GOLDTHWAITE – From Dec. 1-29, visitors to the Goldthwaite Welcome Center at Legacy Plaza, 1219 Fisher St., will have the opportunity to experience A Time Before Texas, a thoughtfully curated educational exhibition exploring the lives of the earliest inhabitants of the region we now call Texas.
In the last decade, archeologists have made several fascinating new discoveries about the way Paleoindians lived and even how they arrived here. These First Peoples passed on knowledge and traditions through the generations, eventually giving rise to many culturally distinct Tribes and Indigenous American communities.
Some Indigenous Americans’ traditional stories recount that their ancestors were always here. Archeologists, who study objects and evidence left behind from early cultures, believe people have lived here for at least 16,000 years. Both ways of understanding the past are important to the study of Paleoindian history. A Time Before Texas considers both current science and cultural tradition to explore what life was like for the first peoples to call early Texas home.
“This exhibition invites us to reflect on the deep human history of this region and the importance of honoring both ancestral knowledge and modern discovery,” says Courtenay Smith, Executive Director of the Texas Botanical Gardens & Native American Interpretive Center, Inc.
An exhibition reception will be held on Saturday, December 6, 2025, at the Goldthwaite Welcome Center at 10:00 a.m.
Admission to the exhibition is free and open to the public during Welcome Center hours. For more information, visit www.legacyplaza.org or call (325) 451-1075.
A Time Before Texas was created by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and presented in partnership with Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Goldthwaite presentation is hosted by the City of Goldthwaite and the Texas Botanical Gardens & Native American Interpretive Center, Inc.
About Humanities Texas
Humanities Texas develops and supports diverse programs across the state, including lectures, oral history projects, teacher institutes, museum exhibitions, and documentary films. For more information, please visit Humanities Texas online at www.humanitiestexas.org or call (512) 440-1991.
About the Texas Botanical Gardens & Native American Interpretive Center
Located in Goldthwaite, Texas, Legacy Plaza is home to the Texas Botanical Gardens & Native American Interpretive Center, Inc. a nonprofit organization dedicated to education, conservation, and cultural heritage. The Gardens offer an immersive look at native plant life, while the Center integrates archaeology, Indigenous history, and ecological stewardship. For more information, please visit www.legacyplaza.org or call (325) 451-1075.