Brown County Museum Of History Begins Revitalization Plans

August 11, 2011 at 4:50 pm brownwoodnewsstaff

Life

It’s Your History…Discover It! Explore It! Treasure It!

Plans are currently underway to revitalize the Brown County Museum of History. The board of directors is looking at a thematic approach in presenting the historical collections, with both the Old Jail building and the Annex to be revamped.

The Old Jail building itself, built in 1903, will continue to be the venue for the Firearms Museum, and in addition will house a Sheriffs of Texas exhibit, Forensics, and “Jail Life and Lore” displays. These will include interactive displays to provide hands-on activities for children. Several rooms of the former sheriff’s living quarters would be returned to period detail.

Plans for the Annex building across the street include featuring an enlarged and comprehensive exhibit of Camp Bowie and the German POW camp it contained during World War II. “Brownwood has an exciting opportunity to create a display of Camp Bowie and preserve historically significant artifacts for display to Brown County citizens.

This would also be a draw for many tourists seeking information about the camp. Over a quarter of a million men went through Camp Bowie during the war years—it is an important part of Texas and world history.” says Steve Blake, curator of the Firearms Museum. Plans would include videotaping local citizens who lived in Brown County during World War II and record their memories of the time period. Being able to preserve this oral history is seen as an important mission of the museum.

The Annex would continue to house its extensive collection of Brown County artifacts, including the log cabin and one- room schoolhouse. And as part of the strategy to make history exciting for the youngest generations, hands-on displays will invite visitors of every age to learn more about Brown County.

Making all this more accessible to residents and tourists means increasing the days the museum is open. If you would like to volunteer as a docent guide, or are interested in helping with this exciting project, please contact Beverly Norris at 325-643-1665.