Voices of Community: Erath County Oral History Project is an innovative social studies teacher education initiative that demonstrates how universities can strengthen learning by partnering with the communities they serve. Led by Dr. Eliel Hinojosa Jr., Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Instruction, the project was supported by a $25,000 Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) Western Region grant. The initiative transforms oral histories into authentic primary sources that prepare future educators to teach through inquiry while preserving the stories and traditions of Erath County.
The project is part of Dr. Hinojosa’s broader Voices research initiative, which explores how oral history, public scholarship and community partnerships can advance social studies pedagogy and civic engagement. The initiative also includes the Voices of Service: Erath County Veterans Legacy Project, which preserves the stories of local veterans while fostering historical empathy and civic understanding, and the emerging Voices of Generations project, which encourages students to connect with older family members through conversations about service, sacrifice and lived experience.
Through oral history interviews centered on food, family, work, traditions and community life, Erath County residents were interviewed and archived for public access on YouTube. This connection between university scholarship and community knowledge is essential work, preserving local heritage while preparing educators to help students discover history through the places and people they know best.
The initiative fostered meaningful partnerships across the community. A collaboration with the Stephenville High School Culinary Arts Program, led by Mrs. Wendy Ivey, brought oral histories to life as students prepared family recipes shared by interview participants. These efforts culminated in the Voices of Community Showcase on May 5, 2026, including 150 university students, staff and faculty, K–12 educators and students, community members, and interview participants. The project’s signature publication, The Voices of Community Cookbook, combines family recipes, QR-linked oral histories, historical narratives and Library of Congress primary sources into an inquiry-based educational resource that demonstrates how food traditions can illuminate history, culture, identity and community.
To extend the initiative’s impact into K–12 classrooms, Mrs. Amanda Stanfield, social studies teacher at Gilbert Intermediate School, developed inquiry-based instructional resources using the Voices of Community oral histories, providing teachers with classroom-ready lessons grounded in local history.
Dr. Hinojosa is grateful for the collaboration and support of the Erath County Historical Society, the Texas Folklore Society, Stephenville ISD, the many community organizations that partnered throughout the initiative, and the Erath County residents whose willingness to share their stories made this work possible. He sends special thanks to Dr. Lesley Leach, Dean of the College of Education, for providing studio space to conduct oral history interviews. Dr. Hinojosa is incredibly grateful for the work conducted by Ms. Anna Rasberry, who processed each interview into themed excerpts.
This past July, the project was presented at the Teaching with Primary Sources Western Region Conference in Denver. The initiative will continue to be shared with educators and researchers at the Texas Oral History Association Annual Meeting in September, the Education in Civic Innovation (ECI) Conference and National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference in December, and the National Council for History Education Conference in March.
Connecting teacher preparation with community-engaged scholarship, Voices of Community: Erath County Oral History Project demonstrates how universities can preserve local history, strengthen civic learning and prepare future educators through authentic partnerships within their communities.
The Voices of Erath County interview archive can be accessed at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/@VoicesofErathCounty/featured