Regional Museum Alliance The Museum of North Texas History
The next stop on the tour of the Regional Museum Alliance [RMA] is the Museum of North Texas History [MNTH] and its Executive Director, Madeleine Calcote.
MNTH was established in 2000 by a group who all had the same objective, to preserve the heritage of North Texas. The building that houses the museum was donated by Rusty Lindemann to Wichita County, and later the county signed a 50-year lease with the MNTH for the main floor of the building. Then in 2001, after much work, the 18,500 square foot space was opened to the public as the MNTH.
Some of the many exhibits you will find on display includes information on the Sweeney Family. The exhibit shows that a regular family can make a huge impact on a community, according to the exhibit’s information. The family served in the military, the community and church. The Emil Hermann exhibit shows Hermann as a local artist from Wichita Falls and the exhibit features many of his works throughout the museum. Some of the many other collections include the Bill English Military Collection, Oil and Gas and the Heritage Hall, which features Nat’s Hats. The hat collection, mostly made up of cowboy hats, has more than 500 hats donated to the MNTH. The hats were collected over a 50-year period by Nat Fleming, owner of The Cow Lot, a famous western wear store which closed after outfitting customers for 50 years. There are many more exhibits, some of which are temporary. For more information on exhibits, you may visit the MNTH website at museumofnorthtexashistory.org.
Calcote says the museum is a nonprofit 501c3, and is always happy to receive donations to help with the many projects and exhibits at the MNTH. Please visit the website for more information on how to donate items, funds or to become a member.
Calcote spoke about why she is passionate about the museum and working in the museum industry. “I’ve always loved museums. As a kid, I took an Egyptology class at the Houston Museum of Natural Science growing up, and I just fell in love with museums. We were always visiting museums growing up. And so, once I learned that you could actually pursue a career in that and work at a museum, I decided that was what I wanted to do. I actually went to school for that. I have my Bachelor’s Degree in Art History and my Master’s Degree in Museum Studies. I really knew what I wanted to do. I love working with communities to preserve the history. It’s a lot of fun. I get to meet a lot of cool people. I get to see a lot of cool stuff. And it’s just really enjoyable.”
The MNTH is open Thursday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The museum is free, but suggest a donation of $5 for adults and $2 for children. The museum is located at 720 Indiana Avenue in Wichita Falls. For more information, please call 940-322-7628 or visit the MNTH website at museumofnorthtexashistory.org.