Discover the largest history museum in the great state of Texas as you visit the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum as part of your group bus tour. Examine and reflect on the ever encapsulated history of life on the high-plains while you tour the 285,000 square foot facility. Uncover the extraordinary culture of the people of the plains. Explore the ancient past with geology and archeology displays. Inspect the weapons that played a tremendous role during the pioneer days. With over two million objects and growing, the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum is an extensive collection of Texas history with surprises around every corner.
History of Panhandle-Plains History Museum
Journey back to the roaring 20's in the panhandle-plains of Texas and uncover the start of a legacy born from one woman's vision into the future. That woman, Hattie Anderson, moved to Canyon Teaxas to be a college history professor. When she arrived there she couldn't help but notice the history being made all around her. At that time the city was rapidly growing. The agricultural businesses were on the rise and the college's enrollment was expanding. Suddenly all of that changed as the country came to know the Great Depression. Undeterred by economic downturn, the community rallied together by donating everything they could. By 1933 the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum was open to the public. The museum was so well received, they public and community started donating objects from that area. In fact, the museum's incredible amount of acquisitions made it imperative to construct another section to the building in 1936. Presently the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum is located on the campus of West Texas A&M University. Its mission is still just as clear as it was from the beginning. As creator Hattie Anderson said it best, "It is the sacred duty of ours to collect the record of life here and hand this on to the children of the future, and we believe in the future our people will point with pride to their museum and the historical society."