Heritage Museum Of Big Spring (Texas)

The Heritage Museum of Big Spring Texas

The Heritage Museum of Big Spring in Big Spring, Texas, was incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1970 and operates at 510 Scurry Street. Big Spring is forty miles northeast of the larger city of Midland. The museum seeks to collect and preserve items of cultural and historical significance to Big Spring and West Texas, and to use those items for the research and education of the citizens of the area.^[1]

About the museum[edit]

The museum has three hundred members from which comes the twenty-two assigned to the board of trustees. The trustees meet quarterly. Monthly meetings of the Executive committee oversee spending and operations.There are two full time positions, director and curator. Part-time positions include: gift shop/front desk manager, Potton House interpreter, and collections assistant.^[1]

The museum encompasses 13,000 square feet for exhibits, storage, and a research area. The grounds feature the Gerald-Marie Wallace Pavilion and an outdoor patio for events. The Potton House is a historical house listed on the National Register of Historic Places maintained and staffed by the Heritage Museum. The Potton House is located five blocks to the north of the museum.^[1]

Financial support is provided by an endowment fund that is invested in safe certificates of deposit, memberships, memorial donations, foundation funding, gift shop sales, and fundraisers. The gift shop focuses on local artists and authors. There is available a line of regional books and cookbooks. There is also a children's section with many dolls The museum hosts occasional book signings too.^[1]

RCA exhibit of dog inspecting a phonograph

The museum has a series of rooms devoted to a particular theme. The collections included historical farm equipment, taxidermy of all sorts, and a display of firearms. The museum is laid out as a living history museum, with exhibits that demonstrate how people would act in a historical context. There is a general store, with shelves stocked, and a post office. "The Heritage Museum was one of the finest things I’ve ever seen. It was a museum and a living history museum, and that combination made it magical," said an unidentified tourist who had high praise for the museum.^[2]

Museum hours are Tuesday through Friday, 8:30 AM-4:00 p.m.; Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4 p.m.

References[edit]