The AHC's vertical files are a great go-to source for basic Austin History. The collection consists of thousands of files maintained by the staff of the Austin History Center that cover many topics about Austin and Travis County. Files contain printed items such as newspaper and magazine clippings, brochures, press releases, short reports and more. They are broken up into the three categories listed below. Files can only be viewed on-site at the Austin History Center.

Subject Files

These files are arranged alphabetically by subject. Topics as general as agriculture or as specific as Barton Springs can be found in these files. Two lists of the file names provide a sense of the collection.  The first list shows a T next to file listings for which we have a text file.  These will contain short, loose-leaf items such as newspaper clippings, brochures, and other printed materials.  File names showing a P next to them will have a photograph file available.

• Austin Files Subject List

Biography Files

The Biography files contain information about citizens of Austin who have made an impact on their community.  They are arranged by the names of the individuals or the surname of their family. Individuals and family names from this series have been cataloged in the Austin Public Library's Catalog. 

House Building Files

The House Building files have information about structures located around the city, although the heaviest concentration documents the central part of town. These files are arranged by street address. Most of these have been entered in the Austin Public Library's Catalog.