STAR OF THE REPUBLIC MUSEUM TO RECOGNIZE BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Blinn College’s Star of the Republic Museum will celebrate Black History Month beginning Feb. 1 with the opening of a yearlong exhibit capturing the spirit of 19th-century black Texans and the challenges they faced before, during and after the Civil War.
Located at Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site, the museum will display “Enduring Spirit: African Americans in 19th Century Texas” Feb. 1, 2015 through Feb. 15, 2016. While the first African Americans in Texas were free men and women seeking opportunity and advancement, the laws of the newly-formed Republic of Texas forced them out and opened the door to thousands of enslaved people who served as the backbone of the labor force for almost 30 years. Finally gaining their freedom after the Civil War, they discovered their struggle was far from over.
Artifacts on display include slave records, freedmen contracts and an oath of allegiance. Stoneware pottery made at Wilson Pottery near Seguin, the first African American business in Texas, will be exhibited, as well as an example of the intricate Pine Burr pattern quilt.
No admission fee to the museum will be charged on opening day, Feb. 1, or any Saturday in February.
On Feb. 7, Dr. Fred McGhee, adjunct professor of anthropology at Austin Community College, will speak at 2 p.m. in the museum theatre about the 1836 Texas Rebellion.
On Feb. 14, the museum will present the first and second episodes of the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning PBS series, “African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross” at 2 p.m.
On Feb. 21, the museum will host Dr. Bernadette Pruitt, professor of history at Sam Houston State University, for a 2 p.m. presentation titled, “The Other Great Migration: The Movement of Rural African Americans to Houston, Texas.”
Star of the Republic Museum was created by the Texas Legislature and is administered by Blinn College as a cultural and educational institution. Its purpose is to collect and preserve the material culture of the Texas Republic from 1836-1846 and to interpret the history, cultures, diversity and values of early Texans.
The museum is located at 23200 Park Road 12, Washington, Texas, off Highway 105. From Highway 105, follow either FM 912 or FM 1155 to Park Road 12. Daily museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.starmuseum.org or call 936-878-2461, ext. 237.
Story courtesy of Blinn College