Photograph of two groups of people inside a rural school building. One group of people are facing forward and the other group are facing backward. There are four windows visible in the photograph. A hurricane lamp is visible towards the left middle of the frame. Women and girls are wearing dresses and hats. Men and boys are wearing coats and bow ties. A decoration at the top left hanging from the ceiling appears to say "Welcome."

Handwritten list of the thirty one members of the Ahavath Sholom Congregation in 1895 in Fort Worth, Texas. The front of the document lists the members of the congregation, and the back of the document lists the officers. When the list was created, Ahavath Sholom was the only synagogue in Fort Worth.

Handwritten minutes for the Ahavath Sholom Congregation in Fort Worth, Texas. The minutes are written in Yiddish, the native tongue of the members. The minutes discuss a legal dispute with a "chazzan," or a prayer leader who sued the congregation.

Handwritten minutes for the Ahavath Sholom Congregation in Fort Worth, Texas. The minutes are written in Yiddish, the native tongue of the members. The document discusses the Sabbath morning services for the congregation.

Photographic postcard of Harry Mildren Barkley Sr. and Walter Cleveland "Dutch" Dobbs standing in front of a painted railroad car backdrop. Mr. Barkley is standing on the left, and Mr. Dobbs is standing on the right.

Photograph of a street lined by six visible buildings. An automobile is visible on the left hand side of the photograph behind a rail road crossing sign. A second automobile is visible towards the middle of the photograph, to the left of a power line. The third building in from the right hand side of the photograph has a sign that includes this name: "Baltzelle Groceries".

Photograph of a teacher standing in front of a rural school door. The class of 20 students stands in front of her. A school window is visible on the right hand side of the photograph. Building was located on Hicks Road, west of Highway 156. Student and teacher names are as follows. Teacher: Miss Cantrell. Students: Cloie Hudnall, Marion Thompson, Pearl Hudnall, Ethel Laird, May Hair, Viola Laird, Lucile Laird, Loy Hudnall, Lee Watts, Howard Thompson, Frank Laird, Evie Thompson, Buster McDaniel, Ermie Laird, Nora McDaniel, Louie Thompson, Ruby McDaniel, Carl McDaniel, Floral Hair, Nona Hair.

Photograph of a rural class and teacher. Class stands in front of school building. Two doors are visible on building. Girls are wearing hair bows and dresses. Teacher and most of the boys are wearing coats and ties. One boy is wearing overalls and one boy is wearing a buttoned, collared shirt with neck tie. Class names are identified as best as possible by Jack Britain. Top row, from left to right: Lennie Underwood, Mona B. Britain, Virgie Morgan, Rosana Francisco, Gene Allen (Teacher), Gracie Morgan, Bertha Francisco, Margaret Francisco, Evie Mosaly. Second row (girls from left): Ola Clower, Emma Clower, Fern Francisco, Mattie Combs, Bernice Combs, Norma (Noma) Bremman. Second row (boys to right): Johnny Mosaly, Walter Combs, Claude Francisco, Walter Francisco, Charlie Green, Bill Mosaly. Bottom row: Eunice Britain, unidentified first name Francisco, Tinny Frisbie, Earl Combs, Jack Britain, Herschel Green, Roy Haley, Henry Haley.

Printed marriage certificate (called a "Ketubah" in Hebrew) for Nathan Freeman of Waco, Texas, and Etta Rebecca Fram of Dallas, Texas. The couple were married on January 19, 1913, by Rev. Abraham Fram, Etta's father and the cantor at Dallas' Sheareth Israel Congregation. The Hebrew quotation at the top of the document translates as: "The voice of joy; the voice of happiness; the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride." There is an illustration of a marriage ceremony at the top of the certificate in blue ink.

Letterhead stationary for the Hebrew Institute Building Fund Committee outlining all the donors for the institute and their monetary contributions. The building, designed by the architectural firm of Field and Clarkson, was constructed between April and August of 1914 in the 800 block of Taylor Street in Fort Worth, Texas at a cost of $14,668. The top left corner of the document shows an architectural drawing of the building.

Photograph of Temple Beth-El, the first house of worship for Beth-El, Fort Worth's Reform Jewish congregation. It was a two-story, neo-classical synagogue constructed of wood and stucco. Above the columned entrance was a wooden Star of David, beneath which were the Hebrew words "Y'he Or," meaning "Let There Be Light." Handwritten notes on the back of the photograph say, "Beth-El Congregation's 1st synagogue; built 1908 @ 5th & Taylor Streets. Photo from The Jewish Monitor, 1915. Greek Revival Style, The Hebrew Lettering says: 'Let there be light.'"

Photograph of a rural building built in 1880 that served as the Community Church, Masonic Lodge and school. Of the two front doors, the right one is wide open. A chimney and outside stair case are visible. There is a second set of two doors and four windows visible in the photograph.

Photograph of Abraham Salsberg (1870-1957) and Hedwig Salsberg (1870-1940), parents of Archie Salsberg. The pair are standing together and were photographed outdoors. Hedwig (left) is wearing a dark-colored dress and has her left arm through her husband's right. Abraham (right) is wearing a light-colored suit and is holding a hat in his left hand. He was a charter member and longtime board member at Fort Worth's Congregation Ahavath Sholom.

Hand-tinted, engagement photograph of Gertrude "Gertie" Fox (1894-1966) of Fort Worth, Texas. She is visible from the chest up, wearing a dark evening gown with rosettes at the left shoulder. She holds a feathered fan in front of her. Fox was from Corsicana and moved to Fort Worth in 1916 when she married Archie Salsberg.

Photograph of the 1916 wedding of Gertrude Fox and Archie Salsberg on the altar at Congregation Ahavath Sholom's synagogue in downtown Fort Worth, Texas. The bride and groom stand in the center of the photograph, surrounded by men wearing tuxedos and top hats and women wearing silk and taffeta dresses. Above the bridal party is a wedding canopy (called a Chuppah in Hebrew). It takes the shape of an arbor covered with flowers and crepe paper resembling wedding bells. Above the arbor there is a ledge containing two tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments, written in Hebrew, with a potted plant and sculpted lion on either side. A large portion of the lower-right corner of the photograph is missing.

Photograph of a building surrounded by shrubbery. The building was built in 1916 and was the Avondale School when built. At the time of the photograph the building had become the private home of Hardy Tadlock and his family.

Photograph of a rural class and teacher. There are 21 students and a teacher standing in front of a building. A sign on the building in the left background includes the words, "County Free Library." There are two visible windows and a set of doors in the background. Six students have no shoes on. Class names are as follows. Front row: Julia McNair, Reba Dot Kilpatrick, Billie Ann Kelly, D.L. Williams, Calvin Powell, Maxie Overstreet, Jack Fowler, Wayne Blevins. Second row: Lamoyne Shelton, Versie McKee, Guy Bell Jr., Coy Tucker, Pauline Stogsdill, Wanda Faye Ottinger, Wildin Elkins, Mamie Jewel Franks. Third row: J.B. Fowler, Charlie Stogsdill, Dewey Melear, Pauline Fowler, Joyce Hudnall. Fourth row: Mamie Ruth Willis, Teacher.

Photograph of members of the Ahavath Sholom Congregation playing baseball outside the Hebrew Institute at 819 Taylor Street in Fort Worth, Texas. The photograph is mounted on a wooden base.

In 1921, Fort Worth’s Congregation Ahavath Sholom introduced the rite of Confirmation, the graduation from religious school that coincides with the Jewish holiday Shavuos when Moses received the Ten Commandments. This picture shows the twelve, 14-year-old girls in the Confirmation class wearing white dresses, holding flowers and certificates rolled up like scrolls. The students are seated in two rows and are identified as: Row 1: Lena Shosid (Cooles), Fannie Herman, unidentified, Hannah Byrens, Bess Lipshitz (Cohen), unidentified Row 2: Sarah Shosid (Bloomberg), unidentified, unidentified, Leah Goldstein (Gerson), unidentified, unidentified An article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram of June 3, 1921, named each confirmand and also listed Dorothy Cohen, Rose Weinstein, Bertha Mosier, Ida Mosier, Edna Lipshy, and Esther Ablon. Each confirmand addressed the congregation. They completed a course of study in Jewish history, religion and literature.

Photograph of a baby sitting on a blanket in a field across from Main Street in Haslet. Background includes in unidentified order the lumber yard, blacksmith shop, grocery story, Masonic Lodge, Elkin's Cafe, Doc and Ben Gammill General Store. Baby is Doris Shelton Marcum at 18 months old.

Photograph of three buildings taken on March 25, 1923: a private home, barn and church are visible. The private home is far in the left background and was the four-room home of Charles and Susan Maloney. The barn is closer in the right background. The church is the focal point and occupies most of the frame. The church chimney, porch, front doors and seven windows are visible. The address is 314 Keller Haslet Dr.

Photograph of the Ahavath Sholom Congregation Sunday School students. They are standing on the front steps outside the synagogue in the 800 block of Taylor Street in Fort Worth, Texas. From left to right, top to bottom, the students in the photograph are: Row 1: Betty Carshon, Rachel Kruger, Dora Laves, Lena Rovinsky, Udys Weinstein, Lily Dworkin, Joe Ray Schwartzberg. Row 2: Charlie Anton, Milton Mehl, Arthur Rosenbaum, Charlotte Ray, Lily Levine, Molly Finger, Freda Hurwitz, Rae Carshon, Mary Bliss, Sylvia Shosid. Row 3: Alex Victor, William Hurwitz, Irving Kershman, Julius Scolnic, Mary Resnick, Sophia Blum, Mary Herman, Ida Berg, Beatrice Frankrich, Reva Nebrat, Gertrude Ellis, Raymond Dan. Row 4: Sidney Deutch, David Tuck, Rubin Anton, Norma Resnick, Lily Alpert, Rose Chicotsky, Hannah Chicotsky, Anna Gordon, Martha Daiches. Row 5: Nathan Frankel, Abe Goldstein, Abe Shosid, Paul Herman, Johanna Winer, Sadie Rovinsky, Sarah Garston, Irving Rosenthal. Row 6: Sidney Marks, Minnie Snofsky, Esther Klimist, Rebecca Lutsky, David Bernstein, Max Perlman, Sarah Kruger, Rosalie Bliss. Row 7: Morris Schwartz, Grace Dworkin, Lola Bozokofsky, Hyman Jacobson, Cecil Bozokofsky, Helen Kassover, Sonia Gulila, Sam Weisblatt, Florence Kassover, Patricia Jacobson.

Photograph of the 1928 Ahavath Sholom confirmation class standing on the altar (called a bimah) of the synagogue located downtown in the 800 block of Taylor Street in Fort Worth, Texas. From left to right, the confirmands are: Rebecca Luskey, Cecile Bodzy, Martha Daiches, Mrs. Abraham Bengis (teacher), Rabbi Abraham Bengis, Esther Klimist, Sally Kruger, Sarah Garston. Behind the confirmands is a replica of the Ten Commandments which rests above the curtained ark, which houses the Torah scrolls. In front of the dais is a seven-branched menorah.

Photograph of husband and wife rural school teachers standing in front of a school building. Their 44 students are lined up in between them. There are partial views of five windows. Class names are as follows. First row (bottom front): Junior Lasater, Ernest Allmon, unidentified first name Wilson, unidentified first name Whitaker, unidentified first name Whitaker, Billie Lasater. Second row (first middle): Woodrow Wilson, Leonard Wilson, J.C. Shirley, Woody Singleton, Noble Lee Rust, J.C. Thompson, unidentified first name Rust, Harold Easley, Ray Rust, J.G. Harris. Third row (second middle): Margarete Harris, unidentified, Edith Hall, Onedia Hall, Pauline Graham, unidentified first name Brown, Sarah Jane Waldrop, Lois Browder, Virginia Reynolds, Dorothy Bledsoe, unidentified first name Harris, Alice Brown. Fourth row (top): Mr. Clark, Mattie Bonner, Bill Waldrop, Marie Haney, Bill Robinson, Agnes Lasater, Louise Butler, Louise Lasater, Stella Brown, Georgia Rust. Fifth row (top back): Earl Singleton, J.W. Hearn, Olin Wilson, George Brown, Ed Davis, Mrs. Clark, Tennie Thompson.