By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
The entire Texas City Museum is now open to the public.
Museum curator Amanda Vance, along with her assistant, Billie Powers, are eager to have visitors come in, explore and learn about history through an immersive experience. “We are open. The only difference right now is that the children’s area does not have the toys it had before the pandemic,” said Vance.
Little Anastasia Castro of Texas City found the children’s area and delighted herself with crayons, rearranging marine life on a museum display, and making funny faces in the mirror. She didn’t seem to notice anything was missing. Her mother and her older brother accompanied her to the museum.
Once again, model train enthusiasts and children who are captivated by the magic of little trains chugging along can enjoy the model train exhibits. The upper floor of The Texas City Museum hosts the Galveston County Model Railroad Club. This, too, has reopened to the public.
Rafael, Aron and Samantha Hinojosa and their mother Violeta Wright from Galveston came to the museum with their Texas City friends Cesar, Maria and their mother, Idalia Almaguer.
“I bring the kids here at least twice a year,” said Idalia Almaguer. “They need to keep learning even during summer vacation,” she added.
Aron liked the cannon, while his sister, Samantha, likes the model ship best. Cesar liked everything at the museum.
The USS Westfield was the flagship of the Union fleet that participated in the Civil War blockade of Galveston in October 1862 thru January 1863. Artifacts from the ship are on display at the museum. The exhibit includes an original Dahlgren cannon from the ship. While it is housed at the museum, it still remains the property of the United States Navy.
Deeper into the museum, visitors can explore the history of many Texas City leaders, artists and other icons such as the fire department, the railroads, local high school memorabilia and other artifacts from Texas City’s history dating back to the city’s founding years. Visitors might even find some pirate memorabilia.
One of Vance’s favorite exhibits is the 1st Aero Squadron which was the US Army’s first aviation unit. Established March 5, 1913 in a field near Texas City, the squadron was eventually relocated to San Diego, CA.
Petroleum is a part of Texas City and the museum has exhibits that allow for hands-on learning experiences in the history and significance of petroleum in the region.
A moment in history when it felt like the world had come to an end for Texas City is marked by the clock from the service station at the City Hall. The clock stopped at exactly the time the first explosion in a series of explosions happened on April 16, 1947.
The exhibit covering the Texas City disaster is the bulk of the collection for the museum. “People are often very connected to the disaster exhibit. They come up to one of us staff and share their personal family history with the historic event,” said Vance.
The Texas City disaster killed nearly 600 people and injured thousands. It was the most devastating industrial disaster in American history, as shockwaves from the blast were felt at far as Colorado.
Once a JC Penney building, Texas City acquired the property in 1992, and by 1994 the city had opened the doors to the city’s museum. The building is 30,000 square feet and averages over 7,000 visitors per year.
The museum’s hours of operation are Tuesday-Saturday from 10:00am to 4:00pm and the Model Railroad Club museum on the second floor is open on Saturdays from 11:00am to 4:00pm. The museum is located at 409 6th St N Texas City.
