Texas State Historical Association

What Texas State Historical Association does

The Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) is an Austin, Texas-based nonprofit organization founded in 1897 that is dedicated to fostering the appreciation, understanding, and teaching of Texas history. The Association serves a horizontal audience comprising the general public, academic researchers, educators, students, and historians who require authoritative reference material on Texas history. Its primary customer use cases include historical research, academic study, educational reference, and engagement by Texas history enthusiasts.

TSHA's core product is the Texas Almanac, a continuously published reference work dating to 1857 and now in its 73rd edition (2026-2027), which carries the designation of official state book of Texas. Through its wholly-owned publishing arm TSHA Press, the organization produces specialized historical titles covering Mexican American history, Texas military history, personal memoirs, and oil and gas industry history, with five new titles announced in October 2025 under Director Dr. Richard B. McCaslin. The Association also maintains the tshaonline.org digital platform for content distribution. There is no evidence of proprietary technology infrastructure, mobile applications, or API products; the underlying technology footprint appears to be a standard publishing and web platform stack.

TSHA operates as a 501(c)-style nonprofit with 11-50 employees. Its revenue mechanics rely on direct publication sales through TSHA Press in print and digital formats, supplemented by membership dues, donations, and likely grants, though no pricing model is publicly disclosed. Distribution is domestic (United States) and channeled through the Association's own e-commerce storefront. The organization holds a statutory mandate from state leadership to publish the official state book, which functions as a durable structural asset anchoring its market position.

Name

Texas State Historical Association

Legal name

Texas State Historical Association

Website

https://tshaonline.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1897

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Texas State Historical Association is a 1897-founded Austin-based nonprofit that publishes the Texas Almanac (the official state book since 1857) and historical titles through TSHA Press, serving researchers, educators, students, and the general public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Historical Publishing and Reference

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI)

Keywords

• Historical publishing
• State history research
• Almanac publications
• Educational reference materials
• Nonprofit historical society

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

The Texas State Historical Association is a nonprofit organization that publishes and disseminates authoritative content on Texas history. Its primary product is the Texas Almanac, the official state book of Texas first published in 1857 and now in its 73rd edition. Through its publishing arm, TSHA Press, the Association produces scholarly books, historical studies, and reference materials covering topics such as Mexican American history, Texas military history, personal memoirs, and oil and gas history, distributed in print and digital formats.

Product overview

The Texas State Historical Association operates primarily as a publishing organization offering historical books and reference materials. The core product is the Texas Almanac (now official state book), along with specialized historical studies through TSHA Press covering topics including Mexican American history, military history, personal memoirs, and oil and gas history. The association also maintains the tshaonline.org digital platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Texas Almanac Official state book of Texas, published since 1857 and now in its 73rd edition (2026-2027), providing comprehensive information about Texas history, geography, and culture, available in multiple formats for researchers, educators, students, and the general public.
• La Colonia Mexicana de Melvin Historical study authored by Dr. Arnoldo De León documenting Mexican American family life in rural Texas from the late 19th to mid-20th century, covering establishment of churches, civic organizations, and social networks.
• TSHA Press Texas Military History Titles Historical publications documenting Texas military history released as part of the expanded TSHA Press publishing program under Director McCaslin's leadership.
• TSHA Press Personal Memoirs Personal memoir publications released as part of the expanded TSHA Press program showcasing Texas history.
• TSHA Press Oil and Gas History Titles Historical publications documenting Texas oil and gas industry history released as part of the expanded TSHA Press publishing program.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• University of North Texas Press: Texas-based academic press with a strong catalog in Texas, Mexican American, and military history — overlapping author and reader bases with TSHA Press in the regional scholarly publishing category.
• Kansas Historical Society: Statewide historical society operating a research library, museum, and publishing program for Kansas history — directly comparable in scope, mission, and nonprofit publishing model to TSHA.
• State Historical Society of Missouri: Private nonprofit historical society publishing the Missouri Historical Review and a catalog of regional titles, plus operating research centers — closely analogous to TSHA's nonprofit historical-publishing model.
• Oklahoma Historical Society: State-level historical society operating as a nonprofit that preserves, publishes, and interprets Oklahoma history through journals, books, and digital archives — directly comparable in mission, structure, and product mix to TSHA.
• Texas A&M University Press: Major academic press publishing Texas and Western historical scholarship, including military, memoir, and regional studies. Directly comparable as a publisher competing for the same Texas-history reader and author pool.
• New Mexico Historical Society: Regional historical organization managing sites, collections, and publications on New Mexico history — comparable to TSHA as a state-focused nonprofit heritage publisher with preservation and educational mandates.
• Humanities Texas: State affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities focused on Texas history and culture through grants, programming, and publications — a peer nonprofit in the Texas humanities space with overlapping audience and mission.

Emerging players

• JSTOR: Digital scholarly library platform hosting digitized historical journals, books, and primary sources — comparable to TSHA as a destination for historical researchers and a potential distribution or partner channel for digitized TSHA content.

Broad incumbents

• National Trust for Historic Preservation: Large national nonprofit heritage organization with publishing, advocacy, and grantmaking — broader in scope than TSHA but comparable as a cultural-heritage nonprofit generating revenue from members and publications.
• American Historical Association: Largest professional organization for historians, publishing the American Historical Review and supporting historical scholarship nationally — comparable to TSHA as a scholarly nonprofit publisher serving the academic history community.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TxStHistAssoc
• Facebookfacebook.com/TexasStateHistoricalAssociation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Texas State Historical Association