WHAT: Printing Saturday at the Texas Gazette Printshop in the new Villa de Austin exhibit at San Felipe de Austin SHS; event is family-friendly and included with regular site admission fees

WHERE: San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site, 220 2nd Street in San Felipe, TX (exit 723 from Interstate 10, 2 miles north on FM 1458 to 2nd Street)

The San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site (SHS), operated by the Texas Historical Commission, opened its new outdoor exhibit – the Villa de Austin – last November. The Villa offers a collection of newly constructed buildings that recreate the historic aura of the town of San Felipe de Austin.

One of the exhibit buildings represents the Godwin B. Cotten printshop, which produced the Texas Gazette newspaper at San Felipe de Austin between 1829 and 1832. Cotten was an early printer in Texas, and printing represents an important story in the settlement of Mexican Texas and development of Austin’s Colony.

Saturday, Jan. 8, the site will host printing demonstrations, themed programs and opportunities for anyone interested in volunteering to, literally, get their hands dirty while learning about movable, set type and the working press.

Programming will go on throughout the day (from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) and volunteer orientation sessions for the printshop will be offered at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Potential volunteers are encouraged to email historic site manager Bryan McAuley at bryan.mcauley@thc.texas.gov to register their planned attendance at one of the orientation sessions.

In addition, visitors to the site will be able to enjoy the modern visitor center with a wide range of permanent exhibits, a temporary exhibit titled “Certificates of Character” about the interactions of some of the town’s less-known historic occupants (the exhibit closes this spring), interpretive walk trails as well as the other buildings that comprise the Villa de Austin exhibit.

Another special offering will be a small militia group conducting demonstrations and commemorations of the battle of New Orleans. Some of the early settlers to Texas had participated in the battle, which occurred Jan. 8, 1815, including printer Godwin Cotten whose press was closed for publishing commentary critical of the military strategy employed by future U.S. President Andrew Jackson.

For more information, go to www.visitsanfelipedeaustin.com or call the historic site at 979-885-2181.