OS Museum
Encyclopedia
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
. It is owned by Giles Connell McCrary
, the founder of the OS Ranch Foundation, whose grandfather was an early proprietor of the nearby ranch for which the museum is named. However, the museum exhibits are largely unrelated to the OS Ranch itself. The Spanish
conquistador
Francisco Coronado passed through this part of Garza County in the 16th century
.
Known for the quality of its exhibits, the museum is located at 201 East Main Street in Post on the second floor in the rear of one of the original buildings constructed there in 1911 by cereal magnate Charles William "C.W." Post
, the founder of the community. The building formerly served as the community meeting room. Originally, it had housed the office of the Post Land and Cattle Company. The OS rotates exhibits three times a year.
Though the museum itself is small, the number of exhibits in storage is so large that at least six years usually passes before an artifact is returned to public display. During Easter
, for instance, eggs by Faberge
, Waterford Crystal
, and Lalique
are displayed. Christmas
exhibits include nativity scene
s, creches, ornaments, brass statues, and sculpture. The museum includes the works of many artists of the Southwest who depict Texas in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The artifacts exhibited have been collected from throughout the world, including Antarctica, by Giles McCrary and his wife, Helen Louise.
McCrary was a rancher, businessman, former mayor of Post, and a benefactor of Texas Tech University
in nearby Lubbock
. McCrary was reared in Fort Worth
, where C. W. Post had also resided prior to coming to Post. He attributes his interest in art to his service abroad in World War II
, when he was part of the U.S. Army's 63rd Infantry Division. He was in the first unit to cross the Rhine River and penetrate Germany
just prior to the surrender in 1945. While abroad, McCrary came upon the European art culture by going to opera houses and listening to concert music.
The OS Museum is open without charge to the public Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m., except for February, June, and October, when the exhibits are changed. Two other museums in Post include the Garza County Historical Museum
and Algerita Art Center, which maintains a gallery of local and regional artists in the restored Algerita Hotel. The hotel is also the location of the Post Area Chamber of Commerce
.
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 American West, and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
located in the small city of 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...
, the seat of 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....
in 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....
. It is owned by Giles Connell 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....
, the founder of the OS Ranch Foundation, whose grandfather was an early proprietor of the nearby ranch for which the museum is named. However, the museum exhibits are largely unrelated to the OS Ranch itself. The Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
conquistador
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
Francisco Coronado passed through this part of Garza County in the 16th century
16th century
As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century lasted from 1501 to 1600. It is regarded by historians as the century in which the rise of the West occurred....
.
Known for the quality of its exhibits, the museum is located at 201 East Main Street in Post on the second floor in the rear of one of the original buildings constructed there in 1911 by cereal magnate Charles William "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 founder of the community. The building formerly served as the community meeting room. Originally, it had housed the office of the Post Land and Cattle Company. The OS rotates exhibits three times a year.
Though the museum itself is small, the number of exhibits in storage is so large that at least six years usually passes before an artifact is returned to public display. During Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
, for instance, eggs by Faberge
Fabergé
Fabergé may refer to:*House of Fabergé, a Russian jewelry firm founded by Gustav Faberge in 1842*Fabergé workmaster, goldsmiths who produced jewelry for the House of Fabergé*Fabergé eggs, the most famous works of the House of Faberge...
, Waterford Crystal
Waterford Crystal
Waterford Crystal is a trademark brand of crystal glassware, previously produced in Waterford, Ireland, though the factory there was shut down after the receivership of Waterford Wedgwood plc in early 2009...
, and Lalique
René Lalique
René Jules Lalique was a French glass designer known for his creations of perfume bottles, vases, jewellery, chandeliers, clocks and automobile hood ornaments. He was born in the French village of Ay on 6 April 1860 and died 5 May 1945...
are displayed. 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...
exhibits include nativity scene
Nativity scene
A nativity scene, manger scene, krippe, crèche, or crib, is a depiction of the birth of Jesus as described in the gospels of Matthew and Luke...
s, creches, ornaments, brass statues, and sculpture. The museum includes the works of many artists of the Southwest who depict Texas in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The artifacts exhibited have been collected from throughout the world, including Antarctica, by Giles McCrary and his wife, Helen Louise.
McCrary was a rancher, businessman, former mayor of Post, and a benefactor of Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
in nearby Lubbock
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
. McCrary was reared in 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 had also resided prior to coming to Post. He attributes his interest in art to his service abroad in 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...
, when he was part of the U.S. Army's 63rd Infantry Division. He was in the first unit to cross the Rhine River and penetrate Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
just prior to the surrender in 1945. While abroad, McCrary came upon the European art culture by going to opera houses and listening to concert music.
The OS Museum is open without charge to the public Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m., except for February, June, and October, when the exhibits are changed. Two other museums in Post include the Garza County Historical Museum
Garza County Historical Museum
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...
and Algerita Art Center, which maintains a gallery of local and regional artists in the restored Algerita Hotel. The hotel is also the location of the Post Area 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...
.