Museum of art and history collection

In the 1930s, the Texas Legislature envisioned a series of museums housed at colleges around the state that would feature Texas history. A Museum of Art and History opened its doors at Southwest Texas State Teachers College in 1937 under the supervision of Professor H.H. Goodman and A.C. Burkholder. Originally housed in a small room in the Science building, the museum displayed items including World War I guns, helmets, swords, American rifles, and revolvers, as well as Native American articles and an old graphophone. A few years later, display cases were set up in the hall of the Science building to better display the collection.

By 1938, Minnie Sanford took over as the curator and moved the growing museum to room 304 in the library. Though the museum continued to acquire relics from Texas history, the museum was still very modest, having only saw horses and boards as display cases. In September of 1941 Dudley R. Dobie became the museum director and added his own collection of Native American artifacts and pioneer Texas relics.

In 1943, the museum expanded into room 303 of the library. It housed articles including, saddles, whips, a buggy, whale oil lamps, and a Native American headdress. The archives department of the museum had various items like the historical papers of Stephen F. Austin from 1828, photographs, maps, scrapbooks of Texas History, and journals. Though some of the museum collection was purchased, ex-students, faculty members, and citizens of San Marcos donated many items in the collection. Acquisitions records were kept in detail through 1940, and less precisely in subsequent years.

In 1965, the State Legislature cut off funding for the maintenance and upkeep of the museum and the museum collection was transferred to the Hays County Historical Survey Committee (presently known as the Hays County Historical Commission). Once the museum had switched hands it was renamed the “Texas Museum of History.” Although it had a new name, the museum was not able to establish a place in the community of San Marcos. In fact, the name was considered by many to have “too grandiose a ring for the rather modest collection of historical artifacts.”

Finding storage space for the collection of artifacts appraised at $13,000 was a constant battle that was finally lost in April of 1983. The artifacts were initially stored in the National Guard Armory in 1965; over the years they were moved to storage space in Henry Kyle office building, then to a warehouse at the Gary Job Corp, to the old City Hall Building. It was here in 1976 that the collection was shown as part of the bicentennial celebration. This success lasted almost two years but was forced to move so that the city could sell the old City Hall building. Finally, the museum artifacts were moved to a storage unit until the old Fish Hatchery could be restored and turned into the new museum.

Due to a lack of funding and the inability of the University or the Heritage Association to assist in the cost of building restoration, the Hays County Historical Survey Committee, now known as the Hays County Historical Commission, had no choice but to drop the museum project.

Source: "Texas Museum of History: Going Down for the Last Time, A San Marcos Daily Record Special Report," Sunday, April 17, 1983.