Temple in Bell County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Cultural Activities Center

Photographed by Larry D. Moore, June 4, 2020

1. Cultural Activities Center Marker

Inscription. Organized in 1958, the Cultural Activities Center (CAC) in Temple is among the oldest multi-disciplinary arts organizations in Texas. During the 1950s, there was a national upsurge in the arts, which coincided with Temple’s post-war population growth and community history of support for the arts. Among the women responsible for starting the center was Nora Lee Wendland (1896-1988), president of the City Federation of Women’s Clubs and a classically trained violinist. She envisioned a “festival of the arts” and established a Cultural Arts Committee, which organized the first festival in April 1958. The committee expanded that year and began working with citizens and local groups to organize programs for Temple. The seven original groups were the Youth Activity Center (Children’s Library and Employment Agency), Old Central Players, the League of Contemporary Arts, the Artisans’ Guild, the Temple Camera Club, the Community Chorus, and the Temple Civic Orchestra.

The CAC was housed in a variety of locations, including a former church building from 1965-77, and its replacement, the Azalee Marshall Cultural Activities Center, which was dedicated in 1978. The contemporaries, the CAC’s service organization, largely operated outside of the organization’s building, visiting schools where members staged arts programs. As a groundbreaking institution, the CAC became a model for similar centers in other communities. It also spun off the Temple Civic Theatre and the Temple Railroad and Heritage Museum. Today, the Cultural Activities Center remains at the forefront of artistic activities in Temple and throughout Bell County.

Erected 2010 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 16437.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Arts, Letters, Music. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1958.

Location. 31° 7.506′ N,

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97° 19.968′ W. Marker is in Temple, Texas, in Bell County. It can be reached from North 3rd Street (State Highway 290 Spur) north of West Welton Avenue, on the right. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3011 N 3rd St, Temple TX 76501, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Texas.

It is also in the American South.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Republic of Texas,

and one of the Confederate States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Hillcrest Cemetery (approx. ¾ mile away); George Valter Brindley, Sr., M.D. (approx. 0.8 miles away); Arthur Carroll Scott, Sr., M.D. (approx. 0.9 miles away); Raleigh R. White, Jr., M.D. (approx. 0.9 miles away); Nora Lee Mayhew Wendland (approx. 0.9 miles away); Cyrus Maxwell Campbell (approx. 0.9 miles away); Claudia Potter, M.D. (approx. 0.9 miles away); Raleigh Richardson White, Sr. (approx.

Cultural Activities Center Marker Area image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Larry D. Moore, June 4, 2020

2. Cultural Activities Center Marker Area

0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Temple.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 7, 2020. It was originally submitted on June 7, 2020, by Larry D. Moore of Del Valle, Texas. This page has been viewed 480 times since then and 41 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 7, 2020, by Larry D. Moore of Del Valle, Texas.