November 2010

The museum is composed of 38 historic structure and boasts a working Civil War era farm, a traditional Jewish household, elegant Victorian homes, a school, a church & commercial buildings.

The Gilbert House, built between 1856-1857, is the oldest rock structure in Dallas County still on its original foundation. Other local historic structures on the grounds include the 1937 Dodson House, home of the first Mayor of Farmers Branch; a one-room school that was once part of the Farmers Branch school from 1900-1915; and the original Farmers Branch railroad depot, built in 1877. Structures from outside of Farmers Branch have also been moved into the Park, such as three log structures in the log culture area; the lovely 1885 Queen Anne Victorian Cottage; and the circa 1890 Methodist Church. New to the Park is a replica 1930s Marathon Gas Station that houses another Farmers Branch original, the 1936 Glad Acres Cab Over Engine Ford truck, and a replica Peters Colony Land Grant Office.

The Museum of the American Railroad possesses one of the most comprehensive heavyweight passenger car collections in the United States, with a complete pre World War II passenger train including a Railway Post Office and baggage car, coaches, lounge cars, Pullman sleeping cars and a dining car. The museum has recently added a collection of postwar lightweight passenger equipment to complement its prewar passenger train. Over thirty pieces of historic railroad equipment including steam, diesel and electric locomotives, cabooses , historic structures, signals and assortment of small artifacts make it one of the finest railroad museums in the southwest United States. The museum also features a steam calliope and whistle display.

This naval museum is dedicated to the USS Constitution, the oldest warship still in commission.

The stories of USS Constitution and the people associated with her come to life in the Museum’s exhibits. Two “core” exhibits, “Old Ironsides in War and Peace” and “Sailors Speak: A Sailor’s Life for Me?”, and smaller, temporary shows interpret objects from the USS Constitution’s varied career in American history. Along with artifacts in cases, the Museum lets visitors explore and experience the ship’s history in engaging interactive exhibits that create a personal connection to Old Ironsides.

From the war-weary letter Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain wrote to his wife from the Antietam battlefield and Howard Terpning's sublime artistic interpretation of one Native American grandfather imparting wisdom to his grandchildren, to the still-locked leg irons which testify to the reality of slavery for multitudes of Americans, these collections will give you the chance to appreciate the unfathomable sacrifices and the undeniable triumph of those American souls, as well as the transformation of the American consciousness in the last half of the 19th century.

This U.S. naval history museum spans from the time of the Revolution onward with a special focus on the USS Wisconsin, which is anchored nearby.

The Hampton Roads Naval Museum is a museum operated by the United States Navy that celebrates the 220-year history of the fleet in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia. Accompanying the battleship Wisconsin is an exhibit by the Hampton Roads Naval Museum entitled "Wisky Walk." The exhibit is divided into five sections. They discuss the design of the ship, her operations in World War II, her operations in Korea, her midshipmen cruises in the 1950's, and reactivation in the 1980's. The exhibit includes several artifacts from Wisconsin veterans. Yorktown Naval Weapons Station graciously donated a 16-inch shell as part of the exhibit. The museum's newest exhibit is the battleship Wisconsin's silver service. The opening exhibit portrays the American Revolution in Hampton Roads focusing on the critical Battle off the Virginia Capes.

The Museum is composed of three permanent galleries including Glimpses of Montgomery County, featuring a time line chronicling the area's entire history, from prehistoric times to the building of Lake Conroe and The Woodlands in the late 1970's. The second gallery, Towns, People & Events, honors those who have impacted the county and distinguishes some of the first events for the area, such as the first county fair, the first telephone, etc. An important feature of the Museum is a replica of the office of Dr. C. B. Stewart, a local resident who served as the first Secretary of State to the Republic of Texas. Dr. Stewart designed the state flag and seal and created original maps of the county. The flag later became the official "Lone Star" flag in 1845 when Texas joined the Union. In May 1997, the Texas Legislature proclaimed Montgomery County as the birthplace of the Lone Star flag. The third gallery is a Hands-On Children's Room. Here children can explore a log cabin and a turn of the century general store.

Significant displays at the Bosque museum include an exhibit about the Paleo-Americans found in the Horn Shelter in Bosque County, an exhibit containing firearms from every conflict in which the United States fought from 1776 through WW II, the largest repository of Norwegian artifacts in the South and Southwest, and examples of early Texas furniture made in Bosque County. Miss Ima Hogg has included three pieces in her book on Texas Pioneer Furniture, early photographs and images of the first immigrants, their homes and everyday life in Bosque County, and dresses, Christening Gowns, quilts, weavings, needlework dating back to the 1850s.

This Iowa-class battleship was launched in late 1943 and went on to serve in multiple conflicts after World War II.

The USS Wisconsin, launched on December 7, 1943, the second anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, served in WWII, the Korean War, and the 1991 Gulf War. It now functions as a museum ship, operated by the Hampton Roads Naval Museum at Nauticus, the National Maritime Center in Norfolk, VA.

Shelter, foodways, clothing, art and craft, transportation, and leisure are topics discussed in exhibits of artifacts, graphics, and text. In the First Peoples Gallery, visitors can explore 300 years of Native American life. The Settler’s Gallery dcouments the 1840-1900 frontier period. The 20th Century Gallery chronicles town life and women’s emancipation. On the Museum grounds rests a retired 1920s Santa Fe Railway caboose. Restored in 1989, the interior features the original oil stove, bunk beds, radio, and tools used by crews as home-away-from-home.