|
 Deaf Smith County Museum - Hereford, TX Posted by:  YoSam.
N 34° 49.121 W 102° 23.957
13S E 737870 N 3856019
Housed in what once was the local Catholic School.
Waymark Code: WMM2W6
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 07/11/2014
Views: 2
County of museum: Deaf Smith County
Location of museum: 400 Sampson St., Hereford
Phone: (806) 363-7070
Two THC (Texas Hisotrical Commission) markers are erected outside the museum and are part of the museum history. I present those marker text here, now
Marker #1: Former Site of
St. Anthony's Catholic SchoolSince its establishment in 1914 Saint Anthony's Catholic School has played a prominent role in preparing young students for advanced classwork. Initial classes were held in a former Deaf Smith County Courthouse converted for church purposes by Father Salvator di Giovanni, S.A., and his assistant, Brother James. A new structure was built in 1927 to house a growing student enrollment and served as the site of Saint Anthony's Catholic School prior to their relocation in 1955. A history museum, exhibiting local pioneer artifacts, has occupied this building since 1966.
Marker #2: Two-Wheel Fire Hose Reel
Hereford's mid-1913 equipment to fight fires. Hand-propelled, or (at a $5 bonus) hauled by the auto or horses of a bystander. Reel cost only $133, but in two months was discarded: a motor truck with ladders was bought.
Prior to 1913 the fire wagon in almost every Texas town was drawn by a fine team of horses, trained to trot into place at sound of the fire whistle. The fire wagon charged down dirt streets with smoke billowing and horses at a dead gallop.
After multi-million dollar fires, 1909-1912, Texas cities wanted better fire equipment.
Who Is Deaf Smith?
"Erastus “Deaf” Smith was born in New York in 1787. He immigrated to Mississippi Territory with his parents in 1798, and in 1821 came to Texas, then a part of Mexico, to remain permanently. His poor health improved in the new environment, but his hearing remained defective. In 1822 he married Guadalupe Ruiz de Duran, a widow with several children, and they subsequently had four children.
"At the beginning of the Texas Revolution, Smith was neutral, but when Mexican soldiers barred him from his home and family in San Antonio, he felt compelled to join the Texas army. He was already well known as a scout, for which skill General Sam Houston welcomed him, and he immediately became prominent in the Texas forces. Because of his hearing impairment he was labeled with the nickname of “Deaf”, but the loss of hearing apparently sharpened his eyesight. His ability to follow a dim trail in prairie grass was so exceptional that anecdotes quote his superior officers as saying “As long as the sun is shining, Deaf Smith is as good as a bloodhound.” He fought in the battle of San Jacinto; on orders of General Houston, he cut down Vance’s bridge just before the Texans attacked the Mexicans.
"The esteem in which Houston held him is reflected in his words on hearing of “Deaf” Smith’s death on November 30, 1837: “My friend, ‘Deaf’ Smith, and my stay in darkest hour, is no more. A man more brave and honest never lived.”
"Our county was named after this Texas war hero when it was formed in 1890.
"A formal portrait of Deaf Smith was painted in 1836 by a well-known artist, Jefferson Wright, commissioned by Sam Houston. The original oil painting hangs in the San Jacinto Museum of History. The Deaf Smith County Museum has in its collection a reproduction of that painting, along with a copy of the painting “The Surrender of Santa Anna” in which Deaf Smith is portrayed in buckskin clothing with his cupped hand behind his ear. The original oil painting hangs in the State Capitol Building in Austin. A bronze sculpture of the bust of Deaf Smith is displayed in the Deaf Smith County Courthouse on the second floor.
"A biography was written in 1973 by author Cleburne Huston entitled DEAF SMITH Incredible Texas Spy. Another book was written by Faye Campbell Griffis in 1958 with the title The Nine Lives of Deaf Smith."
~ Deaf Smith County Museum
Theme:
A General Store is one of the exhibits on the first floor of the museum, displaying items from early business establishments in Hereford. One of the greatest hardships the early settlers experienced was learning to live on the lonely, vast and often neighbor less Plains. The general store not only offered necessary provisions for survival, but also became a social center. It was a place to visit with other settlers, meet newcomers that had moved into the region and get news of the world "back home" from travelers and cowboys that roamed this great prairie.
A non-denominational Chapel is filled with a collection of treasured objects that have survived from the first churches built in the county. It showcases many of the stained glass windows. It reminds us that a great, abiding faith in God's providence and power to provide came to the Plains with the families that settled here. It has become a favorite place for small weddings.
Collections from local citizens are displayed to show what an early day kitchen would be equipped with, basic items like a wood or coal burning cast iron cook stove, pie safe, home built tables and chairs and eventually an ice box or Hoosier's cabinet. A bedroom depicts early day furniture purchased from local furniture in the early 1900's that includes a washstand, dresser and bed with headboard and footboard. The parlor shows a later period as Hereford grew and prospered to where citizens could now have nice furniture, a pump organ and items for family entertainment.
Hereford is located less than sixty miles from the Alibates National Monument. For thousands of years Indians mined the great Alibates flint outcroppings along the breaks of the Canadian River. The museum is fortunate to have on display arrow points, pottery, tools and other Indian artifacts from a private collection.
Other exhibits include a school room typical of one-room schools in rural areas; a unique hand-carved three-ring circus, historic fashions, a millenary shop. A collection of items and art from the Italian prisoners of war that were interred at the POW camp near Hereford during WWII is also showcased.
Outside exhibits include a half-dugout. The half-dugout served as the first home of many settlers on the Plains. There were no forests to furnish lumber for houses, no great outcroppings of stone to furnish for building; so the settlers "dug in". These dwellings proved more than adequate for life on the open prairie
A Santa Fe caboose, wooden windmill, early day jail cells, farm implements and a Wagon Barn displaying a chuck wagon, ice wagon, and other items are also in the outside area.
Street Address:
400 Sampson Street (site address)
P. O. Box 1007 (mailing address)
Hereford, TX 79045
Food Court: no
Gift Shop: no
Hours of Operation:
Hours are 10:00 a.m. to 12: noon, then 1:00 p.m. to 5: p.m. Monday through Friday. Saturday hours are the same, except closes at 3:00 p.m. Closed Sundays and holidays. Tours may be given by appointment. There is no admission fee, but donations are always welcome and appreciated. For further information you may call 806-363-7070
Cost: 0.00 (listed in local currency)
Museum Size: Medium
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.
|