Explore Great Authors. Make Great Friends.
Join Us For The Next Chapter Of The
Heritage Book Club
At Historic Aldredge House Museum
Step into the elegant surroundings of the Aldredge House Museum as we explore great works of fiction and non-fiction during the second installment of our popular Heritage Book Club. Selections will focus on the legendary history and people of the City of Dallas and the Great State of Texas.
Groups are forming now and seating is limited, so sign up today.
Our 2025 Reading Selections & Dates
March 20: Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson
April 17th: King of Diamonds by Rena Pederson
September 18: The Accommodation by Jim Schutze
October 16: All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
Series of 4 Sessions: $75
(members provide their own books)
Sign up using the PayPal Button above or mail your check to:
Friends of Aldredge House Book Club
6005 Swiss Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75214
About The 2025 Selections
Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson
March 20, 2025, 6:30PM
September 8, 1900 – The day began innocently and quietly in the seaside town of Galveston, Texas. Even Isaac Cline, local US Weather Bureau meteorologist, failed to grasp the true meaning of the strange deep-sea swells and peculiar winds. Mere hours later, Galveston found itself submerged by a monster – an historic hurricane that would completely destroy the town and kill over 6000 people.
“ Gripping, fascinating to its core, and all the more compelling for being true.” — The New York Times Book Review
The King of Diamonds by Rena Pederson
April 17, 2025, 6:30PM
Thrilling true-crime story of a brazen and elusive jewel thief who roamed the homes of Dallas high society. A window into the dark secrets lurking beneath the surface of the Swinging Sixties.
With verve, style, and astonishing historical detail, award-winning journalist Rena Pederson enters the world of Dallas’ elite - and its underbelly – to seek the King of Diamonds’ identity, uncovering Dallas secrets and offering spell-binding theories of criminal motivations and escapades.
The Accommodation by Jim Schutze
September 18, 2025, 6:30PM
A VERY SPECIAL NIGHT:
Author Jim Schutze will join us in person to discuss his powerful and eye-opening account of the violent and suppressed history of race and racism in Dallas.
An uninhibited and honest account of Dallas in the 1950s and ‘60s. Both damning and illuminating – a must-read treatise about racism and political power that opens dialogue on our current day.
All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
October 16, 2025, 6:30PM
A bestseller and winner of the U.S. National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. A tale of John Grady Cole who sets off for Mexico on a sometimes idyllic, sometimes comic and dangerous adventure where dreams are paid in blood.” Exciting, romantic, grueling, tragic, and heroic.
The writing depicts the time period and culture of 1949 Texas and Mexico in “gorgeous, profound, and compelling detail.”
A Vintage Celebration
The "Wine At The Museum" Event At Historic Aldredge House Was An Evening of Great Tastings, Soaring Song and Classic Fun.
The first in a series of three wine tastings scheduled for this Fall at Aldredge House Museum was a soaring success. The sold-out event, hosted by Jimmy's Food Store, Southern Glazers, and Friends of Aldredge House, was conducted by Italian Wine Specialist, Rino Brigliadore, and featured the Wines of Northern Italy. The next tasting, on Friday, October 18th, will focus on the Wines of Central Italy and the final event, on Friday, October 25th, will highlight the Wines of Southern Italy.
Reservations for all three events are sold out.
A Night At The Opera
As an added feature, students from the SMU Meadows School of Fine Arts serenaded guests with a variety of songs specially chosen for the event. Selections from both classic operas and contemporary musicals were performed, making this special evening in this beautiful historic museum home, even more magical.
Generously Sponsored By:
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Join Us for "A Black Cowboy Comes To Town"
The Newest Installment of our Living History Play
Second Saturday at Aldredge House Museum
2025 DATES: Feb. 8, Mar. 8, Apr. 12, May 10, June 14, Sept. 13, Oct. 11, Nov. 8, and Dec. 13
Email us at info@friendsofaldredgehouse.org for reservations.
Come explore our city's diverse cultural history -- at the Aldredge House Museum. Join us for the second installment of our award-winning series about the house's original owners, Willie and Will Lewis. Chapter Two of our popular Living History Play is titled: "A Black Cowboy Comes to Town."
Written by Dallas playwright, Isabella Russell-Ides, "A Black Cowboy Comes To Town" recalls the story of the life and times of the Lewises, circa 1919, when the turn-of-the-century town of Dallas was on the verge of social and cultural change. The play is based on the true stories written by Mrs. Willie Newberry Lewis, the Dallas debutante who married Will Lewis, the much-older and very successful West Texas rancher.
In this new installment, Texas and Dallas history converge. Mr. Lewis brings with him to the young city one of the cowboys from his sprawling RO Ranch near Clarendon, Texas -- a man who has been his friend since their boyhood days working on cattle ranches in the Texas Panhandle. As a result, worlds collide and sparks fly in the grand home on Swiss Avenue!
As the story unfolds, audience members move through the historic mansion along with the actors, providing attendees a tour of the house as they go.
"A Black Cowboy Comes To Town" will be performed on 2nd Saturdays -- see above for 2025 dates, at 11AM (please arrive at 10:45am). Reserve your place now and come live a piece of our city's fascinating past.
Aldredge House Museum 5500 Swiss Avenue
Email us at info@friendsofaldredgehouse.org for reservations.
Dallas Historical Society Honors Friends of Aldredge House at Dallas History Makers Awards for Excellence
The International Ballroom at the Fairmont Hotel served as the setting for the 2023 annual Dallas History Makers Awards for Excellence, hosted by the Dallas Historical Society and honoring outstanding individuals and organizations chosen for their contributions to the quality of life in Dallas.
Recipient in the Humanities category is Friends of Aldredge House, selected for its efforts in supporting the operations of the Aldredge House – a living example of Dallas history and the crown-jewel of Swiss Avenue – through its creative Living History plays, its popular Speaker Series, and other awareness-raising initiatives.
The awards were established on behalf of the Trustees of the Dallas Historical Society in 1981. Each year's nominees are solicited from throughout the Dallas Community with recipients chosen in multiple categories: Arts Leadership, Creative Arts, Education, History, Humanities, Philanthropy, Sports Leadership, and Volunteer Community Leadership.
The Friends of Aldredge House is both honored and privileged to be receiving this honor in recognition of its ongoing initiatives to promote historic preservation in Dallas.
Aldredge House Receives A Grant From The Texas Historical Foundation For Its Living History Plays
The Aldredge House is excited to announce that it has been selected to receive a grant from the Texas Historical Foundation for the continued development of its popular Living History Play performed on the Second Saturday every month (except July and August).
The grant will support the expansion of the Living History Play to integrate additional historic figures who've participated in and contributed to the life and times of Aldredge House. We can't wait to get to work with the playwright, director, and an amazing volunteer cast to expand on the house's fascinating story.
Read the full article about the grant, published in Candy's Dirt, at the link below:
Aldredge House Takes Center Stage On Popular East Dallas Podcast
Friends of Aldredge House board members Melanie Vanlandingham and Marianne Howells recently joined Camille and Rich, hosts of the popular East Dallas podcast, "What In East Dallas Is Going On?!", to discuss the origins, development and performance of the "Living History Play", presented on the Second Saturday of each month (except July and August) at Aldredge House.
It's a fascinating and enlightening exchange. Listen in at the link below:
Neighbors Gather For Good Conversation
And Great Barbecue In A Grand Setting
On March 19th, members of The Dallas County Medical Society Alliance Foundation and Friends of Aldredge House hosted a neighborhood meet-and-greet at Aldredge House. An estimated 150 neighbors and friends gathered at the house for delicious barbecue, ice-cold refreshments, and a lavish spread of side dishes and desserts.
It was a welcome and long-overdue opportunity for old neighbors to reconnect post-Covid, and for everyone to meet and get to know the newer residents in the District. Attendance was far greater than expected; every table inside was filled and the overflow spilled out into the rear garden where there were activities set up for the younger kids. The response was so positive, in fact, that the Foundation has offered to make these neighborhood meet-and-greets an annual Springtime event.
Candy's Dirt Visits The Second Saturdays Living History Tour At Aldredge House
In the Aldredge House Dining Room, Martha Heimberg (center left) and Rikki Sushaun (center right) portray staff members of the house's original owners, Will & Willie Lewis.
Candy Evans, founder of Candy's Dirt, the award-winning news site popular among real-estate lovers, along with her granddaughter, Hattie, and features writer, Karen Eubank, all attended the January performance of the Second Saturdays Living History Tour at Aldredge House. To read the article describing their experience, click on the photo link above.
STEP BACK INTO THE HISTORY OF DALLAS
Celebrating
Over 100 Years
of Dallas History
...an intact manifestation of the distinctive gentility that is Dallas at its best.
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It's Time to Renew
Support Aldredge House for future generations
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