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Local History
The Local History Gallery houses the museum's
temporary local history exhibits,
Weaver Wing under construction The whine of a circular saw. The staccato burst of a nail gun. The drone of an air compressor. These are the sounds coming from the Ellis Gallery of the Weaver Wing - the front of the original part of the Museum (where the old Hall of Heroes and the theater were). This area is closed to the public and being revamped into exciting exhibits about early Hunt County. We estimate the entire project will be completed and open to the public within a year. Much of this area is currently undergoing a renovation by Museum member Frank Owens who has volunteered his construction expertise. He has built two walls - one around the stairs and one that runs parallel to the kitchen/closet area in order to give us more exhibit space. Perhaps the most exciting part of the construction, however, is taking place in the old Hall of Heroes. There Frank is building a 1920s era "Main Street" that will consist of five storefronts whose windows will be used to display artifacts from that time period. Each store will have a slightly different look (indicative of the architecture of that era) and each store will be a different type based on artifacts we have in our collection. Currently we are planning a beauty parlor, a hardware store, a pharmacy, a clothing store, and a millinery shop. One of the challenges of this project is trying to portray the entire county in a relatively small space. In order to do this, we will have several rotating exhibits, mainly of early county businesses, each of which might be on display for six months or so. We plan to begin the tour of the Ellis Gallery with a Native American exhibit that will be located to the visitor's right as soon as he/she steps into the Museum from the Gift Shop. A curved wall (similar to the one in the new Hall of Heroes, but much smaller) with a map of Hunt County showing all of its communities (both past and present) will suggest to the visitor that the tour continues to his/her right. Around the periphery we will exhibit various aspects of early Hunt County: churches, schools/universities, and businesses. In the center we plan to have a number of displays featuring people from Hunt County’s history who have "gone on to greatness." We plan to make these exhibits moveable, mainly so we can use that area during Audie Murphy Days. The 1920s "Main Street" will culminate the tour of early Hunt County. Oh, for those of you who might be wondering whether we will have the wonderful 1906 Cadillac back on display? The answer is yes! David Gish, Jr. is currently storing it (so it will not be damaged during all the renovation), and he has graciously allowed us to keep his car on a permanent loan status. We are also having the area repainted and repaired (there is a sizeable crack near the women's rest-room). In addition, we found it necessary to have additional lighting and electrical outlets installed. The Frances Arnold Ellis Gallery is named for one of the Museum's benefactors who helped Greenville preserve its history. When Mrs. Ellis died, she bequeathed a donation to the Museum in which the interest could be used for the exhibition of local history. The Weaver Wing is named in honor of Doug and Barbi Weaver of Greenville whose son Scott donated enough money to enable the Museum to retire its mortgage ten years early. In addition, last fall the Watkins Perkins Law Office generously made a donation to be used in the Hunt County exhibit area. This renovation is being very carefully planned as we
have a very limited budget. It is only because of the generosity of donors
in the past that this project is becoming a reality. If you would like
to help the Museum by donating money towards this project, it will be
very much appreciated. Please be sure to note on your check "Early
Hunt County" so we will put it in the appropriate fund.
The Audie Murphy/American
Cotton Museum
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