Elisabeth Fontaine Darst was born in Galveston on New Year’s Day, 1933. Her interest in local history came naturally as both sides of her family were early settlers in Texas and on Galveston Island. After graduating from Ball High School, she enrolled at Gulfpark College in Mississippi and studied art. During the 1960s and 1970s, Darst exhibited her work at a variety of local and national venues. She received accolades for her paintings in oil and in watercolor, and examples of her work can be found in the permanent collections of the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum and of the Rosenberg Library.