Description
Texas trees are not always viewed as icons of the industrial growth of the state. When people think of the Lone Star State, visions of cattle, cowboys and oil wells usually come to mind. However, in the decade between 1890 and 1900, the timber business of Texas brought more money to the economy of the state than any other industry. The 14 million acres of the East Texas Pineywoods are still an important contributor to the strength of the state. Sawmills, logging railroads, and modern forest management have all influenced East Texas culture. The century-and-a-half story of the forest industries of Texas, the people who shaped them, the legacies they left, and the changes in forest management are the focus of the exhibits and programming at the Texas Forestry Museum.
History
Texas’ only museum devoted to preserving the legacy of the people, places and products of the forest began as a dream in the early 1950s. Industry leaders set aside important equipment and tools representative of the wood products industries for a future museum. The dream became reality in 1976 when the original museum building was completed. Exhibit space was soon outgrown, and the museum was doubled in 1986. Growth has continued to the present, with the addition of an Education and Research Center in 1993, expansion of the Urban Wildscape Trail on the grounds, and the 2001 completion of a major renovation and addition of exhibit space.
Artifacts Collections
Forestry equipment & tools - 4,000; Railroad equipment & tools - 500; Archives - 12,500
Photographs - 3,500; Books - 1,000 ; Natural history - 250; Misc - 250
Research Collections
East Texas Sawmill Data Base; East Texas Tram & RR Data Base;
Sheveport, Houston & Gulf RR papers; corporate papers trade association papers
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