Summary
The ill-fated Superconducting Super Collider was going to be the largest particle accelerator ever built. It's physical imprint on the land of Texas necessitated a role for the General Land Office. After the project was defunded in 1993, the Texas National Research Laboratory Commissioner was dissolved. The surface land and sub-surface land leases acquired by the Commission and the voluminous records documenting that activity becameme the property of the Texas General Land Office. The GLO was then tasked with selling the abandoned SSC land and facilities. The Collection is composed of records documenting the land purchases and later the land sales on behalf of the SSC project.
Biographical Note
There have been thousands of publications written about the ill-fated Superconducting Super Collider. Below are three publications available on the internet that broadly describe the SSC from its beginnings to the myriad reasons why the project was abandoned.
The first, The Superconducting Super Collider's frontier outpost, 1983-1988 is a history of the SSC project's beginning up to its cancellation in 1993. Written from the perspective of the lead physicists, the article explores the evolving circumstances that eventually led to the demise of the SSC project.
The second publication, The Demise of the Superconducting Super Collider focuses solely on the political reasons for defunding the SSC project in 1993.
The third, How Texas Lost the World's Largest Super Colliderarticle is a contemporary commentary looking back at the project from the present (2013). The article is less about the SSC and more about the history and politics surrounding the project, it's location in Waxahatchie, Texas, and the disposition of SSC lands and buildings.
After the project was defunded in 1993, the Texas National Research Laboratory Commissioner was dissolved. The surface land and sub-surface land leases acquired by the Commission and the voluminous records documenting that activity becameme the property of the Texas General Land Office. The GLO was then tasked with selling the abandoned SSC land and facilities.
Scope and Content
The first, The Superconducting Super Collider's frontier outpost, 1983-1988 is a history of the SSC project's beginning up to its cancellation in 1993. Written from the perspective of the lead physicists, the article explores the evolving circumstances that eventually led to the demise of the SSC project.
The second publication, The Demise of the Superconducting Super Collider focuses solely on the political reasons for defunding the SSC project in 1993.
The third, How Texas Lost the World's Largest Super Colliderarticle is a contemporary commentary looking back at the project from the present (2013). The article is less about the SSC and more about the history and politics surrounding the project, it's location in Waxahatchie, Texas, and the disposition of SSC lands and buildings.
After the project was defunded in 1993, the Texas National Research Laboratory Commissioner was dissolved. The surface land and sub-surface land leases acquired by the Commission and the voluminous records documenting that activity becameme the property of the Texas General Land Office. The GLO was then tasked with selling the abandoned SSC land and facilities.
The Collection consists of 154.6 linear feet of Land Purchase Transactions that document the acquisition of surface land and sub-surface land leases for the construction of the SSC project buildings and tunnels, 1988-1992. The transaction documents include photographs of lands purchased.
In addition, the collection contains 21.3 linear feet of Land Sales Transactions documenting the liquidation of SSC property and land, 1996-2012 and includes 31 3.5" inch floppy diskettes containing word processing documents and GIS drawings related to the site restoration (deconstruction) of the main SSC buildings and tunnels, 1996-1997. The word processing files are in Word Perfect format and the drawings are in ArcView by ESRI (now called ArcGIS) format.
Date
In addition, the collection contains 21.3 linear feet of Land Sales Transactions documenting the liquidation of SSC property and land, 1996-2012 and includes 31 3.5" inch floppy diskettes containing word processing documents and GIS drawings related to the site restoration (deconstruction) of the main SSC buildings and tunnels, 1996-1997. The word processing files are in Word Perfect format and the drawings are in ArcView by ESRI (now called ArcGIS) format.
1996-2012
Extent
175.90 Linear feet (Records on shelf)
Language
English
Arrangement
The SSC Collection contains two series:
1. Land Purchase Transactions, 1988-1992: These records are arranged by parcel number.
2. Land Sales Transactions, 1996-2012: These records are arranged by File Number.
Preferred Citation
1. Land Purchase Transactions, 1988-1992: These records are arranged by parcel number.
2. Land Sales Transactions, 1996-2012: These records are arranged by File Number.
[Short title of Document], [Date: Day-Month-Year]. Box [#], Folder [#], p. [#]. Administrative records of the Archives & Records Program Area. Archives and Records Program, Texas General Land Office, Austin.
Access Restrictions
Unrestricted access.
Use Restrictions
Most records created by Texas state agencies are not copyrighted and may be freely used in any way. State records also include materials received by, not created by, state agencies. Copyright remains with the creator. The researcher is responsible for complying with U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17 U.S.C.).
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