The Blinn College District’s Star of Republic Museum hosts history buffs of all ages. Visit and learn about the Lone Star State during its annual Night at the Museum on Saturday, Oct. 27.
Located at the Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site, Star of the Republic’s Night at the Museum will feature wagon rides, a flashlight museum tour with live exhibits, and tavern tales.
This year’s event includes an evening wagon ride that takes visitors around the Barrington Living History Farm. The farm was founded by Dr. Anson Jones, the last president of the Republic of Texas, where the Jones family lived for more than a decade and built a successful cotton farm after Texas joined the Union. Cotton, corn, cattle, and hogs are still raised there. Wagon rides will run between 6:30 and 8pm, weather permitting, and last 10 minutes.
Tours of the Star of the Republic Museum will begin at 7pm, when the museum lights will be turned down and the exhibits come to life with live characters telling the story of the Texas Republic. Visitors are encouraged to bring flashlights to explore the museum as they meet early Texas settlers, a riverboat captain, French sailor, Texas Ranger, a doctor with a patient, and a preacher with a barkeeper.
At 7:45pm, guests can visit a nearby tavern, where they will be encouraged to walk through a cemetery and listen to stories from former Old Washington residents of the 1800s.
“Offering the sundown wagon ride and tavern tales in addition to the museum tours has made the Night at the Museum more of a well-rounded experience for our visitors,” Berg said. “It gives us an opportunity to share a little more history with them – in a unique way.”
Night at the Museum is family friendly and designed for visitors of all ages.
Admission is $8 for adults, $5 for students, and free for children ages six and under. Blinn students and employees can receive free admission with a current Blinn ID.
Visitors looking to start early on the fun are invited to visit the Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site’s Visitor Center from 3-6pm for games, refreshments, treats, a costume parade, and a pumpkin patch.
Star of the Republic Museum was created by the Texas Legislature and is administered by the Blinn College District as a cultural and educational institution. Its purpose is to collect and preserve the material culture of the Texas Republic from 1836-1846 and to interpret the history, cultures, diversity, and values of early Texans.
The museum is located off Highway 105 between Brenham and Navasota on FM 1155 at Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site. Daily museum hours are 10am to 5pm For more information, visit www.starmuseum.org or call 936-878-2461, ext. 237.
