Director's Corner

Hello All!

As the holiday season begins, here at the Museum, we are thankful for the gifts we have received from our community.

Be sure to take time to slow down during this busy season to enjoy time with family and friends. A visit to the Museum is a great way to introduce family and friends to the vast history of North Texas and to see our bright holiday decorations.

We have a small exhibit of Railroad Artifacts and will be working on discovering exactly what these treasures represent.

Our Generations of Play exhibit continues to draw children of all ages. Find your favorite toys in our exhibit.

The Heart of Downtown Model Train Exhibit, housed in the Ralph Harvey Exhibit Hall, returns to daily operation on November 2nd. During regular Museum hours, the trains will run at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, and 2:30 pm. Smiles are guaranteed.

In appreciation,

Becky Trammell

Advisory Board

Holiday Hours - Special Events

Holiday hours for the Heart of Downtown Model Train Exhibit return to the Museum of North Texas History on Thursday, November 2nd. The trains run Thursday through Saturday at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, and 2:30 pm.

To celebrate the Holiday season, the Museum of North Texas History plans a special opening on Saturday, November 25th! Take a break from the holiday shopping rush and come by the Museum. The Heart of Downtown Model Train runs at 11am, 1pm, and 2:30pm. Smiles are guaranteed!

Mysteries of the Museum

Watch our Facebook posts during the month of November. If you are the first to come to the museum and correctly identify the posted Railroad artifact, you will win a beautiful Christmas ornament. Here is the first mystery.

Pencil Story

There are always surprises when you volunteer at the Museum of North Texas History and the Wichita County Archives. And those surprises usually lead to a flurry of research attempting to find the story behind the artifacts we receive.

Recently, the Archives received multiple boxes of pencils and pens. Pencils and pens, you say, what is interesting about that? These pencils and pens reflect the traditional business habit of the “gimme” pens and pencils used for advertising. Plus, this collection dates back to the early days of Wichita Falls.

Here is the story that came from one pencil.

This bright yellow pencil announces Cline’s Commercial College, described as “The Modern School.” B. R. Cline opened his school in approximately 1923. Touting over 1200 students in its first three years, a 1926 article announced the addition of courses in accounting and the use of the “comptometer” to its curriculum of courses in business methods. Borrowing a method from larger schools in the east, Cline described teaching typing with music as the only one in the north Texas area to use the music method.

By 1926, Cline had opened a branch in Frederick, Oklahoma. However, by the late 1930s, Cline’s Commercial College, also known as Cline’s Business College, no longer existed.

Most of us remember Draughon’s Business College. Started by John F. Draughon in Tennessee in 1879, the school eventually had thirty-eight branches across the southern United States. Draughon Practical Business College opened in Wichita Falls in approximately 1920. Draughon continued operations at 900 11^th (Masonic Temple) in Wichita Falls until 1990.

While researching Cline and Draughon, other business schools. Foster’s Business College, headed by O. H. Foster, opened at 914 Ohio in 1923. The school offered basic business and secretarial courses. Evidence of Foster’s could not be found after 1940. A 1907 advertisement announced the opening of Wichita Commercial College, an affiliate of the West Texas Business College of Abilene. Henry’s Commercial College expressed interest in coming to Wichita Falls in April 1910. No evidence can be found whether it came to town. As mentioned in an article in 1914, a team from Wheeler-Hughes Commercial College, located at 607 Indiana, planned a debate with students from Wichita Falls High School.

Many of these training courses are now available in high schools, colleges, and online. Times do change.

Railroad Artifacts

The City of Wichita Falls truly became a city when the railroad arrived. We are continuing to work on our recently received railroad artifacts. This exhibit will change and grow over time.

Art Alley - November/December

With an interest in photography beginning in 2009, Dee McMahan welcomed the opportunity to capture images that filled her soul with peace and solace. Using a retirement present of a digital camera, Dee began taking pictures. While on a visit to her grandparents’ old homestead in Jefferson County, Oklahoma, Dee felt the desire to capture childhood memories of the homestead and the lives of the people on both sides of the Red River.

Dee first offered her photography for sale in 2017. Her photography was awarded a First Place at the 2018 Clay County Pioneer Reunion Photography Contest with a piece called, “Headed Home From Church.” Also in 2018, Dee was the featured Artist at the Garis Gallery in the Chisholm Trail Heritage Center with a work called “Chisholm Trail Lookout Point.” At the 2019 “Cowboy True,” Dee’s work called “God’s Eventide,” earned a First Runner-Up in the Photo Trail Contest.

We are happy to welcome Dee McMahan as the Artist in Residence at the Museum of North Texas History’s Art Alley.