A 50th Anniversary Celebration!

It was Tuesday, April 11, 1967: The Andy Griffith Show was number one on TV, gasoline averaged 33 cents a gallon, Beatlemania was in full swing and the Summer of Love was just a couple of months away.
​
It wasn’t a pretty day in Houston, though. Fog and stifling humidity in the morning turned to light rain and finally thunderstorms by the afternoon. Undaunted by the weather, an eclectic group of 22 citizens from all over Fort Bend County gathered at the courthouse to sign their names on a document that would create the first non-profit of its kind in the county. Some of the signers were prominent mayors; some were descendants of the Old 300; some were wives of local citizens identified only by their husbands’ names and the prefix “Mrs.”

​Though their backgrounds, families and locations were diverse, they were united in the cause to create this new organization. Without a centralized advocate for sharing and preserving Fort Bend County history, that rich heritage known first-hand to so many of them was in danger of being lost.

“The purpose for which the corporation is formed is to support an educational undertaking and to support and maintain a place where historical, patriotic, civic, educational and other scientific collections may be housed [and] to increase and diffuse a knowledge and appreciation of history, art and science,” the charter document reads.

The new organization’s purpose was also to preserve objects with historic, artistic and/or scientific interests and to offer “popular instruction and opportunities for education and esthetic enjoyment.”
​
Its name: Fort Bend County Museum Association.

For the past 50 years, the Association has been working diligently to achieve those goals as set forth in the founding document. It owns and operates the Fort Bend Museum in downtown Richmond, and its adjacent 1883 Moore Home and 1850s Long-Smith Cottage. It houses a collection of more than 40,000 artifacts and archival items, with particularly significant collections on topics of Stephen F. Austin's Texas Colony (1821-1836), ranching and black cowboy traditions. It runs the educational programs at the George Ranch Historical Park, the internationally-recognized living history museum that welcomed more than 61,500 visitors in the first 11 months of 2016. It operates an avocational archeological society, the programs at the DeWalt Heritage Center in Missouri City, and several historic structures, including the turn-of-the-century train depot, at Decker Park in downtown Richmond.

"Though the Museum Association has grown larger through the past 50 years, the passion of the volunteers, employees and supporters has not lessened one bit. We are still just as excited about preserving and sharing the history of this county and its people as we were back in 1967 when the Association was chartered,” said Executive Director Claire Rogers.

As part of the 50th anniversary celebration, next Saturday's Lone Star Stomp will have a fun 1967 theme of "Peace, Love & Texas." If you haven't bought tickets yet, we still have a few seats available! With live music by The Triumphs, a fun 1960s-inspired menu by The Swinging Door, live and silent auctions (watch your email for a preview coming this week!), signature cocktails and more, it's going to be a 50th birthday party to remember! Click here to learn more about the Lone Star Stomp, or call the Museum Association's Administrative Offices at 281-342-1256.

​Happy birthday, Fort Bend County Museum Association!