Who was Jane Yelvington McCallum?

Library gets the story from La Vernia Historical Association

ELAINE M. STEPHENS
La Vernia Public Library Assistant Sheri Mantei (left) and Library Clerk Heather Lindquist accept a storyboard about the library’s namesake, Jane Yelvington McCallum, presented May 26 by (back, from left) La Vernia Historical Association members Kathy Kotelman, Susan Richter, and Graham Lawrence.

The La Vernia Historical Association surprised the Jane Yelvington McCallum Wilson County Public Library staff in La Vernia by presenting the library May 26 with an educational storyboard the association created to honor the library’s famous namesake.

“We were so glad when the library opened in La Vernia and, when we learned it was to be named after Jane McCallum, we couldn’t have been happier,” said association President Elaine Stephens.

McCallum was born in La Vernia in 1877. The storyboard explains that McCallum was “the daughter of Mary Fullerton LeGette and Alvaro L. Yelvington and attended school in Wilson County, Texas. She married Arthur Newell McCallum Sr. and settled in Austin where she attended the University of Texas. She was an important pioneer in the Women’s Suffrage Movement and the longest-serving Texas Secretary of State. She was a prominent writer and prohibition leader, active in politics and civic matters. She is buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Austin.”

“The name was chosen because we wanted to honor one of the community’s famed natives,” said Wilson County Public Libraries Director Nicki Stohr, who was unable to attend the presentation. “McCallum was a leader, a public servant, and an author to be proud of.”

Contributed for publication by the La Vernia Historical Association. Learn more about the association at laverniahistory.com .


Visit the library!

Due to coronavirus restrictions, the Wilson County Public Libraries — in La Vernia, Floresville, and Stockdale — are operating at a maximum capacity of 25 percent. Face coverings are recommended when social distancing isn’t possible.

Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Library visits may be limited to 30 minutes per patron.

The library has a series of kids’ camps planned (see page 6) and a summer reading program for children.

The Jane Yelvington McCallum Library is located at 112 E. Chihuahua St. in downtown La Vernia. For information:
•Call 830-253-1249
•Follow the library on Facebook
•Visit www.wilsoncountylibrary.org.