Historian and curator Lonn Taylor (1940-) of Fort Worth received his bachelor’s degree in history and government from Texas Christian University in 1961, and held a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship in government at New York University during 1961-1962. Between 1965 and 1969 he did graduate work at the University of Texas in history, museology, and historic preservation. From 1970 to 1977, Taylor worked at the University of Texas at Austin’s Winedale Historical Center in Round Top, as director and curator of collections. While at Winedale, Taylor (with David B. Warren) completed "Texas Furniture: The Cabinetmakers and Their Work, 1840-1880" (1975, The University of Texas Press). He later served as a curator for the Dallas Historical Society and the American Folklife Center, and directed the New Mexico Furniture History Project at the Museum of New Mexico in Santa Fe. In 1984 Taylor joined the staff of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History where he served for 18 years, conducting research, directing and curating exhibits. His work as historian for the Smithsonian's Star-Spangled Banner Preservation Project led to his 2000 book, "The Star-Spangled Banner: The Flag That Inspired the National Anthem." He has also written books on American cowboys, New Mexican furniture and Southwestern history. Lonn Taylor retired from the Smithsonian in 2002. He has served as a consultant on exhibit planning for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Alamo, and the cities of Grapevine and San Antonio. He currently (2005) chairs the Advisory Council of the Center for Big Bend Studies at Sul Ross University.
From the guide to the Taylor (Lonn) Papers AR 80-26; 84-224; 96-072; 99-121., 1936-1986, (Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin)
