Museums preserve area’s rich heritage

Nan Dickson/Telegram file Minnie Mouse, left, enjoys a nap as Jessi Avendano of Temple watches his daughter Alyssa, 6, color a paper kite during a Family Day at the Temple Railroad and Heritage Museum.

BY RANDY RAY

TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER

The colorful history and rich heritage of Bell County and Central Texas is preserved by local museums, where visitors can explore both permanent and temporary exhibits to learn a bit more about the world around them. Some of those museums are housed inside structures that are part of that colorful history. Bell County Museum

The Bell County Museum, established in 1991 in a former Carnegie Library that was built in 1905, owns more than 12,000 objects related to Bell County and the Central Texas region. The museum, at 201 N. Main St. in Belton, features permanent exhibits as well as new traveling exhibitions throughout the year.

This summer, visitors to the museum can view the new exhibit “Bell County Sports.” This temporary exhibit will be on display through Aug. 21, and will give viewers an opportunity to learn about many of the athletes, coaches and teams that helped establish a legacy of athletic greatness in Bell County.

Visitors also can visit the museum’s permanent exhibits such as the moustache cup collection, the Little River Log Cabin, the Miriam A. Ferguson Collection and the C.O. Buckellew miniature home collection.

The museum offers periodic tours of the Gault Site, in southwest Bell County near Florence. The site is considered to be one of the most important archeological sights in North America, and a collection of artifacts collected from the site also is on permanent display at the museum.

The Bell County Museum is open from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free. For information about exhibits, tours or events, visit www.bellcountymusem.org or call 254-933-5243.

Temple Railroad and Heritage Museum

The Temple Railroad and Heritage Museum is housed in the historic Santa Fe Depot, 315 W. Ave. B in Temple. The museum opened in 1973 and features permanent and temporary exhibits.

The permanent exhibits are on the second floor of the museum and focus on railroad history, with an emphasis on the Santa Fe and railroads in Texas.

The temporary exhibits explore railroad history, as well as general topics in U.S. history. The

Nan Dickson/Telegram file “Mean” Joe Greene’s helmet from the Pittsburgh Steelers is one of many items on display as part of the “Bell County Sports” exhibit on display through Aug. 21 at the Bell County Museum in Belton.

summer exhibit, “One Half of the People: Advancing Equality for Women,” will be on display June 16 to Aug. 18. Organized by the National Archives to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, this exhibit explores the stories of women’s struggles to achieve full citizenship.

Other exhibits planned for later this year are “A Great Frontier Odyssey: Sketching the American West” Sept. 5 to Nov. 7, and “Facing the Inferno: The Wildfire Photography of Kari Greer” Nov. 20 to Jan. 15.

The depot is a working Amtrak station where visitors can observe the BNSF rail line through the observation windows, learn about railroad equipment, view model trains and explore the telegraph room. Vintage locomotives, cabooses and passenger cars are displayed outside.

The museum holds special events such as National Train Day, and educational programs. Family Days are 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. the first Saturday of every month and feature a range of themes and free activities. It also is home of the Fred M. and Dale M. Springer Archives.

The museum is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For information, visit www.templerrhm.org or call 254-298-5172.

Czech Heritage Museum

The Czech Heritage Museum and Genealogy Center displays artifacts and holds programs that share the rich influence of Czech culture in the community.

The effort to collect books and artifacts began in the 1960s under the names SPJST Library, Archives and Museum. In 2000, the Czech Heritage Museum and Genealogy Center was established as a nonprofit organization.

The museum, at 119 W. French Ave. in Temple, features a variety of Czech artifacts, costumes, coins, instruments, Bibles and arts. It also offers a library with the largest Czech genealogy collection in Texas.

The museum also presents free Czech films on the second Tuesday of each month at the historic Beltonian Theatre in Belton.

The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, or by appointment. For information, call 254-899-2935 or visit www.czechheritagemuseum.org. Salado Museum and College Park

The Salado Museum and College Park tells the pioneer history and cultural diversity of Central Texas. The museum is at 423 S. Main St., while College Park, located just south of the museum, is the location of the ruins and grounds of historic Salado College.

One of the earliest group of settlers in the area was the Robertson Colony, established in 1825 by a group of 600 families, most of whom were Scots.

The museum includes an exhibit room, an auditorium and the Wee Scotts Shop, which sells traditional Irish and Scottish apparel, accessories and literature. The museum holds the annual Scottish Gathering and Highland Games in November.

The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Admission is free. For information, call 254-947-5232 or visit saladomuseum.org. Temple Children’s Museum

The area’s newest museum is the Temple Children’s Museum, which aims to create a community that sparks the creativity and the curiosity of young children through hands-on learning and interactive play. It strives to provide a place where families can engage in play that inspires a love of learning, with a significant focus on interaction between parents/adults and children.

Currently at 11 N. 4th St. in downtown Temple, the museum is raising funds to build a larger, permanent facility. It is open for private groups by reservation only.