Exhibits
New Artifacts
The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum was founded as a non-collecting institution. Since opening in 2001, Museum exhibits on three floors have showcased over 2,000 historical objects on loan from more than 400 museums, libraries, archives, and individuals. With their support, we bring The Story of Texas to life through the ongoing process of changing historical objects in the permanent exhibits as loans are returned and new loans are received. This means that there is always something new for you to see at the Museum!
Here are a few of the objects that we've recently added to our exhibits:
Although Westerns have been around since the 1920s, their heyday began in the 1930s. As major movie studios began to produce double bills, the need developed for inexpensive co-features.
Hollywood created the "B" series Western to fill this need. The plots of these movies were uncomplicated: dialogue was quick and to the point; scenes were full of fist fights, chases on horseback, and shoot outs; and a man's best friend was often his horse.
In this poster of The First Texan, Joel McCrae (as Sam Houston) is wearing a cowboy hat and leading other cowboys into battle against an army dressed in blue military uniforms.
In typical Hollywood fashion, this plot exaggerated the real story of Texas independence to romanticize the cowboy myth. One of the movie's taglines read "A GIANT OF A MAN ... IN A GIANT OF A LAND! Tall in the saddle, restless of heart ... he ranged across a violent land, forging an era with cold steel!"
The First Texan, ca. 1956
Courtesy of Texas Film Collection, The Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin
On display in the Museum's third floor until March 2009
The Mission Control console was used for testing and simulation at the Johnson Space Center near Houston. Flight directors, engineers, and other NASA specialists sat at different consoles during a mission to monitor the condition of the spacecraft and its astronauts, assisting them with the highly detailed flight plans that were developed for each mission.
The console, which weighs several hundred pounds, has been slightly modified to include an interactive quiz on space program topics including people, industry, inventions, medical, and spacecraft. Visitors also can see inside the console thanks to a Plexiglas panel on top of the unit that reveals an intricate wiring system. The console isn't the only new addition to this area of the Museum's third floor. An astronaut saluting the United States flag on a simulated moon surface is nearby. There is also a lunar sample brought back to Earth by the Apollo XI crew alongside a video of Walter Cronkite's newscast reporting on the historic first moon landing in July 1969.
Mission Control console, ca. 1960s
Courtesy of Cliff Wendel, Austin
On display in the Museum's third floor until August 2012
After arriving in San Antonio on February 23, 1836, Santa Anna ordered his troops to begin firing away at the walls of the Alamo. The Mexican Army's battle plan was to reduce the Alamo to rubble, forcing the Texians inside ― who had already refused an offer to surrender ― to reconsider the offer or to die in any ensuing battle. Santa Anna changed the course of this plan on March 5, the 12th day of the attack. He ordered an all-out assault before dawn the next morning.
The Toluca Battalion was one of the most highly regarded fighting units in the Mexican army, but it made a tactical error prior to the battle of the Alamo. While positioning itself to storm the north wall prior to daylight, it awoke the Texian army and was fired upon at point blank, suffering heavy losses. After losing its leader, Col. Francisco Duque, to injury, the unit was commanded by General Manuel Fernandez Castrillón. The Toluca Battalion climbed over the north wall and into the Alamo compound, accompanied by this flag. The Toluca Battalion was joined by other Mexican troops once inside, and the last Texian died not long after sunrise.
Toluca Battalion Mexican tricolor battle flag, ca. 1836
Courtesy of Texas State Library and Archives Commission, Austin
On display in the Museum's second floor until May 2008
This $600 check was issued to Buddy Holly for "Big Beat" touring expenses.
The "Big Beat" tour was created by Alan Freed, a New York disc jockey and television dance show host. Capitalizing on his name and popularity, Freed hired artists such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, and the Chantels to perform on his tour.
Click on the image to enlarge
Holly formed his band, the Crickets, in February 1957. Three months later they released "That'll be the Day," which reached number three on pop charts and number two on the rhythm-and-blues charts. Later that year they released "Peggy Sue," which also topped out at number three on the pop charts.
Their popularity led to appearances on American Bandstand, The Arthur Murray Dance Party, and The Ed Sullivan Show. The band had tour stops in Australia and Great Britain. Holly died in a plane crash in Iowa on February 3, 1959. He was accompanied in death by Ritchie Valens and J. P. Richardson (the Big Bopper). The trio was on their way to a concert date in Moorhead, Minnesota.
Check endorsed by Buddy Holly, March 28, 1958
Courtesy of Monte and Brandi Warden Collection, Austin
On display in the Museum's third floor until October 2008
Fannie Bruce Shaw of Van Alstyne, Texas, carved this intricate piece, which depicts 100 years of Texas history, into a 4' x 4.5' piece of wood. 
The figures represented in Shaw's portrait include historical icons Stephen F. Austin, Juan Seguin, William B. Travis and Ben Milam. The current Capitol Building appears, as does the 1836 Capitol at Columbia. Also prominent are the six flags of Texas and the state's distinctive outline.
The carving was prominently displayed at the Texas Centennial at Fair Park, Dallas, in 1936.
The idea for a Texas Centennial Celebration to commemorate the Texas Revolution and promote Texas to the world first occurred in Corsicana at a November 6, 1923 meeting of the Advertising Clubs of Texas. A temporary Texas Centennial Commission was appointed on December 28, 1931. In 1932, a constitutional amendment authorizing a centennial celebration and instructing the legislature to make adequate financial provision was proposed and passed. The State Fairgrounds in Dallas hosted the event, which lasted from June 6 through November 29, 1936 and attracted more than 6 million visitors.
Texas Centennial wood carving, ca. 1935
Julianna Hawn Holt and Peter M. Holt, San Antonio
On display in the Museum's second floor until November 2012
This Texas Star belt plate is similar to the U.S. Army pattern of 1839. It is made of lead-filled stamped brass and the back of the plate has belt hooks shaped like arrows, a common feature during this period.
Although these plates were manufactured in the North, most were seized by Federal authorities in 1861 when shipments to the South were cut off.
Southern blockade-runners may have recaptured these plates during the Civil War. Other types of uniform accoutrements in the Museum's second floor Civil War case include epaulettes, cartridge boxes, powder flasks and revolver holsters.
Belt plate, ca. 1861
Mr. and Mrs. John L. Nau III, Houston
On display in the Museum's second floor until September 2009
This "report of inspection passed on the officers, sergeants, drummer, corporals, carbineers, and privates of this company" was prepared by Domingo Cabello y Robles, the "governor and commandant of the province of Texas."
The report was prepared "in accordance with that which is advised by His Majesty in article 3 of title 9 of the royal regulations and instructions issued for the establishment of the presidios on the frontier line of the Interior Province of this kingdom of New Spain." The term presidio comes from the Latin praesidium (garrisoned place). Mexico's first walled and garrisoned presidios were probably built in 1570 between San Felipe and Zacatecas.
Click on the image to view a larger version of this document.
This document is one of 250,000 pages of records from the Bexar Archives at the Center for American History on the University of Texas at Austin campus. The Bexar Archives are the Spanish and Mexican records of Texas, assembled in San Antonio during its long history as the capital and principal community of Texas. They cover the period from 1718 to 1836.
Compañia de Caualleria Real Presidio de San Antonio de Bexar, El 2 de agosto de 1784
(Cavalry Company of the Royal Presidio of San Antonio de Béxar, August 2, 1784) On display in the Museum's first floor until March 2008
This coffee grinder was part of the
"Farm Mill Series" manufactured by the Charles Parker Company in Meriden, Connecticut.
Farmers used them, as did chuck wagon cooks. The body is made from cast iron and the hopper (top) from tin. The coffee beans were poured into the hopper and ground by turning the handle. This coffee grinder was used in Menard County in Central Texas.
Coffee grinder, ca. 1890s
Frontier Times Museum, Bandera
On display in the Museum's third floor until March 2009.
Skylab was America's first space station and orbital science and engineering laboratory. This cap contained communications gear for Skylab astronauts. It is wired with headphones and two microphones, one for speaking with the ground crew in Huntsville, Alabama and the other for communicating with their fellow astronauts.
NASA launched Skylab into Earth orbit via a Saturn V rocket on May 14, 1973. Part of the Apollo space program, Skylab crews carried out numerous of astronomy experiments, eight separate solar experiments and detailed X-ray studies of the Sun.
Another part of Skylab's mission was to complete different experiments in a weightless environment to determine the practical benefits that space can bring to humans. Crew members eventually performed approximately 270 different scientific and engineering investigations using 54 pieces of experimental hardware.
Skylab was an important part of space exploration because it laid the groundwork for future space ventures, such as the International Space Station. Three different three-man crews served on Skylab. Training for the missions took place in Houston and ground control was based in Huntsville, Alabama. The missions lasted 28, 59 and 84 days, for a total of 171 days in space.
"Snoopy" cap, ca. 1970s
United States Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville, Alabama
On display in the Museum's third floor until March 2009.
The Mexican Army that invaded Texas was a formidable force. Its trained soldiers had many types of weapons at their disposal.
After the Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815), Britain had a large surplus of military supplies, including Baker rifles, Brown Bess muskets and Tower Paget flintlock muskets, swords and bayonets. Engaged in its war for independence from Spain (1810-1821), Mexico was a willing buyer. Many of these weapons continued to be used during the Texas Revolution and into the U.S. War with Mexico (1846-48).
This rifle was first used by Hompesch’s Hussars, a unit of foreign-born troops that served in the British army. It was shortened into a cavalry carbine with the small "o" over the "M" stamped into the stock, and shares elements with the Baker rifle that were manufactured beginning in 1800. This may have been in one of the first groups of surplus rifles purchased by Mexico from Britain.
Cavalry Carbine, ca. 1790s
Shawn Gibson, Graford
On display in the Museum's second floor until May 2009.
This $6 ticket from the March 4, 1933 inauguration marks the beginning of a Texas statesman's first term as vice president and gave the purchaser a seat on the Presidential Review Stand.
John Nance Garner (1868-1967) was born in a log cabin near Detroit, Texas in Red River County. He served 15 consecutive two year terms in the United States Congress (1903-1933), including the final two as Speaker of the House.
Garner was a candidate for the presidency in 1932, but gave the ninety California and Texas primary votes he had received to Franklin D. Roosevelt. FDR then offered Garner the vice-presidency slot on the Democratic ticket. Garner accepted and the pair won the election on November 8, 1932.
As vice-president Garner had tremendous influence with the Texas congressional delegation. From 1933 to 1938, no fewer than eight Texans held regular committee chairmanships, and two chaired special committees. Garner served as vice-president for two terms before retiring to Uvalde.
Inauguration ticket, March 4, 1933
John Nance Garner Papers, The Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin
On display in the Museum's third floor until May 2008.
Tad Mizwa of Leona made 52 miniature saddles during his long career as a saddlemaker. His final effort, a Mexican miniature saddle, was completed in 2002 and is now on display at the Museum.
Other than being 40 percent smaller in scale, Mizwa's saddle are exact reproductions. The size and upward tilt of this saddle's horn, as well as the rigging construction, is typical of saddle styles used along the Texas-Mexico border during the 1920s, at the time of Pancho Villa.
The design includes a snake and eagle on the horn cap in hand-carved ivory with sterling silver details and intricate tooling.
Mexican miniature saddle, ca. 2002
Tad S. and Mary H. Mizwa Collection, Leona
On display in the Museum's third floor until May 2009.
A baseball fan could use this scorecard during a four-game series between the Fort Worth Cats and the Houston Buffalos. Houston won all four games in this series, outscoring Fort Worth 28-13 in the process.
The Houston franchise was one of six teams that began play when the Texas League was founded in 1888.
The other clubs were located in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Galveston and San Antonio.
Houston Buffaloes scorecard, August 21-24, 1956
Bill Stein, Columbus
On display in the Museum's third floor until March 2009.
Mary Nan West (1925-2001) began a lifetime of service to ranching and agribusiness in 1944 when, at the age of nineteen, she assumed management of the 36,000-acre Rafter S Ranch in Zavala County and owned and managed another ranch in Val Verde County.
West became a staunch supporter of youth education through organizations such as the San Antonio Livestock Exposition and its annual Stock Show and Rodeo, serving as its first woman president and chair of the board.
Recognized for a lifetime of service, she was inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame and the Texas Woman's Hall of Fame.
Little's Boot Company in San Antonio made these Kangaroo skin boots for West.
Founded in 1915 by Lucien Little, the company began as a shoe store serving southwest Texas and first provided working boots for local ranchers and cowboys. By the 1940s, Little's descendants began to make custom and fancy styles.
Custom boots, ca. 1987
Mary West Traylor, Carrizo Springs
On display in the Museum's third floor until February 2009.
The timber industry began to thrive in East Texas during the 1880s, aided by the arrival of railroad lines that made possible shipment of the cut logs.
In the early 1900s, Daniel Webster Martin developed the Martin Grip Hook, a device to assist with loading logs onto a truck. His firm, the Martin Wagon Company made various wagons and other implements for use in the lumber and later, the oil industry. The company was sold to Lufkin Foundry & Machine Company in 1939.
Workers stuck a grip hook into each end of the log. Then, they attached to a chain through the large hole at the end of each grip hook before lifting the log with a crane. The small hole at the bottom of the hook was for a guide chain to steady the log as it was moved.
Martin Grip Hook No. 2, ca. 1940s
Texas Forestry Museum, Lufkin
On display in the Museum's third floor until January 2009.
A silversmith and jeweler, Samuel Bell (1798-1882) was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania. When he was 14 years old, he worked in an arms factory making swords for use in the War of 1812.
He is said to have made a pair of silver spurs for fellow Tennessean Sam Houston, who later wore them at the battle of San Jacinto in April 1836.
Bell served as the Mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee (1844-45) before moving to San Antonio, where he opened the first Bell Brothers jewelry store in 1852 on Commerce Street. Bell and his sons David and James made flatware, "Bowie" knives, jewelry and Texas-shaped hat pins for purchase by Civil War soldiers.
Ladle, ca. 1850s
William Hill Land Cattle Company, Houston
On display in the Museum's second floor until December 2008
Manufacturers produced a multitude of commemorative souvenirs in anticipation of the excitement surrounding the 1936 Texas Centennial. This Centennial themed piece is one of several new items added to the Museum's second floor exhibits.
In addition, the government and private sector worked together to renovate many historic sites, construct new buildings and erect monuments to create a lasting record of the Centennial observance. People can still visit many of these sites around the state today.
Doily, ca. 1936
Joel and Diane Lung, Pflugerville
On display in the Museum's second floor until June 2008
The citrus industry in the Rio Grande Valley was still in its infancy when Paul Ord and the Young Men's Business League introduced the first Texas Citrus Fiesta in Mission in December 1932.
Now held every January, the celebration promotes the bountiful winter harvest of grapefruits and oranges from the lush subtropical Rio Grande Valley.
Since its inception, the Fiesta has presented its Product Costume Style Show where distinctive costumes made of citrus and other local Valley products are displayed. Through the years, and with modern technology, the costumes have become intricate works of fold art using Valley citrus, fruits, vegetables and foliage that have been pulverized, dehydrated, blended and microwaved.
During the festival, the Parade of Oranges features floats covered with oranges and varied agricultural products grown in the Rio Grande Valley. With annual attendance exceeding 100,000 spectators from the U.S. and other countries, the parade is an international event. The coronation of "King Citrus" and "Queen Citrianna" and naming of their Royal Court also highlight the festivities.
Fiesta King's crown worn by Harry Thompson of Mission, ca. 1961
Texas Citrus Fiesta, Inc., Mission
On display in the Museum's third floor until August 2009.
After its victory at the Battle of San Jacinto, the Texian army searched the Mexican camp, looking for General Antonio López de Santa Anna.
Santa Anna disappeared during the battle and search parties were sent out to find him on the morning of April 22. One search party discovered Santa Anna hiding in the grass dressed as a common soldier.
They did not recognize him until he was addressed as "el presidente" by other Mexican prisoners. During his escape, Santa Anna left behind many of his possessions. Santa Anna used this sterling silver chamber pot, in keeping with his custom of lavish uniform decorations and ornate weapons. Chamber pots were bowl-shaped containers that were used as toilets at night. Most chamber pots from this era were ceramic.
Santa Anna's chamber pot, ca. 1830s
Sam Houston Memorial Museum, Huntsville
On display in the Museum's second floor until July 2008.
At the time of his death, Audie Leon Murphy (1924-1971) was the most decorated combat soldier in U.S. history. Born near Kingston, he enlisted in the Army at Greenville in June 1942, around his eighteenth birthday.
After basic infantry training at Camp Wolters, Texas, and advanced training at Fort Meade, Maryland, the Army sent Murphy to North Africa as a private in Company B, Fifteenth Infantry Regiment, Third Infantry Division. Murphy later served as the commander of Company B.
During his World War II career, Murphy received thirty-three awards, citations, and decorations and won a battlefield promotion to second lieutenant. He fought in eight campaigns in 
Sicily, Italy, France, and Germany; participated in two amphibious assaults, in Sicily and southern France; and was wounded three times.
He was awarded every medal that the United States gives for valor, two of them twice. After the war's end, Murphy also received several French and Belgian decorations for valor. He was discharged at San Antonio's Fort Sam Houston on August 17, 1945.
After the war, Murphy was a successful movie actor, country and western songwriter, and author. He appeared in forty-five motion pictures and starred in thirty-nine of them. His best known films were The Red Badge of Courage (1951), To Hell and Back (1955), Night Passage (1957, with James Stewart), and The Unforgiven (1960, with Burt Lancaster).
Audie Murphy's dog tags, ca. 1942 Jeremy Goldman and the National Leadership Foundation, Fort Worth
Life Magazine, July 14, 1945 Jason Weigler and the National Leadership Foundation, Fort Worth
Both objects will be on display in the Museum's third floor until July 2008.
Modern cowboy gear builds upon the traditions of the original Spanish — and later — Mexican vaquero culture. Both in the past and today, artisans work in leather, metal and other media crafting saddles, chaps, spurs, hats and other items for both fancy show riding and the needs of everyday working cowboys.
Despite being worn from use, the ornamentation is still evident on these 17th century Estribos de cruz (cross-shaped stirrups). A skull is carved just underneath the top loop. Weighing about four pounds each, these type of stirrups were status symbols and most often used for show riding.
Estribos de cruz (cross-shaped stirrups), 17th c.
Enrique Guerra, San Vicente Ranch, Linn
On display in the Museum's third floor until March 2009.
Many Texas settlers often brought fiddles with them as they traveled from the American South. Group dances led by lively fiddle tunes often provided a welcome social outlet for isolated families.
On their own, a family could relish the comforting musical embrace that familiar fiddle melodies gave them after a hard day's work. This fiddle was hand-made in Brenham in the 1850s and illustrates the intense desire early settlers had to enrich their lives through music.
Fiddle, ca. 1850s
Winedale Collection, The Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin
On display in the Museum's first floor until August 2008.
Colonial ladies prized tortoiseshell combs. Because tortoiseshell was very expensive, craftsmen often treated animal horn to simulate the look of tortoiseshell.
This tortoiseshell comb features detailed filigree work.
State, Federal and international laws now prohibit the importation of genuine tortoiseshell items in many countries since most sea turtles are now endangered.
Tortoiseshell hair comb, 19th century
Collections of the Spanish Colonial Arts Society, Inc. Museum of Spanish Colonial Art, Santa Fe
On display in the Museum's first floor until March 2009.
Roy Orbison war born in Vernon in 1936. He grew up in Wink, a small West Texas oil town, where his father taught him to play the guitar at age six. While attending Wink High School, he formed a country music group called the Wink Westerners.
Later while attending North Texas State College, where he met fellow student and musician Pat Boone, Orbison transformed the Wink Westerners into his first rock 'n' roll band, the Teen Kings. The group played throughout West Texas and on a number of television shows.
Acting on the advice of Johnny Cash, Orbison sent a copy of Ooby Dooby to Sun Records' founder Sam Phillips. Phillips liked what he heard, and Orbison drove to Memphis in March 1956 to record it. By June 1956, Sun had released its first Orbison hit single. Ooby Dooby reached No. 59 on the Billboard charts.
Ooby Dooby 45 RPM record by Roy Orbison, May 1, 1956
Courtesy of Barbara Orbison Productions/Still Working Music, Nashville, Tennessee
On display in the Museum's third floor until September 2008.
This Spanish flintlock miquelet pistol (ca. 1750s) came from Catalonia in the southeastern area of Spain, near the Mediterranean Sea. The butt is made of wood from that region. Frontier soldiers used pistols like this example, while stationed at presidios throughout Texas. Soldiers of this period were required to supply their own weapons. The Spanish military first attempted to standardize all of its weapons in 1775.
Spanish flintlock miquelet pistol, ca. 1750s
Courtesy of Jim Jeter, Santa Barbara, California
On display in the Museum's first floor until August 2008.
