Motley County Historical Museum
Encyclopedia
The Motley County Historical Museum is a repository of the history
of rural
Motley County, located at 828 Dundee Street in the former Traweek Hospital building in Matador
, Texas
.
The hospital was built in 1927-1928 by Albert Carroll Traweek, Sr. (1875-1959), formerly of Fort Worth
, Texas, the first physician in Motley County and its first county health officer. It was designed by Traweek's uncle, Charles Stephen Oates, a well-known West Texas
builder.
Traweek made house calls by horse-and-buggy, motorcycle, and Bendix touring car
, which was produced only from 1908-1909. He and his oldest son, Dr. A. C. Traweek, Jr. (1898-1991), obtained the latest technology in their two-story facility, including one large bath for the upstairs patient rooms, hot and cold running water in the operating room, asbestos insulation, and a ramp from the upstairs rear door to the alley below.
In 1991, the hospital was turned over the county. Workers pushed an iron lung
, formerly used in the treatment of polio, from the second floor to the ground and in the process shattered the device into pieces. The operating room, a patient room, and the bathroom were retained to reveal the story of early medical treatment.
Other rooms in the museum focus upon ranching, saddle
making, Indian
culture, county history, music, veterans and life styles. Researches may utilize an extensive collection of newspaper
files from both the Matador Tribune and the Motley County Tribune.There is a diorama
of early Matador from 1891 to 1910. Other exhibits include clothing, home furnishings, tools, firearms, early photographs of ranch life, and school items.
The museum, which is open from 2 to 5 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, is also the Chamber of Commerce
office in Matador.Located at the intersection of Dundee and Bundy streets, the museum is across from the Matador United Methodist Church at 902 Dundee.
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
of rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
Motley County, located at 828 Dundee Street in the former Traweek Hospital building in Matador
Matador, Texas
Matador is a town in and the county seat of Motley County, Texas, United States. The population was 740 at the 2000 census. In 1891, it was established by and named for the Matador Ranch...
, 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...
.
The hospital was built in 1927-1928 by Albert Carroll Traweek, Sr. (1875-1959), formerly 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...
, Texas, the first physician in Motley County and its first county health officer. It was designed by Traweek's uncle, Charles Stephen Oates, a well-known 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....
builder.
Traweek made house calls by horse-and-buggy, motorcycle, and Bendix touring car
Bendix (Automobile)
The Bendix Company manufactured the Bendix automobile in Logansport, Indiana from 1908 until 1909....
, which was produced only from 1908-1909. He and his oldest son, Dr. A. C. Traweek, Jr. (1898-1991), obtained the latest technology in their two-story facility, including one large bath for the upstairs patient rooms, hot and cold running water in the operating room, asbestos insulation, and a ramp from the upstairs rear door to the alley below.
In 1991, the hospital was turned over the county. Workers pushed an iron lung
Iron lung
A negative pressure ventilator is a form of medical ventilator that enables a person to breathe when normal muscle control has been lost or the work of breathing exceeds the person's ability....
, formerly used in the treatment of polio, from the second floor to the ground and in the process shattered the device into pieces. The operating room, a patient room, and the bathroom were retained to reveal the story of early medical treatment.
Other rooms in the museum focus upon ranching, saddle
Saddle
A saddle is a supportive structure for a rider or other load, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is the equestrian saddle designed for a horse, but specialized saddles have been created for camels and other creatures...
making, 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...
culture, county history, music, veterans and life styles. Researches may utilize an extensive collection of newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
files from both the Matador Tribune and the Motley County Tribune.There is a diorama
Diorama
The word diorama can either refer to a nineteenth century mobile theatre device, or, in modern usage, a three-dimensional full-size or miniature model, sometimes enclosed in a glass showcase for a museum...
of early Matador from 1891 to 1910. Other exhibits include clothing, home furnishings, tools, firearms, early photographs of ranch life, and school items.
The museum, which is open from 2 to 5 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, is also the Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
office in Matador.Located at the intersection of Dundee and Bundy streets, the museum is across from the Matador United Methodist Church at 902 Dundee.