Garza County Historical Museum
Encyclopedia
The Garza County Historical Museum houses a large collection of mostly ranch
, cowboy
, Indian
, and pioneer artifacts located in a 1912 two-story colonial-style building of twenty-six rooms and hallways in Post
, Texas
, a community established by and named for the cereal magnate C. W. Post
.
The museum is located at 119 North Avenue N to the right rear of the Garza County
Courthouse. A virtual time capsule, the museum has room settings, period furnishings, a typical frontier chapel interior, and some local political memorabilia, including materials from the career of E L Short
of Tahoka
, a former member of both houses of the Texas State Legislature based in Lynn County. Managed by Linda G. Puckett of Post, the facility is open without charge to the public from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturdays. The telephone is 806-495-2207.
The museum building was formerly a sanitarium
, established by C. W. Post and the physician A. R. Ponton. Originally known as the Post Sanitarium and Nursing School, it opened its doors in 1913. It was considered the finest facility of its kind west of Fort Worth
, where C. W. Post, a native of Springfield
, Illinois
, had lived for a time before his arrival in Post. C.W. Post purchased more than 200,000 acres in the Garza County area. Considering the former use of the building, the museum has a room which displays medical tools used in the early 1900s, including stethoscope
s, glass syringes, and a wheelchair which resembles that used by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt
. The museum illustrates from prehistoric times to today. There are fossils of mammoth
s and metoposaurs, which resembled giant salamander
s.
Garza County is a breakaway from Borden County
to the west, named for Gail Borden
, the inventor of condensed milk
who never visited the area. The city of Post was organized and declared the county seat in 1907. C. W. Post came to the area to live, conducted experimental farming, and drilled for petroleum
. The railroad came to Post in 1910-1911. Post considered the community his "little utopia
" and resided there until his death on May 9, 1914.
After the closure of the sanitarium, the building was purchased by Marshall Mason and operated as the Colonial Apartments. In 1968, the Mason family donated the property to Garza County for use as a museum. The Garza County Historical Museum is a non-profit organization
operating for charitable, scientific, literary, and educational purposes.Post is also home of the OS Museum
, a combination of western and oriental exhibits, operated by former Mayor
Giles McCrary
.
In 2010, curator Linda Puckett in conjunction with the museum published Images of America: Garza County. The book is dedicated to both the pioneers who settled Garza County and to the armed services personnel who sacrifice for freedom.
Ranch
A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
, cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
, Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, and pioneer artifacts located in a 1912 two-story colonial-style building of twenty-six rooms and hallways in Post
Post, Texas
Post is a city in and the county seat of Garza County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,708 at the 2000 census.There are many ranchers and civic boosters in Garza County, among them Giles McCrary, a former mayor who operates the OS Museum, a hybrid of exhibits from both the American West...
, 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...
, a community established by and named for the cereal magnate C. W. Post
C. W. Post
Charles William Post , also known as C.W. Post, was an American breakfast cereal and foods manufacturer and a pioneer in the prepared-food industry.-Biography:...
.
The museum is located at 119 North Avenue N to the right rear of the Garza County
Garza County, Texas
Garza County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas southeast of Lubbock. In 2000, its population was 4,872. Its county seat is Post. Garza is named for a pioneer Bexar County family, as it was once a part of that county....
Courthouse. A virtual time capsule, the museum has room settings, period furnishings, a typical frontier chapel interior, and some local political memorabilia, including materials from the career of E L Short
E L Short
E L Short is a farmer, rancher, and businessman from Tahoka in Lynn County, Texas, who is a former Democratic member of both houses of the Texas State Legislature.-Background:...
of Tahoka
Tahoka, Texas
Tahoka is a city in and the county seat of Lynn County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,910 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Tahoka is located at ....
, a former member of both houses of the Texas State Legislature based in Lynn County. Managed by Linda G. Puckett of Post, the facility is open without charge to the public from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturdays. The telephone is 806-495-2207.
The museum building was formerly a sanitarium
Sanatorium
A sanatorium is a medical facility for long-term illness, most typically associated with treatment of tuberculosis before antibiotics...
, established by C. W. Post and the physician A. R. Ponton. Originally known as the Post Sanitarium and Nursing School, it opened its doors in 1913. It was considered the finest facility of its kind west of Fort Worth
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
, where C. W. Post, a native of Springfield
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, had lived for a time before his arrival in Post. C.W. Post purchased more than 200,000 acres in the Garza County area. Considering the former use of the building, the museum has a room which displays medical tools used in the early 1900s, including stethoscope
Stethoscope
The stethoscope is an acoustic medical device for auscultation, or listening to the internal sounds of an animal body. It is often used to listen to lung and heart sounds. It is also used to listen to intestines and blood flow in arteries and veins...
s, glass syringes, and a wheelchair which resembles that used by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
. The museum illustrates from prehistoric times to today. There are fossils of mammoth
Mammoth
A mammoth is any species of the extinct genus Mammuthus. These proboscideans are members of Elephantidae, the family of elephants and mammoths, and close relatives of modern elephants. They were often equipped with long curved tusks and, in northern species, a covering of long hair...
s and metoposaurs, which resembled giant salamander
Salamander
Salamander is a common name of approximately 500 species of amphibians. They are typically characterized by a superficially lizard-like appearance, with their slender bodies, short noses, and long tails. All known fossils and extinct species fall under the order Caudata, while sometimes the extant...
s.
Garza County is a breakaway from Borden County
Borden County, Texas
Borden County is a rural county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 729. Its county seat is Gail. Gail and Borden County are named for Gail Borden, Jr., businessman, publisher, surveyor, and inventor of condensed milk...
to the west, named for Gail Borden
Gail Borden
Gail Borden, Jr. was a 19th century U.S. inventor, surveyor, and publisher, and was the inventor of condensed milk in 1853.- Early years :...
, the inventor of condensed milk
Condensed milk
Condensed milk, also known as sweetened condensed milk, is cow's milk from which water has been removed and to which sugar has been added, yielding a very thick, sweet product which when canned can last for years without refrigeration if unopened. The two terms, condensed milk and sweetened...
who never visited the area. The city of Post was organized and declared the county seat in 1907. C. W. Post came to the area to live, conducted experimental farming, and drilled for petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
. The railroad came to Post in 1910-1911. Post considered the community his "little utopia
Utopia
Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
" and resided there until his death on May 9, 1914.
After the closure of the sanitarium, the building was purchased by Marshall Mason and operated as the Colonial Apartments. In 1968, the Mason family donated the property to Garza County for use as a museum. The Garza County Historical Museum is a non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
operating for charitable, scientific, literary, and educational purposes.Post is also home of the OS Museum
OS Museum
The OS Museum, also known as the OS Ranch Museum, is a hybrid collection of mainly sculpture and paintings of Texas, the American West, and Asia located in the small city of Post, the seat of Garza County in West Texas...
, a combination of western and oriental exhibits, operated by former Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
Giles McCrary
Giles McCrary
Giles Connell McCrary, Sr. , was a self-employed oil operator, investor, art collector, rancher, and the owner of the OS Museum in Post, the seat of Garza County, southeast of Lubbock on the Texas South Plains....
.
In 2010, curator Linda Puckett in conjunction with the museum published Images of America: Garza County. The book is dedicated to both the pioneers who settled Garza County and to the armed services personnel who sacrifice for freedom.