Greenville, Texas -- Join us at the Audie Murphy/American Cotton Museum on Saturday, October 17 for the 30th Annual Cotton & Rural History Conference. This year's keynote speaker is Dr. Victoria Bynum. In her new book, Deep Roots, Broken Branches: A History and Memoir, Dr. Bynum covers her own history in this multigenerational American saga spanning from 1840 - 1979.

Through meticulous historical research, personal letters, diaries and the unpublished memoir of Mary Daniel Huckenpoehler, the author's maternal grandmother, Bynum examines five generations within the broader context of the nation's history, navigating pivotal events such as First Wave immigration, the Civil War, the the Gilded Age, the Great Depression, two world wars, the Cold War and beyond. Dr. Bynum is a distinguished professor emeritus of history at Texas State University, San Marcos.

The first historians panel will feature two presentations related to agriculture history. In "A Tomato for All Season," Dr. John Hoenig will explore the historic rise of the tomato as a popular consumer commodity. Dr. Hoenig is the author of Garden Variety: The American Tomato from Corporate to Heirloom.

Talented East Texas A&M University undergrad Philip Ciaverelli will present an exploration of US "Dollar Diplomacy" toward Nicaragua in "A Banana Republic for All Seasons."

The second panel will feature Dr. Deborah Liles, the W.K. Gordon Endowed Chair of History, Tarleton State University, who will present "Visualizing Data: Enslaved Migration to Texas, 1807-1865 and Kyle Ainsworth who will present "Slavery in East Texas: A Curated Approach to Deed and Probate Records."

Ainsworth is the archivist for the East Texas Research Center and project manager of both the Texas Runaway Slave Project and the Lone Star Slavery Project. Tickets are $20 and includes a BBQ lunch. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. with the program beginning at 10:00 a.m. Please call (903) 450-4502 or email amacm@att.net to RSVP by Oct. 12.