Museums return to offering summer fun, learning throughout region

Though some museums and other attractions may have closed last year in order to keep their communities safe from Covid, a variety of historic sites and museums offer family-friendly entertainment and education this summer. Most of these options are inexpensive and close by. For even more Texas history, visit texasplainstrail.com.

A preserved schoolhouse, gems, an art gallery, and real live bison await visitors to the Armstrong County Museum at 120 Trice Street in Claude, Texas. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. Call (806) 226-2187 for more information.

An adjunct project of the Armstrong County Museum that has now become a standalone (but still affiliated) offical state historic site is the Charles and Mary Ann Goodnight Ranch State Historic Site, 12 miles south of Claude on US 287. The Goodnight home is restored on its original site and features a 268-squarefoot second-floor sleeping porch with spectacular views of the countryside and the nearby bison herd that are actual descendants of the herd raised by Charles and Mary Ann Goodnight. The site also includes the J. Evetts Haley Visitor and Education Center, which offers exhibits about the Goodnights, bison, and the settlement of the area. A Quanah Parker Trail giant arrow marker on the grounds serves to commemorate the friendship between Charles Goodnight and Quanah Parker, last chief of the Comanche.

Briscoe County (Quitaque)

Visitors to the Comanchero Canyons Museum in Quitaque can learn all about 19th century merchants of the caprock and the history of the region dating back to 1541. Briscoe, Floyd, Hall, Motley, and Swisher Counties are featured in the preservation of commerce between settlers and Indian Nations of the Southern Plains. Located at 200 South Third Street, the museum is open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and other times for groups by special request.

Childress County (Childress)

The Childress County Heritage Museum is located in the 1935 post office building at 210 Third Street in Childress to preserve the history of the Panhandle community. The museum does not charge admission. Hours are 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Call (940) 937-2261 for further information.

Cottle County (Paducah) The City County Heritage Museum, at 724 Ninth Street in Paducah, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Thursday, and Friday. For more information, call (806) 492-2143.

Crosby County (Crosbyton)

In Crosbyton, the Crosby County Pioneer Memorial Museum has been an educational resource for sixty years. Located at 101 West Main Street, special events like quilting and gardening classes accompany special discussions about the mysteries of history. Exhibits focus on Native American and Anglo settlers, along with bison in the area. Contact the museum at (806) 675-2331.

Mt. Blanco Fossil Museum at 124 West Main Street in Crosbyton is temporarily closed for roof repairs, though it is normally open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Founder and director Joe Taylor offers exhibits of fossils and replicas, including a mastodon skeleton and curates the museum through the lens of creationism. Admission is $5. Books and reproductions are available for sale. Taylor’s hand painted billboards depicting iconic musicians are also on display. Call (806) 675-7777 for more information.

Dickens County (Dickens, Spur)

Two branches of the Dickens County Museum preserve the heritage of this ranching and farming community where dramatic vistas off the caprock surround both towns. The Dickens museum, located in the old lumberyard in the county seat, is open 1st and 3rd Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. For information call Ruby Combs at (806) 269-6215.

At the main commercial intersection in downtown Spur is the other branch, featuring exhibits related to early pioneer and ranching heritage, including an exhibition of artifacts related to Quanah Parker and Comanche history. The museum is open 1 to 5 pm. Fridays and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays.

Floyd County (Floydada)

The Floyd County Museum is downtown at 105 East Missouri Street in Floydada. It’s open from 1 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. One of the most attractive displays the museum offers is its Coronado exhibit. Visitors can also see how a pioneer family lived. Floydada’s Sheryl Back has shared an antique pencil sharpener collection, which was moved this week in order to showcase her antique lighter collection.

The museum’s fiftieth anniversary is this year, and plans are underway to celebrate in September. There is no admission fee, but donations are appreciated. Director Dorothy Turner can be reached at (806) 983-2415 for further information.

Hale County (Plainview)

On the Wayland Baptist University campus in Plainview, both the Jimmy Dean Museum and the Llano Estacado Museum are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. There is something in the region’s history for all ages to enjoy from art to taxidermy to a scavenger hunt. The souvenir shop is currently closed. Donations are appreciated. For more information, contact Director Melissa Gonzalez at (806) 291-3660.

The Contemporary art museum of Plainview is open from noon to 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday at 219 East Sixth Street. The museum, supported by the Community Foundation of West Texas, offers three major exhibitions each year and participates in a cooperative program with the juvenile justice system. The current exhibit shows off work by recent Plainview graduates. Directors Kelly and Madeline Alison hope to “make art accessible to everyone.” Contact them at (713) 826-9605.

Hall County (Turkey)

Visitors to Turkey, Texas can go check out the regional music history relating to the King of Swing at the Bob Wills Museum at 602 Lyles Street from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, although it closes for lunch each day at noon and reopens at 1 p.m. The museum is staffed by volunteers and there is no admission fee. Donations are accepted. Call Stephanie Hobbs at (806) 423-1033 for further information.

King County (Guthrie)

The King County Historical Society in Guthrie has featured items such as a centennial quilt from 1991 with squares representing all of the residents. It includes the fully restored Grace Schoolhouse, along with a display of a Dumont Letterman Jacket. The Bigun Bradley Room, recalling one of the county’s bestknown cowboys, is open to visitors by calling (806) 596-4338.

Motley County (Matador)

Hotel Matador, at 1115 Main Street, has been in operation since 1914. Groups can arrange to take tours and reservations can be made by contacting retired educators Linda Roy, Caron Perkins, or Marilynn Hicks at (806) 347-2939. The hotel lobby is typically open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. In the past, dances have been held there and guests have used the public telephone to call a sweetheart. Cowboys could come into town on Saturdays to do their laundry and get a bath for a quarter. At one time, there were fifteen rooms, a nine-foot bathtub, and a barber shop. Many visitors still remember getting a shoeshine or a shave there.

The Motley County Historical Museum is just one attraction to be found in Matador, Texas. It’s located in the old Traweek Hospital at 828 Dundee Avenue, built in 1928. An appointment must be made in order to see displays on the history of veterans, the hospital, and the work of A.E. Traweek.

A key can be retrieved from Carol Campbell at (806) 777-8575 or Hotel Matador for a self-guided tour of the former Motley County Jail, which is now a welcome center. There is no admission fee, though donations are accepted. A video is available, and visitors can see the gallows there, which have never been used. However, according to Texas Spirit Seekers, it is haunted!