Deaf Smith County Historical Museum
Encyclopedia
The Deaf Smith County Historical Museum in Hereford
in Deaf Smith County, Texas
, seeks to preserve the West Texas
pioneer heritage with a collection of both indoor and outdoor exhibits. The county is named for Erastus "Deaf" Smith
, a famous scout during the Texas Revolution
.
The museum was organized in 1967 by the Deaf Smith County Historical Society. It is located north of the county courthouse at 400 Sampson Street in a red brick former Roman Catholic school building, listed as an "Official Texas Historical Site." The museum promotes the theme of "How Our Pioneers Lived, Worked and Played". School or group tours are available by appointment. An annual Christmas
open house features seasonal entertainment, special activities, and holiday refreshments. Other events are hosted to commemorate special occasions.
, which became a social center in the 19th century as well as the source of needed goods. A non-denominational chapel includes artifacts, including stained-glass windows, from the first churches built in the county. The chapel points to how faith in God
and His Providence enabled the pioneers of the Great Plains
to overcome great difficulties. It is sometimes used for small weddings. There is an early-day kitchen with a cast-iron cook stove and a primitive ice box. A restored bedroom depicts furniture purchased from local stores in the early 1900s, including a washstand, dresser, and bed. A parlor shows a later period as Hereford had prospered to allow citizens to own nice furniture, a pump organ, and other items for family entertainment.
The museum has a display of arrow points, pottery, tools and other Indian artifacts donated from a private collection. There is a one-room school; a hand-carved three-ring circus, and a women's clothing shop. Items from an Italian
POW
camp during World War II
near Hereford are also highlighted. There are also paintings, including portraits of Deaf Smith, Francisco Coronado, and Ranald S. Mackenzie
and scenes of a 19th century homestead and a cattle drive.
The outside exhibits include a half-dugout, a first residence for many settlers on the Great Plains
, where the absence of forests and lack of available stone required digging into the ground. An Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway caboose
, a wooden windmill
, early jail cells, farm implements, and a wagon barn with a chuckwagon
, originally developed by Charles Goodnight
, are displayed outside.
residence at 508 West Third Street in Hereford. Built in 1909, by Mr. and Mrs. E.B. Black, ranchers who also owned a furniture company. Jim Black, the oldest son of the E.B. Blacks, died in 1976. His widow, Prudia Black, donated the house to the historical society. The house has been renovated, and a flower garden and gazebo
were added. The Texas Historical Commission
has designated the house a state landmark. It is also entered in the National Register of Historic Places
.
Museum hours are 10:00 a.m. to Noon and 1 to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There is no admission charge.
Hereford, Texas
Hereford is a city in Deaf Smith County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,597 at the 2000 census. It is the only incorporated Hereford in the country. It is the county seat of Deaf Smith County....
in Deaf Smith County, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, seeks to preserve the West Texas
West Texas
West Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas....
pioneer heritage with a collection of both indoor and outdoor exhibits. The county is named for Erastus "Deaf" Smith
Deaf Smith
Erastus "Deaf" Smith was an American frontiersman noted for his part in the Texas Revolution and the army of the Republic of Texas. He fought at the Grass Fight and the Battle of San Jacinto. After the war, Deaf Smith led a company of Texas Rangers.-Biography:Smith was born in Dutchess County, New...
, a famous scout during the Texas Revolution
Texas Revolution
The Texas Revolution or Texas War of Independence was an armed conflict between Mexico and settlers in the Texas portion of the Mexican state Coahuila y Tejas. The war lasted from October 2, 1835 to April 21, 1836...
.
The museum was organized in 1967 by the Deaf Smith County Historical Society. It is located north of the county courthouse at 400 Sampson Street in a red brick former Roman Catholic school building, listed as an "Official Texas Historical Site." The museum promotes the theme of "How Our Pioneers Lived, Worked and Played". School or group tours are available by appointment. An annual Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
open house features seasonal entertainment, special activities, and holiday refreshments. Other events are hosted to commemorate special occasions.
Museum exhibits
The indoor exhibits on the first floor include recreations of a general storeGeneral store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
, which became a social center in the 19th century as well as the source of needed goods. A non-denominational chapel includes artifacts, including stained-glass windows, from the first churches built in the county. The chapel points to how faith in God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
and His Providence enabled the pioneers of the Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
to overcome great difficulties. It is sometimes used for small weddings. There is an early-day kitchen with a cast-iron cook stove and a primitive ice box. A restored bedroom depicts furniture purchased from local stores in the early 1900s, including a washstand, dresser, and bed. A parlor shows a later period as Hereford had prospered to allow citizens to own nice furniture, a pump organ, and other items for family entertainment.
The museum has a display of arrow points, pottery, tools and other Indian artifacts donated from a private collection. There is a one-room school; a hand-carved three-ring circus, and a women's clothing shop. Items from an Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
POW
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
camp during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
near Hereford are also highlighted. There are also paintings, including portraits of Deaf Smith, Francisco Coronado, and Ranald S. Mackenzie
Ranald S. Mackenzie
Ranald Slidell Mackenzie was a career United States Army officer and general in the Union Army during the American Civil War, described by General Ulysses S. Grant as its most promising young officer...
and scenes of a 19th century homestead and a cattle drive.
The outside exhibits include a half-dugout, a first residence for many settlers on the Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
, where the absence of forests and lack of available stone required digging into the ground. An Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway caboose
Caboose
A caboose is a manned North American rail transport vehicle coupled at the end of a freight train. Although cabooses were once used on nearly every freight train, their use has declined and they are seldom seen on trains, except on locals and smaller railroads.-Function:The caboose provided the...
, a wooden windmill
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
, early jail cells, farm implements, and a wagon barn with a chuckwagon
Chuckwagon
A chuckwagon or chuck wagon is a type of wagon historically used to carry food and cooking equipment on the prairies of the United States and Canada. Such wagons would form part of a wagon train of settlers or feed traveling workers such as cowboys or loggers.In modern times, chuckwagons feature...
, originally developed by Charles Goodnight
Charles Goodnight
Charles Goodnight, also known as Charlie Goodnight , was a cattle rancher in the American West, perhaps the best known rancher in Texas. He is sometimes known as the "father of the Texas Panhandle." Essayist and historian J...
, are displayed outside.
E.B. Black House
The historical society also exhibits the E.B. Black House, an elegant VictorianVictorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
residence at 508 West Third Street in Hereford. Built in 1909, by Mr. and Mrs. E.B. Black, ranchers who also owned a furniture company. Jim Black, the oldest son of the E.B. Blacks, died in 1976. His widow, Prudia Black, donated the house to the historical society. The house has been renovated, and a flower garden and gazebo
Gazebo
A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal, that may be built, in parks, gardens, and spacious public areas. Gazebos are freestanding or attached to a garden wall, roofed, and open on all sides; they provide shade, shelter, ornamental features in a landscape, and a place to rest...
were added. The Texas Historical Commission
Texas Historical Commission
The Texas Historical Commission is an agency dedicated to historic preservation within the state of Texas. It administers the National Register of Historic Places for sites in Texas....
has designated the house a state landmark. It is also entered in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Museum hours are 10:00 a.m. to Noon and 1 to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There is no admission charge.