Historical artifacts on display at Fine Arts Center for Texas History Month
From fresh-churned butter to hand-woven baskets, items that hearken back to a time when Texas was young filled the main gallery of the Breckenridge Fine Arts Center last Friday as part of the “Remembering the Republic of Texas” exhibit.
Kay Jurecek and Susan Cooper, from left, talk to seventh graders about some of the items in the exhibit at the Breckenridge Fine Arts Center. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/ Breckenridge Texan)
The exhibit is sponsored by the Picketville Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas and will be on display through March 31. For three days this month, the members of the Picketville Chapter are going all-out in period costumes to demonstrate to school kids what life was like in Texas during the years (1836-1846) that it was a sovereign country in the United States.
On Friday, March 6, seventh and eighth graders visited the BFAC. Next week, sixth graders will visit on March 19, and fourth and fifth graders will go on March 20. Home-schooled students also will be attending the BFAC on those days.
In addition to items provided by the Picketville Chapter members, the exhibit will also include a cannon from Fort Belknap at Newcastle. However, the cannon will only be on display on the days that the students are attending. Jim Hammond, director of Fort Belknap, will bring the cannon to Breckenridge on each of those days.
Throughout the gallery, BFAC Director Shalon Wilson has displayed posters sent from the main DRT headquarters in Austin. The posters offer information on topics such as the San Jacinto Battle Flag, Texas Women, Santa Anna’s Pistols, and more.
There are a variety of flags on display, including the “Six Flags of Texas” — the flags of Texas, the United States, Mexico, Spain, France and the Confederate States of America. Additionally, there are several Texas battle flags in the exhibit.
When the school kids are there, the members of the Picketville Chapter will be on hand to explain the many items on display, such as a butter churn, a rope bed, hand-woven baskets, old-fashioned toys, cooking utensils, sewing supplies and more. During other times of the month, Wilson will be on hand to walk visitors through the exhibit.
Judy Wolfe, a member of the Picketville Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texasn, shows a variety of historical household items to visitors at the Breckenridge Fine Arts Center. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/ Breckenridge Texan)
Darla Wise McLeod, right, shows the students some hand-woven baskets at the “Republic of Texas” exhibit at the Breckenridge Fine Arts Center. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Story by Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan
Cutline, top photo: Jim Hammond, the director of Fort Belknap, at right, talks to seventh grade students about the cannon he brought from the historic fort for the exhibit. He will bring it back on March 19 and 20. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
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