Texas Civil War Museum
The Texas Civil War Museum, located in White Settlement, a suburb of Fort Worth, opened in 2006. It is the largest Civil War museum west of the Mississippi River. It consists of three separate galleries. The first displays a Civil War collection which is primarily military, with special emphasis on flags. The second displays a Victorian dress collection, and the third the United Daughters of the Confederacy Texas Confederate collection. The UDC has one of three seats on the Museum's board.
Some of its collection came from the former Texas Confederate Museum in Austin, owned and curated by the United Daughters of the Confederacy.[1] The remainder is from the man who built the museum and is its president and curator, Texas oilman .[2] "Experts say [it] is the finest private collection in existence."[3] His collection is primarily military in nature. Also on display are Victorian dresses collected by his wife Judy, who is curator of the dress collection.[4]
Officially the Museum presents both sides of the war; the gift shop has Union items on one side, and Confederate items on the other. However, the Museum has been criticized in the press for being "an advocate and apologist for the Confederacy." According to John Fullinwider, a "Dallas educator and activist",[1] the museum presents the Lost Cause view of the Civil War; its movie, "Our Honor, Our Rights: Texas and Texans in the Civil War" is "romanticized", "a lovely bit of 'Lost Cause' propaganda".[1] In it, the "sectional crisis" is presented as a contest over states' rights rather than slavery.[1] The author of the text of the movie, McMurry University professor Donald S. Frazier, says that it needs to be updated, because "the conversation has changed".[5] The facility sometimes refers to the Civil War as the War Between the States, the name preferred by Confederate sympathizers.[6] The Museum's Web site links to book reviews signed by its "Resident Historian", "Johnny Reb".[7][8]
Dallas, wishing to dispose of its Robert E. Lee statue, considered lending it to the museum, the only local institution that was willing to accept it. The city decided not to lend it because it would not be displayed in its proper context, according to the city.[1]
References[]
- ^ a b c d e Wilonsky, Robert (April 24, 2018). "Trip to Texas Civil War Museum shows why Dallas should never send its Robert E. Lee statue there". Dallas News. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
- ^ Curry, Matt (January 26, 2006). "Oilman Opens Massive Civil War Museum". Victoria Advocate (Victoria, Texas). p. 19. Archived from the original on July 7, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
- ^ Campbell, Steve (February 2, 2014). "Prolific Fort Worth Civil War collector scoops up rare Robert E. Lee items". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Archived from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
- ^ "About Us. Meet the staff". Texas Civil War Museum. Archived from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
- ^ Kennedy, Bud (April 24, 2018). "Dallas saw too much Rebel in Texas Civil War Museum". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
- ^ Texas Civil War Museum (2013). "Exhibits currently on display". Archived from the original on May 19, 2018. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
- ^ "Education". Archived from the original on February 7, 2019. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
- ^ "Resident Reviewer Johnny Reb Recommends" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
Further reading[]
- Campbell, Steve (April 12, 2011). "Texan Treasures Collection of Civil War Items". KXAS (NBCDFW).
- Crocker, Ronnie (April 10, 2011). "Civil War sesquicentennial puts focus on Fort Worth museum". Houston Chronicle.
External links[]
- United Daughters of the Confederacy
- American Civil War museums in Texas
- Tourist attractions in Tarrant County, Texas
- Buildings and structures in Tarrant County, Texas
- Museums in Tarrant County, Texas
- Museums established in 2006
- 2006 establishments in Texas
- Lost Cause of the Confederacy
- Military and war museums in Texas
- Confederate States of America monuments and memorials in Texas