifeFlight director Marguerite Badger in 1981. IC 086 Hermann Archives, box 387.10.

10/08/2026

Guess who?

Address

8272 El Rio, Suite 190
Houston, TX
77054

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

+17137997899

Website

http://library.tmc.edu/mcgovern

Alerts

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