Canonical URL first
Use the clean TexasDefined page URL rather than a search result, tracking URL or image redirect.
Research use & attribution
Cite the collection without losing the source trail.
Texas Defined is a synthesis and reference layer. When an individual claim comes from a parish, National Register record, Texas Historical Commission record, archival photograph or heritage institution, preserve that underlying source alongside the Texas Defined page when the distinction matters.
Preserve the primary record
For designation, architecture, current access and archival evidence, keep the controlling NPS, THC, parish or archive source attached.
Keep scope labels intact
Do not turn “broader historic tradition” or “modern decorative campaign” into formal National Register membership.
Suggested citation
Simple web format
Texas Defined, “Painted Churches of Texas,” https://texasdefined.com/explore/painted-churches, collection reviewed August 18, 2026, accessed [your date].
For an individual church, substitute its canonical church-page title and URL and retain the visible primary-source link for the fact you are using.
Best citation target by use
Statewide collection
Use for the verified statewide scope and collection-level definitions.
Master census
Use when discussing verified, candidate or excluded churches and why the lists differ.
Comparison dataset
Use for side-by-side classification, integrity, dates, people, symbols and techniques.
Research methodology
Use for inclusion standards, source precedence, corrections and image-rights policy.
Knowledge graph
Use for documented entity relationships among churches, people, techniques, symbols, heritage and preservation.
Harwood archive guide
Use as an orientation to the UT archival finding aid and its Painted Churches research material.
Machine-readable resources
For parishes, museums and heritage organizations
Corrections and reciprocal source credit are welcome.
Texas Defined links back to official organizations whenever they control parish history, visitor policy or community heritage. If your organization maintains a more current or more precise primary record, the methodology favors that record over a weaker secondary source.
Current verified collection size: 27 churches. Machine-readable distributions are generated from the same shared records as the public comparison and church pages.