Houston County Museum Hidden Gem Right in Our Midst
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
HOUSTON COUNTY – Ask most locals about the Houston County museum and they will tell you exactly where it is – the old Crockett train station. They will probably advise you to go: a lot of history there. Many Houston County residents – if not most – have never been there themselves.
A shame, to be honest, to miss such a well preserved part of our local history.
Free to get in, free to look – even the explanation of each and every exhibit comes free.
Since 2009, Dorothy Harris has run the museum, organizing the old train depot into a real, multi-room museum.
The depot recently received two paintings made specially for the museum – requested by Harris herself.
Well-known artist John Russell Thomasson was born in Crockett in 1948 and now lives in Lubbock. Harris asked him if he could make some new paintings for the museum – one of Davy Crockett – and one of Sam Houston.
“I asked him how much would it cost and he said, ‘Nothing!’” Harris said. “I was just so thrilled. He finished these in just two weeks! He brought these beautiful paintings in and I am still floating on clouds!”
Harris knows every inch of the museum and every display in it. From explaining the history of the depot itself, she can even trace the lineage of many of the items and how they were procured by the museum.
This reporter has lived for several years very close to the museum, located at 303 South First Street in Crockett. It was embarrassing to admit I had never been inside.
“Don’t be embarrassed!” Harris said. “You have no idea how many people don’t know about us. Most of the people come from out of town. We had one man about three weeks ago from the Netherlands. We have had several from France and several from England. Even from Argentina and Peru. Can you believe that?”
Harris is proud of the exhibits, but still wishes more locals would take advantage of this opportunity to see Houston County history.
“All of this is from Houston County. We house the history of Houston County,” Harris said proudly. “Most people cannot believe it. They are just blown away with what we have,”
One display features a B-17 crewman from World War II from Houston County. He died over Germany when his plane was shot down. The German pilot who shot him down wrote a letter to this community apologizing for killing on of our own. For history buffs – it’s pretty exciting stuff.
Even the petition to form Houston County – the first in Texas – is hosted in the museum
The depot receives some money from the City of Crockett in order to pay the electricity. Otherwise, coming by and donating is what the museum mostly needs.
Open Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m.-1p.m. – the museum is a great way to spend a little time and learn about the people who made Houston County what it is. The Houston County Historical Commission can be reached at (936) 544-3255, extension 238.
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
