Texas
Texas Civil War Museum to close; artifacts will be sold
The Texas Civil War Museum will close its doors on Oct. 31 after 18 years of showcasing artifacts from the Union and Confederacy.
The 15,500-square-foot building has been sold and artifacts on display will be sent to a cosigner, The Horse Soldier, in Pennsylvania, the museum announced in a Facebook video last week. Those interested in acquiring any of the objects can contact the cosigner.
Founded in 2006 by Judy and Ray Richey, the museum housed artifacts from the couple’s collection and the former Texas Confederate Museum at the Texas Capitol. The items from the Austin museum, which closed in 1988, are owned by the United Daughters of the Confederacy and will not be sold.
In the Facebook video, Dennis Partrich, director of sales and marketing at the museum, thanked the public for its support.
“All of us here at the Texas Civil War Museum want to encourage you not to mourn, but to celebrate this collection, its presentation of American history and the willingness of the Richey family to share with the public their collection,” Partrich said.
The museum store, which sells Civil War and Victorian period memorabilia, will remain open until the last day.
“If you’ve put off a purchase, don’t delay,” Partrich said. “Inventory is limited to the stock on hand and once it’s sold, it’s gone.”
In April 2023, the museum announced it would close to coincide with the owner’s retirement on Dec. 30. The decision was reversed later that year, with the museum’s board citing an outpour of support.
To continue operating, the museum planned to sell some of its high-value artifacts and increased admission fees from $7 to $12 for adults and $4 to $6 for children ages 6-12.
The museum’s artifacts were estimated to be worth around $20 million to $25 million last year, The Fort Worth Star Telegram reported.
Some of the notable artifacts have included a cigar partially smoked by U.S. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, a Victorian-era dress that belonged to Winston Churchill’s mother and a pocket knife carried by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.
Marcus Richey, the director of the museum, could not be immediately reached Friday afternoon for comment on the decision to close.
In the comment section of the Facebook announcement, supporters lamented the loss of the museum. “The public can no longer learn [about] and enjoy these wonderful artifacts,” one person wrote. Another person called the museum “a true treasure.”
The museum’s mission, according to its website, has been to preserve Civil War-era artifacts that relate to the “role Texas played in the conflict.”
David Bedford, the museum’s education director, told The Dallas Morning News last year that the artifacts are meant to be educational. “This is about the people, the men and women who served,” he said. “This goes more toward them than what side is right or wrong.”
The museum has drawn criticism, though, from some community members who have taken offense with the Confederate relics and accused the museum of downplaying the history of slavery.
Bud Kennedy, a columnist for The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, wrote last year that the museum was a “whitewashed attraction that overlooked Black history.”
In 2018, the museum was considered as a landing spot for a statue of Robert E. Lee that was removed from a park in Dallas. The controversial monument was ultimately sent to auction in 2019 and sold to a golf resort in West Texas.
AUSTIN – Texas officials are rolling out a new online hub aimed at helping residents spot and report the New World screwworm, a pest Gov. Greg Abbott says threatens livestock, wildlife, and the state’s rural economy.
Abbott announced the launch of screwworm.texas.gov, an enhanced website housed in the Texas Division of Emergency Management’s Disaster Portal that he described as a “one-stop shop” for information and resources tied to the state’s response.
The New World screwworm poses a direct threat to Texas livestock, wildlife, and our rural economy,” Abbott said. “This new website puts essential tools in the hands of our producers, veterinarians, and families. Screwworm.texas.gov delivers the facts, maps, identification methods, and certification resources Texans need to detect problems early and report cases without delay. Now every Texan has the information to act. Texas will protect our land, our animals, and our way of life from this pest.
According to the governor’s office, the site is designed to provide “actionable and reliable multimedia information” about the New World screwworm, including fact sheets, videos, and educational materials.
The portal includes background information, guidance on how to spot the pest, sample collection procedures, Texas Animal Health Commission New World screwworm zone maps, the U.S. Department of Agriculture case dashboard, links to best practices for livestock and wildlife, and details on registering for a new no-cost New World screwworm Certified Inspector Training.
The governor’s office said state and federal partners are working together to detect, control and contain the spread, and that expanding public outreach and providing clear information is a key part of reducing risk.
Abbott’s office also highlighted actions taken by the governor in response to the pest, including:
- Directing the creation of a joint Texas New World screwworm Response Team
- Joining USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins to announce a $750 million investment in a new sterile fly production facility in Edinburg
- Issuing a statewide disaster declaration ahead of the first detection
- Deploying state resources and activating the State Emergency Operations Center after the first confirmed Texas cases
- Visiting the Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory in Kerrville for a briefing
- Launching a free online training course to certify more inspectors
- Announcing federal funding to strengthen inspection capacity.
Texans are urged to inspect livestock and pets for wounds and report suspected cases immediately, including in wildlife.
For livestock and pets, suspected cases should be reported to the Texas Animal Health Commission’s 24-hour veterinarian call line at 1-800-550-8242.
For wildlife, reports should be made to Texas Parks and Wildlife’s 24-hour biologists’ call line at 512-389-4505. Officials also warn people not to move affected animals.
More information and updates are available at screwworm.texas.gov and screwworm.gov.
More than 150 troops at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas have been infected with influenza over the past three weeks — a major outbreak less than two months after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said American troops would no longer be required to be vaccinated against the flu.
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