This study is a report of the results of an investigation into the extent to which native materials were used in the antebellum buildings of Harrison County, Texas; the way in which they were used; and the aesthetic implications of their use. It was hoped that this research might fill a gap in the art and architectural history of Texas, since nothing has been written on this specific subject except a few articles and unpublished papers dealing with certain houses individually or with log construction in general.

The problem undertaken in this study was that of making an investigation of the nature of the contributions of the North Texas State College and the co-operating public schools under its supervision to the Texas Health Education Program during the three-year period from December, 1946, to December, 1949.

The main body of this thesis is composed of four chapters: Chapter II is concerned with the development of the oil industry in Texas prior to the discovery of Spindletop; Chapter III deals with Spindletop; Chapter IV sets forth the later developments of the oil industry in Southeast Texas or Railroad Commission District No. 3; Chapter V is the concluding chapter, complete with summary, evaluation present status and future possibilities of the oil industry in Southeast Texas.