In the Beyond: The Texas Civil War Museum

If you are ever in and around the Dallas/Ft. Worth Texas area please be sure to save time to go and visit the Texas Civil War Museum.  For us westerners it was the closest look yet we have had at some semi hands on experience with the Civil War.  And yes I know it pales into the experiences that we could have if went to visit some of the sites back East, but we have yet to make it that far.  We do hope to remedy that as soon as financially possible.  This museum also included gallery of women's clothing up to the Edwardian Era. 

You should have seen the look on Miss C's face when she realized what was making the dress form's bum so big.  She just couldn't fathom why any one would want to make their bum bigger or use a corset.  Especially after she got a good look at what a corset did to a person spine.  I could just imagine my chiropractor having a heart attack over that!
The rest of the style, the fabric, the lace and flowing gowns, was Miss C's dream come true.

A "behind" the scenes look at bustles.

The museum gave a heavy dose of Texas' involvement in the Civil war and putting views on slavery aside, it is one to be proud of.

As usual, the boys were drawn to imagining life with a musket and a change of clothes.

Miss C and I were drawn to the hand work of quilts, knitting and embroidery.

If it isn't guns for the boys, its swords.

We enjoyed learning about Prominent men and even a few women who lived their lives in this era and through the war.

A little boys dress up uniform of the era.

Drums and bugles.  High on the list of my scout boys.  We came home with a reproduction bugle.  The process has been slow to put out a bugle call with it.  I am making headway and the rest... are making a noise somewhat resembling a dying buffalo.

We liked that they had an interactive treasure hunt of sort for the kids to work on but I would love to see some more interactive things for children there. Thanks to Grandma L. for the great outing

Ft. Richardson State Park Part II, The Morgue

So the last part of Ft. Richardson we got to look at was the morg.  It was an empty stone room with 1 wooden coffin.  Yes... lets get our picture taken in a coffin....

Please don't close the door.

I can't believe mom is making me do this...

Goodbye Ft. Richardson... you were a great find!

In The Beyond: Ft. Richardson State Park, Jacksboro, TX Part I

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Our trip to Ft. Richardson State Park in Texas was a blast. We got to tour several buildings and so I will have to break down each into smaller parts.
Up first is the Nature Center and the Officer's Quarters.

The nature center there was a small cabin jammed paced with preserved and taxedermied nature items
The kids could basically handle everything and get a view of what all kinds of nature could be found nearby. The bugs... were especially large and GROSS.

Our family has a soft spot for owls. It is sort of our family animal for nature school. We have a stuffed toy one that goes on all our campouts. Sort of like a state bird... a family bird.

The Officer's Quarters was in a nice house; it was sparingly furnished and decorated but there were some nice things for us to consider and examine.


The Crocodile rug was definitely something that caught our eye.


Uhm... yeah... we weren't prepared for that to be in the closet.

You guessed it.. Miss C loved the dolls. No idea why they would be in the Officer's Quarters.
I could enjoy a good meal here.

A US Congressional Medal of Honor. Mr. A had been taking a class on those (though more specifically the Vietnam War Recipients, so it was nice to see one in person.

The writing desk. Mr. A too a particular liking to this. He so loves to write in his own journal and was wanting a little writing desk set up like that. I had seen one at a craft show in CA in November. I think I see a perfect gift idea for him. They call them lap desks. Here's one on Etsy.
Oh... I guess I am including some from the little museum at the front. The kids enjoyed trying on the hats and imagining themselves as soldiers
I think Miss C. would love a pretty outfit from any era in history.

Here is the initial building.

Beyond: The National Vietnam War Museum, Weatherford, TX

I think if we could have done only one thing extra (besides visit family) in Texas, this was the place. Perhaps because of its importance to my Grandfather, who fought in this war, but even more so was the experience. Our visit to the National Vietnam War Museum was a highlight for many reasons, Ok...maybe more for me as I think the kids might say that the Lego Discovery Center was a bigger hit for them. I think it hit home more so for my two oldest kids. Walking along seeing the list of names... the many names. The 58,260 names... This is a smaller sized replica of the Vietnam War Memorial Wall.
The day was thankfully, on the cooler side which lended to the ability to take our time here. It is beautifully set up in a way that gives the visitor plenty of time for reflection and mindfulness.
The path along. Some mementos lovingly placed. My boys... walking ahead, mesmerized by the magnitude of it all. A mother hesitantly going forward, wondering... will one of them be called to make such a sacrifice.....?
The highlight for the kids... is climbing on real military vehicles. The museum wasn't really up and running, so we didn't really get to get into the take, not sure if that is allowed anyhow.

The meditation gardens with a spiral path. The abundant flowers in Mineral Wells was a wonderful treat while we were there. Above the Texas Blue Bonnets

Mr. S' New pose. He's a funny little guy you know.

This plaque (there were others) was donated by my Grandfather's Army Association. I find a deep gratitude for this association as they have given so much to my grandparents. The Plane drawings were done by my grandfather and he was instrumental in its placement here.
Told ya... Getting to climb into the truck was COOL.


"Lest we forget..."




Yup, that's my girl with a (unloaded) gun. What comes from not blogging these right away, is that I forget what kind of gun it is. Sorry.

The inside portion is a work in process. They have grand plans (check it out here). They say the Museum will feature, "The museum will tell the unbiased story of the more than 5 million servicemen and servicewomen who served there; the civilian contractors who supported their efforts; the Vietnamese people, their culture and history; and those on the home front, both those who supported and those who protested the war."
Uhm.... he looks a little too comfortable with that... Kind of like when he met his local hero, a US Marshall. And he let them hold the guns at scouts too!
The small museum that is currently there had many artifacts to look at. Perhaps those are on the other camera.

There was this other visitor... who's hobby was this bus. He may have had others, but this bus... was cool and highly coveted by my four kids. They were ready to ditch the minivan right then and there and if it wasn't for the cost of gas, I would have agreed. We so need an adventure mobile.
A double-decker with a storage area in the back and storage underneath.
Oh.. the places we could go in that!
The man was kind enough to let the kids explore it. They spent the rest of the day deep in the creative imagining of life on the road in that bus.

We give this Museum, 2 thumbs up and eagerly look forward to seeing their future expansions and we hope it will have lots of things to be interactive with it.