GALVESTON, Texas. — The Galveston County Museum has been approved by the Texas Historical Commission’s Curatorial Facility Certification Program, allowing it to house state archeological collections. This certification was granted after a rigorous review of the museum’s collections care policies and an on-site inspection of its facilities.
The certification process included a review of museum collections care policies and emergency plan. An official from the Texas Historical Commission’s Curatorial Facility Certification visited the museum to review policy and inspect the artifact storage area.
This certification will allow the Galveston County Museum to manage state-owned held-in-trust collections. When the state conducts archeological investigations on non-federal public lands, it yields artifacts such as stone tools, pottery, and related documentation. Because the Texas Historical Commission cannot possibly house all this material, they rely on certified facilities through the state to be repositories for these collections. Museums managing these collections allow researcher access and may exhibit the artifacts.
“Galveston County Museum is the first certified facility approved in Galveston County, “said Brad Jones, Division Director and State Archeologist. “We prefer to house archeological material at certified facilities close to the site of origin. This new facility will allow us to keep archeological material from the upper gulf coast in the region.”
“As our museum prepares to celebrate 50 years in 2026, we made a goal to become a certified facility, “said Jodi Wright-Gidley, Director of the Galveston County Museum. “We are proud to be entrusted with preserving the archeological heritage of Texas.”
The Galveston County Museum is located inside the county courthouse at 722 Moody in Galveston. Their exhibit hall is open to the public for free on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 10:00am to 4:00pm. Private tours can be scheduled additional times during the week. More information at www.galvestoncountyhistory.org.
