Day Trips
By Gerald E. McLeod, Fri., Nov. 13, 1998
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The Bell County Museum in Belton presents an interesting and informative look at the history of Central Texas. The centerpiece of the exhibition is the Miriam A. (Ma) Ferguson Collection. Ferguson was the first female governor elected in the United States and was twice elected governor of Texas.
Housed in the beautifully remodeled 1904 Carnegie Library Building a block north of the county courthouse, the building is a bit of history by itself. The two-story brick structure is one of 13 surviving libraries out of 33 built in Texas with funds donated by industrialist Andrew Carnegie between 1898 and 1917.
The Belton Carnegie Library served the community from 1905 until a new library opened in 1975. The old building is a noble sight with large windows, columns holding up the Romanesque roof line, and even a small sculpture of Andrew Carnegie above the main entrance. Community volunteers operated a museum in the building until it had deteriorated to an unsafe condition. After a $400,000 renovation, the Bell County Museum reopened on March 6, 1991, says Stephanie Turnham, director of the museum.
One of the first gifts donated to the new museum supported by the Bell County Historical Commission was Mrs. Ferguson's gown that she wore to her 1933 inauguration. The Ferguson's grandson Jim Watt and his wife Barbara donated several thousand pieces of the governor's possessions to the museum, making it the largest collection of materials related to the Fergusons.
Born and raised on a farm near Salado in Bell County, James E. Ferguson was a lawyer and banker in Belton and Temple before turning to politics in 1914. His first term as governor saw the passage of several laws benefiting the farmer, colleges, and prisons. Soon after he began his second term, in July 1917, he and his family left Austin as the state legislature handed down articles of impeachment for misuse of state funds. He was the only Texas governor to be impeached and was ineligible to hold any state office again.
Miriam Wallace Ferguson was born on a Bell County farm about eight miles east of the museum off TX95. At the age of 49, she ran for governor on the slogan, "two governors for the price of one" against the Ku Klux Klan candidate in 1924. Only five years after women received the right to vote, she was elected governor. During her first term she helped pass several laws aimed at crippling the Klan, helping the farmers, and appointed the first female secretary of state. She was turned away in the next election by Dan Moody.
In 1932, with Texas suffering in the Great Depression, voters once again turned to Ma Ferguson. A supporter of Franklin Roosevelt, she faced a state suffering in soup lines, prisons filled with the sinners of Prohibition, and a banking system on the verge of collapse. In 1935, the Fergusons retired to their home at 1500 Windsor in Austin where she died in 1961.
The Fergusons were part of the character fabric that makes the state what it is, says Leslie-Rahye Strickland, the curator of the museum. The museum has so much stuff from the Fergusons that items are swapped out regularly, making every visit to the exhibit a fresh experience.
In other rooms of the old library, exhibits illustrate life on the Texas prairie. One room is dedicated to the utensils and furniture of a Bell County farmhouse. Another room is filled with items from the Little River railroad station.
A major temporary exhibit on display through August 1999 details the history of Fort Hood. The largest military base in the free world was established in western Bell County in 1942. Through the years it has seen many innovations and celebrities including George Patton and a young Army recruit from Memphis named Elvis.
Upstairs in the former library is an exhibit dedicated to the Women's Commonwealth. Formed in Bell County during the 1800s, the women joined together because of concern about the influences of modern society on their children, Strickland said. After a vision, they sold their property for the then princely sum of a quarter million dollars and moved to Washington, D.C., Turnham added.
There also are hands-on displays of a water pump, cotton gin, telegraph, and shelling corn. There also are exhibits on the Native Americans who first inhabited Bell County. Just for fun there is a collection of 200 moustache cups, including a rare left-handed cup.
For a limited time there is a shiny copper copy of the Goddess of Justice in the museum's entrance that will stand on top of the courthouse after the renovation is complete. Coming in December the museum will host an exhibit on Mexico arranged by the Texas Humanities Resource Center and San Antonio museums.
The Bell County Museum is at 201 N. Main in Belton and is open Tuesday through Saturday, 1-5pm. To get to the museum from I-35, take Central Avenue west to Main Street and make a right. Admission to the museum is free and is supported by a small gift shop and donations from friends. For more information, call 254/933-5234.
Coming up this weekend ...
NovemberFest at Sunset Canyon Pottery on US290W celebrates their second year with music 2:30-8pm, demonstrations, food, and special fun, Nov. 13-15. 894-0938.
Gathering of the Scottish Clans of Texas in Salado brings out the dancers, kilts, bagpipes, and more, Nov. 13-15. 254/947-5232.
Thanksgiving on the Frontier at the Johnson Settlement log cabin in Johnson City has costumed park rangers telling and showing visitors pre-Civil War life, Nov. 14, 10am-4pm. 830/868-7128.
Nature in Lights is a drive-thru Christmas lights extravaganza at Ft. Hood's Belton Lake Outdoor Recreation Area, Nov. 13-Jan. 3.
254/287-2523.
Holiday River of Lights in New Braunfels' Cypress Bend Park lights up the Guadalupe River for visitors to drive by and see the sights and sounds of Christmas, Nov. 13-Jan. 1. 800/572-2626.
Coming up ...
The Art Car Museum in Houston has reopened at 140 Heights Blvd. Besides cars, the museum has three photography exhibitions open Wed.-Sun., 11am-6pm. 713/861-5526 or http://www.artcarmuseum.com.
Star Watch at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center provides high-powered telescopes and a slide show to guide you through the heavens, Nov. 21. Various package prices. 254/897-2960.
