DeWalt Heritage Center

News

Amateur Photo Contest

The DeWalt Heritage Center held its first annual Amateur Photo Contest! Photographers ages 5+ entered their never-published original shots taken anywhere in Fort Bend County, Texas. A panel of independent judges selected three winners in each age group and category and one overall Grand Prize Winner. Winners were announced at a reception held on Sunday October 9th. All winning photographs will be published in the first annual 2012 DeWalt Heritage Center Calendar! (Calendars and photographic entries will be sold to support the Center.)

Trying Out the "New" Antique Doorbell!

Members of the Kendleton Museum Board watch as the County's Katie Herrington rings the newly-installed antique doorbell! Storer Ware, who's opening the door, installed the doorbell.

Woman's Club of Missouri City Supports DeWalt Heritage Center

Incoming President Jo Butterfield presents DeWalt Heritage Center Project Manager Diane Ware with a check for $1,500 at the May 3 meeting of the Woman's Club of Missouri City. The meeting was held at the Center and included tours of the exhibits -- one of which features an early Woman's Club scrapbook. Ruth Dew Lalley (who lived at Dew Plantation House) was a founding member of the Club.

Quail Valley Garden Club Donates Butterfly Habitats

Quail Valley Garden Club held their annual officer installation meeting at the DeWalt Heritage Center on May 12. After their program, exhibit tours and luncheon, the Club donated over a dozen butterfly habitat plants for the DeWalt Heritage Center's garden.

Pictured at right are Mary Ashmore (Installation Chair), Penny Johnson, Barbara Thompson, Jo Ann Mayhall, Bette Kraus, Judy Belt, Mary Chan (standing in for Karen Meier) and Janice Scanlan.

Pictured at right are Penny Johnson, Cindy Calender, Haley Leonard, Debbie Cogan, Suzy Walters and Mrs. Leonard.

First Wedding at the DeWalt Heritage Center!

On Feb. 12, 2011, Brenda and Joseph Mouton were married at the DeWalt Heritage Center! It was the first private event to be held at the historic Dew House. Check out a few pictures shared with permission by Brenda Mouton!

Ringing in the 'Dew Year' with our Grand Opening!

The Grand Opening of the DeWalt Heritage Center was held on Sunday, January 9, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Nearly 200 people braved the cold, wind and rain to help us celebrate this momentous occasion. Thank you so much for your support! The DeWalt Heritage Center will be open by appointment only now through summer 2011. For more information, contact Diane Ware.

Check out photos of the grand opening here.

The Dew House/future DeWalt Heritage Center as it stands on Monday, Nov. 22, 2010. Photo taken by Commissioner Grady Prestage.

Dew House Work Day: Saturday, Nov. 13, 2010

By Lisa Glenn

It was another "Dew-Da-Day" at the DeWalt Heritage Center (ol' Dew House) on Saturday, Nov. 13. Volunteers and Sienna Girl Scout Troop 3704 gave "hi-ho, hi-ho," new meaning as they worked together to complete a multitude of tasks to further ready this historic home for its grand opening on January 9, 2011!
Troop 3704 (under the leadership of Kellye Brooks, Lanie Hauschel, Shandra Butler and Kathy Artinian) set to work clearing, weeding and turning the earth of what is to be an herb garden near the Dew House kitchen. They also worked together to recreate a cotton bale, typical of the crops that were once grown by area planters; they also put together a display of sugar cane, another prevalent crop. Junior Girl Scouts included were: Clio Artinian, Jillian Brooks, Sarina Butler, Claire Domenic-Smith, Rachel Hauschel, Laura Key, Megan McComb, Aurora Skavatos, Juliana and Kristina Viro. Before working on their projects, the girls were given a tour of the house by FBCMA Special Project Historian Diane Ware.
Irv Smith oiled the wood of several old desks that are to be display bases and cleaned the gigantic metal bell that once called workers to meals and tasks. Local writer Janice Scanlan (after interviewing stained glass artisan Ed Schwer who created and donated the stained glass in the upper story door) cleaned the glass of a beautiful display case. Historical Commissioner Dr. Randal Glenn was installing curtain rods and changing out light bulbs. To everyone's delight, Scanlan Crossing's music teacher Jaci Elliott tested out the antique piano in the dining room before going outdoors to plant Knock-Out roses at the side of the house. Inside and out, the DeWalt Heritage Center was truly alive in the spirit of the Dew Family, the former DeWalt Community, and in the spirit of giving upon us!

Dew House Work Day: Friday, Sept. 10, 2010

Helen Curd and Lisa Glenn clean the partner's desk.

Iris Young hems curtains for the future DeWalt Heritage Center.

Jim Young adjusts the Toledo scale.

Randal Glenn hangs curtain rods.

Can't take the stairs...

August 20, 2010: Fort Bend County's Ryan Henke lifts an antique glass and oak store display up to the second floor of the Historic Dew House on Friday, August 20. The Dew House's switchback stairway prevented standard transport up the stairs; United Rentals provided a 22,000-pound machine to lift the pieces 12-feet onto the upstairs back porch. Under the direction of Museum Educator Claire Rogers and Project Manager Diane Ware, six furniture pieces and a cast-iron stove were moved in and await installation and/or restoration.

Assembling Future Exhibits

Above: R. E. Beeler builds a lightning rod exhibit; and Zach Ware and R.E. Beeler carry the assembled lightning rod exhibits up the stairs. The shingles for the exhibit were donated to the Museum by Alex and Gary at ABC Supply store #173.

This is why we 'Dew' it: On July 29, children look at postal boxes and a postal window from the early 1900s--two pieces that are going to be a part of the "general store" display at the future DeWalt Heritage Center. Pictured are Chloe and Maxwell Thompson and Madeline and Gavin Boyd, children of Fort Bend Junior Service League members. "Their fascination is the reason it was so important to save this piece of our area history," said Lisa Glenn.

House dedication draws crowd of nearly 200!

The dedication of the historic Dew House took place on Sunday, March 21. Nearly 200 people attended the event, which gave visitors a sneak peek at the renovation that has taken place in the House. Missouri City artisan Ed Schwer also unveiled the custom stained-glass windows he designed for the House's upstairs door and transom.

To see pictures of the dedication, click here.

Donation: The Woman's Club of Missouri City raises money in support of local civic pursuits and awards scholarships to Missouri City seniors. Jo Butterfield, WCMC's historian, presents a $1,500 donation check to Diane Ware, the Fort Bend County Museum Association's special project historian. The WCMC historian album will be on display for public viewing when the DeWalt Heritage Center officially opens later this year.

New Fence: The Home Depot generously provided the fencing materials and the manpower to secure and surround the future DeWalt Heritage Center! Pictured here: Home Depot's (HD) Daryl Ryan, Jon Sklar, Allan Beattie, Fort Bend County Museum Association (FBCMA) Director Candy Jones, HD's Lance Guess, Fort Bend County Architect Jamie Knight, HD's Charlotta Thurman, Venus Randle, Missouri City Mayor Allen Owen, HD's Robert Banks, Dalana Neal, and FBCMA Special Project Historian Diane Ware.

New Appliances: Kevin Pyles of Built-In Appliance and Peter Haselow of Aquarius Home Service are pictured with the new Hotpoint Stove they donated to the future DeWalt Heritage Center. These two individuals and their companies also donated a brand-new refrigerator. The Dew House will be dedicated on March 21 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Please join us!

New Windows: Stained glass artist Ed Schwer shows the near-finished custom windows he has designed for the Dew House.The windows will be installed in the upstairs door and transom over the next few weeks. They will officially be "unveiled" to the public as part of the House dedication (currently scheduled for this March).

Like a Scene from Currier & Ives: The December 4th snowfall settles on the ol' Dew Plantation House! Photo by Ivan Butterfield.

Fort Bend Junior Service League Presents $5,000 to the DeWalt Heritage Center

The Fort Bend Junior Service League (FBJSL) recently donated $5,000 for the DeWalt Heritage Center, which will be the center for preserving east Fort Bend County history. Pictured from left to right are FBJSL President-Elect Pam Spencer, FBJSL Member Yolanda Celestine, DeWalt Heritage Steering Committee's Lisa Glenn, Fort Bend County Museum Association (FBCMA) DeWalt Project Director Jerry Hoover, FBCMA Special Project Historian Diane Ware, FBJSL Treasurer Sarah Boyd and FBJSL President Brigit Engleman.

Women's Club of Missouri City donates $4,000 for DeWalt Heritage Center

From left to right: Special Project Historian Diane Ware and DeWalt Heritage Center Project Director Jerry Hoover gratefully accept a $4,000 donation from the Woman's Club of Missouri City (WCMC), bestowed by President Nancy Thurmond. The donation will go toward the the DeWalt Heritage Center (ole Dew House) located at Kitty Hollow Park. Ruth Dew Lalley was one of the Charter Founding Members of WCMC.

Dew House Gets a New Lawn Thanks to The Spencer Company

April 18, 2009 - Despite the menacing weather, 3,700 pieces of sod (7,000 sq. ft.) donated by Johnson Development's landscape contractor, The Spencer Company, was laid at the Dew House in Kitty Hollow Park. It couldn't have been accomplished without the help of Missouri City Public Works Supervisors Rodney and Kevin and their crew of community service workers: DeAndre, Mike, Cameron and Ronald. "Thanks to their strong arms and young backs they gave 'Just Dew It' new meaning with wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow load of sod," said volunteer Lisa Glenn. The cloudy skies and misting rain were actually ideal for laying turf, she said. Missouri City Parks Director Kelly Snook also joined Team Dew and got just as dirty and muddy as anyone, which included Fort Bend County Historical Commissioners Diane Ware and Dr. Randal Glenn, Fort Bend County Museum Association's Jerry Hoover and Jennifer Farrell, Fort Bend County Architect Jamie Knight as well as Lisa Howell, Lisa Glenn and Storer Ware!