Hutchinson County Historical Museum

Hutchinson County Historical Museum, is located in a 1927 building in downtown Borger.

The Hutchinson County Historical Museum is a museum in Borger, Texas, with more than sixty exhibits spanning the period from the 16th-century expedition of Francisco Vásquez de Coronado to the Texas Panhandle petroleum boom of the 1920s.^[1] The museum, which opened in 1977, is housed in a two-story building constructed in 1927.^[2]

Borger was established in 1926 after the discovery of the Panhandle oil field. A boomtown of tents and shacks quickly appeared, and the population reached some 40,000. In time, orderly growth prevailed, and Borger became a center for oil, chemicals, and cattle. The skyline is dominated by oil towers and petroleum plants. Borger is the home of Frank Phillips College.^[3]

Exhibits encompass history, culture, and art items. Annual events include African American History in February, Oil Boom Heritage in March, Cinco de Mayo Heritage in May, the Beach Bash and Old West Heritage in June, the Quilt Show in July, Native American Awareness in November, and Christmas in December.^[4]

Old West Heritage Month features community treks to sites near the county seat of Stinnett: the First Battle of Adobe Walls in 1864 and the Second Battle of Adobe Walls in 1874, in which Quanah Parker surrendered Comanche resistance to white settlement. The battle ended with a 7/8 of a mile shot fired by buffalo hunter Billy Dixon. The museum observes the birthday of Stinnett each September.^[5]

In 1980, the Hutchinson County Historical Commission published The History of Hutchinson County, used as a reference for the article on the history of Borger in the Handbook of Texas.^[6] The museum directs visitors to the historical markers available in Borger and throughout Hutchinson County.^[7]

The current museum director, Clay Renick, is an employee of the Hutchinson County Commissioners Court.

The museum is located downtown at 618 North Main Street. It is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. The facility is near the restored Morley Theater and Borger City Hall.^[8]

Gallery

• 
  Automobile on exhibit at Hutchinson County Historical Museum
• 
  Gasoline pump at Boom Town
• 
  The Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad exhibit
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  Exhibit on the Second Battle of Adobe Walls north of Borger
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  The original jail in Borger was established next to the museum building.
• 
  Teacher at her desk—exhibit at Hutchinson museum

References

1. ""Hutchinson County Historical Museum" -- Oil Boom". hutchinsoncountymusuem.org. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
2. ""Hutchinson County Historical Museum" -- Main page". hutchinsoncountymuseum.org. Retrieved July 18, 2009.
3. "Borger". Lone-star.net. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
4. ""Hutchinson County Historical Museum" -- Programs page". hutchinsoncountymuseum.org. Archived from the original on June 17, 2009. Retrieved July 18, 2009.
5. "Boomtown Revisited", brochure of Hutchinson County Historical Museum, Borger, Texas
6. "Borger, Texas". tshaonline.org. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
7. "Fort Tours: Hutchinson County Historical Markers". forttours.com. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
8. Texas Transportation Commission, 2008 State Travel Guide, pp. 110-111

External links

• Hutchinson County Historical Museum - official site

Coordinates: 35°40′21″N 101°23′23″W / 35.6725°N 101.3896°W