Old Red Museum - Dallas, TX
Posted by: 
Raven
N 32° 46.728 W 096° 48.444
14S E 705354 N 3628893
Located in the former 1892 Dallas County "Old Red" Courthouse (operational until 1966), the Old Red Museum chronicles the history of Dallas County, Texas from prehistoric times through J.R. Ewing and beyond.
Waymark Code: WMMG8P
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 09/16/2014
Views: 19
Built in 1890 and completed in 1982, the Dallas County Courthouse -- a.k.a. "Old Red", a US National Historic building -- served the Dallas County, Texas community up until 1966 when it moved its civic operations nearby. It now houses both the Dallas Visitors Information Center and the Old Red Museum.
The Old Red Museum, more formally known as the "Old Red Museum of Dallas County History and Culture", chronicles the history of Dallas and its surrounding county from prehistoric times until the present. The building's 2nd floor is filled with artifacts, rare photographs, 41-touch screen kiosks, a children’s educational hands-on learning center, and four mini theatres showcasing Dallas' rich history, while the 1st floor houses a Special Exhibits gallery.
Some of its permanent 2nd floor exhibits include:
* The Early Years Gallery (prehistory to 1873) featuring:
•A mammoth tusk, ammonite and shark teeth
•John Neely Bryan’s original plat of Dallas
•A Civil War-era dragoon pistol manufactured in Lancaster
•Quanah Parker’s pipe bag
•A reconstruction of the Cockrell Bridge
* The Trading Center Gallery (1874-1917) featuring:
•One of the county’s first water utilities, a wooden water pipe
•The Good Roads Tour trophy, made by Linz Brothers
•A high-wheeled bicycle
•A World War I-era gas mask
* The "Big D" Gallery (1819-1945) featuring:
•Clyde Barrow’s gun
•A “flapper” wedding dress, purchased at Neiman Marcus in 1925
•A banjo used by blues musicians in Deep Ellum
•Texas Centennial souvenirs
•The first traffic light in Dallas County
* The World Crossroads Gallery (1946-present) featuring:
•Tom Landry’s trademark fedora
•Memorabilia from past and present sports figures
•Posters and films from Harlemwood, Dallas’ prominent African-American filmmaking center
•Handcuffs worn by Lee Harvey Oswald
•J.R. Ewing’s famous Stetson hat from the popular television show, "Dallas"
Some odd-ball artifacts can be found at the museum's entrance, including "Pegasus", a neon rotating structure built for the 1939 Worlds Fair in New York and which later on sat atop a Mobile gas station in East Dallas.
The 1892 building is a historical structure unto itself, with its reconstructed clock tower and wyverns. As part of the Museum admission price, visitors can take guided tours to an old courtroom, a 19th century grand staircase, and admire original lunettes that were once the pride and joy of the building in its heydays.
Theme:
Mostly Cultural History: a chronicle of the City of Dallas and its surrounding county from prehistoric times until the present.
Street Address:
100 S. Houston St.
Dallas, TX 75202
USA
Food Court: no
Gift Shop: yes
Hours of Operation:
• Open daily 9:00am to 5:00pm
• Closed on major US holidays, as well as the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve
Cost: 8.00 (listed in local currency)
Museum Size: Medium
Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
In order to log this waymark in this category, you must be able to provide proof of your visit. Please post a picture of yourself or your GPSr in front some identifiable feature or point of interest either in the museum, or on the museum grounds.