Aline B. Carter (1892–1972) was an American poet and humanitarian, and Poet Laureate of Texas from 1947 through 1949. She also served as a vice president of the Poetry Society of Texas.A Guide to the Aline B. Carter Family Papers

University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries (UTSA Libraries) The University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries (UTSA Libraries) is the academic library of The University of Texas at San Antonio, a state university, state research university in San Antonio, Texas, United States. UTSA Libraries consists of the ...

Special Collections

Biography

Carter's family was well established in

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

history, business, and society. The women especially were well-educated, well-traveled, and well-known. Carter received private tutelage until 1913, when she left home to attend

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a Private university, private Women's colleges in the United States, historically women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henr ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. She also studied the harp at the

Boston Conservatory Boston Conservatory at Berklee (formerly The Boston Conservatory) is a private performing arts conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in dance, music, and theater. Boston Conservatory was founded o ...

and

Eric Pape Frederich Ludwig Moritz Pape Jr. (October 17, 1870 – November 7, 1938), known as Eric Pape, was an American painter, engraver, sculptor, and illustrator. Early life Pape was born in San Francisco, California, on October 17, 1870, to Fried ...

School of Art. In 1915, Aline returned to San Antonio after the death of her father, Frank J. Badger, to live with her mother and grandmother in the Eagar House at 434 South Alamo. The following year she married prominent local attorney and former president of the Texas Bar Association Henry Champe Carter. Together, they raised three sons, Henry Champe, Jr., Frank, and David. The family resided in the

Alfred Giles Alfred Giles may refer to: * Alfred Giles (architect) (1853–1920), Texas architect * Alfred Giles (civil engineer) (1816–1895), British civil engineer and politician * Alfred Giles (explorer) (1846–1931), South Australian bushman, drover an ...

designed Maverick Carter House, at 119 Taylor Street. Built in 1893 for William H. Maverick, son of Samuel A. Maverick, the

Richardsonian Romanesque Richardsonian Romanesque is a architectural style, style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after the American architect Henry Hobson Richardson (1838–1886). The revivalism (architecture), revival style incorporates 11th- and 12th-century ...

home now functions as an education center as well as museum. Her published works of poetry include ''Halo of Love'' and ''Doubt Not the Dream''. The former included illustrated hand drawings by Aline. Additionally, she wrote a manuscript for a historical novel based on the life of her grandmother, Sarah Riddle Eagar. This manuscript, entitled ''Light Beyond the Hills'', was never published and remains with the University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections. Carter had a great love of astronomy, and hosted stargazing parties on the roof of her home, where she had an observatory built circa 1925 by local artisan and friend Ethel Wilson Harris. She also taught astronomy classes at the

Witte Museum The Witte Museum ( ) is a museum located in Brackenridge Park in San Antonio, Texas, and was established in 1926. It is dedicated to telling the stories of Texas, from prehistory to the present. The permanent collection features historic artifac ...

in San Antonio. Known as the "White Angel" because of the white organdy dresses she often wore, Carter was a great humanitarian. She taught

Sunday School ] A Sunday school, sometimes known as a Sabbath school, is an educational institution, usually Christianity, Christian in character and intended for children or neophytes. Sunday school classes usually precede a Sunday church service and are u ...

for many years and was a member to the St. Mark's Episcopal Church (San Antonio, Texas), St. Mark's Episcopal Church. For over forty years she hosted a Christmas party for the Protestant Children's Home orphanage at her home on Taylor Street. Her work with inmates at the Bexar County Juvenile Detention Center and Bexar County Jail, and patients at the San Antonio State Hospital, was well known and appreciated. She also established the Aline B. Carter Peace Prize for Aspiring Poets. A very spiritual woman, Carter had a small chapel built at her seaside home on

Mustang Island Mustang Island is a barrier island on the Gulf Coast of Texas in the United States. The island is 18 miles (29 km) long, stretching from Corpus Christi to Port Aransas. The island is oriented generally northeast–southwest, with the Gu ...

Port Aransas, Texas Port Aransas ( ) is a city in Nueces County, Texas, United States. This city is 180 miles southeast of San Antonio. The population was 2,904 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Port Aransas is the only established town on Mustang Isla ...

as well as converting her San Antonio home library into a personal chapel. Carter commissioned Ethel Harris for both projects. The Port Aransas structure was built in 1937-38 and has become known locally as the Chapel on the Dunes. It was the first consecrated episcopal church built on the island due to the destruction from the 1919 Hurricane.Chapel on the Dunes
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Aline B. 1892 births 1972 deaths 20th-century American poets American women poets Poets laureate of Texas Wellesley College alumni Writers from San Antonio 20th-century American women writers People from Port Aransas, Texas