Waller County Historical Museum - Brookshire, TX
Posted by: 
Raven
N 29° 47.122 W 095° 57.215
15R E 214458 N 3298660
Located in the former residence of an Armenian American physician, the Waller County Historical Museum chronicles the history of Waller County, Texas from its mid-19th century settler days to the present.
Waymark Code: WMND5H
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 02/18/2015
Views: 7
The two-story pine frame building at 5th and Cooper streets in the town of Brookshire, Waller County, Texas (USA) was built in 1910 for Dr. Paul Donigan and his wife Rebeccah. Dr. Donigan was an Armenian-American physician (both the towns of Brookshire and nearby Pattison had significant Armenian communities in their developing years).
In 1977, the Waller County Commissioners Courthouse purchased the house from the Ollie Lorehns family (its then-current owners), restored it under the auspices of the Waller County Historical Commission, and made it to serve as the Waller County Historical Museum. The museum finally opened 2 years later in 1979 with Mrs. Minnie Bains as director; she was followed 10 years later by Mrs. Myrtle Ritchey, and ultimately by Mrs. Judy Robinson.
The museum focuses primarily on recreating period scenes of Waller County, but includes two display rooms which get changed every 2 months. It also includes a display of Dr. Donigan's office as it would have appeared in the early 1900's.
Exhibit rooms include a parlor, bedroom, dining room, and kitchen with period furnishings, as well as historical artifacts and documents, oral histories and transcriptions, interesting old photographs plus a series of historical wall hangings. It also maintains a research library with newspapers and clippings of pertinent historical facts of Waller County along with a Gift Shop.
The residence was recorded as a Texas Historic Landmark in 1985 and its housed archives are a designated resource center for historical research: the museum has attracted several researchers over the years, including James Michener (the author of "Texas") and Ray Miller, journalist and host of "The Eyes of Texas", a long-running regional TV show that examined such topics as unique Texas residents and out-of-the-way attractions.
Admission is free (but donations are welcomed).
Theme:
Cultural history and period scenes of Waller County, Texas -- from its mid-19th century settler days to the present.
Street Address:
906 Cooper Street (at the corner of Cooper & 5th Streets)
Brookshire, TX 77423
Food Court: no
Gift Shop: yes
Hours of Operation:
Wednesdays & Fridays: 10am to 4pm
Saturdays: 11am-2pm
Cost: 0.00 (listed in local currency)
Museum Size: Small
Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]
|
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.