Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum
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Executive director | Byron A. Johnson | ||||||
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Nearest parking | On site (no charge) | ||||||
Website | texasranger |
The Texas Ranger
Location
The Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum is located near Interstate Highway 35 Exit 335B in Waco, Texas.
Mission
The mission of the nonprofit Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum is to: (1) Disseminate knowledge and inspire appreciation of the history, public service and ideals of the Texas Rangers, a legendary symbol of Texas and America; and (2) Serve as state designated repository for artifacts and archives relating to the Texas Rangers.
Institutional history
In 1964 the Texas Department of Public Safety chartered the City of Waco, Texas, to construct and operate the official museum of the Texas Rangers. The City of Waco agreed to commit 32 acres (130,000 m2) for a building site, provide an ongoing annual operating subsidy, and build and sustain a headquarters for Texas Rangers Company "F". More than three million persons have visited the historical center since it opened in 1968.
The museum complex was originally named
In 1971 the Texas Legislature appointed the
In 1975 the Moody Foundation of Galveston donated seed money to establish the Moody Texas Ranger Memorial Library. Along with the State Library and Archives in Austin, it has become a primary research center on the history and popular culture of the Texas Rangers. In 1997 it was renamed as the Texas Ranger Research Center, with the permission of the Moody Foundation, to recognize its expanding role.
After the museum's 30 years of service, the Texas Legislature passed a 1997 resolution designating the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum as the official repository for memorabilia, archives and other materials relating to the Texas Rangers. Texas Ranger artifacts and archives donated to the institution become property of the People of Texas through the trusteeship of the City of Waco.
Col. Homer Garrison Jr. Gallery
The Garrison Gallery (museum) was dedicated in 1968
Texas Ranger Hall of Fame
The Hall of Fame is a memorial to Texas Rangers who significantly contributed to the development of the service or died heroically in the line of duty. A separate mission of the Hall of Fame is the compilation of a memorial roll of Texas Rangers killed in the line of duty from 1823 to 2004.
Rangers inducted in the Hall of Fame with Wikipedia articles include:[3]
- Armstrong, John Barclay
- Aten, Ira
- Baylor, George W.
- Brooks, James
- Burton, Marvin "Red"
- Crowder, Robert A.
- Ford, John Salmon
- Gillett, James B.
- Gonzaullas, Manuel T.
- Hall, Jesse Lee
- Hamer, Frank
- Hays, John Coffee
- Hughes, John R.
- Jones, John B.
- McCulloch, Benjamin
- McDonald, William J.
- McNelly, Leander
- Smith, Erastus
- Ross, Sullivan Ross
- Walker, Samuel H.
- Wallace, William A. A
The Texas Ranger Research Center
Each year more than 3,000 researchers utilize the center to research ancestors, write books or produce movies and television shows. The collections hold more than 300,000 items including the personal and case files of Texas Rangers, reference books on Ranger history and the firearms and equipment used by Texas Rangers, photographs and pop culture items from movies, television and radio. The center has been used by the Texas Rangers in the investigation of cold cases.
See also
References
- ^ Blesener, Paula (27 August 2014). "Texas Ranger Museum turning 50, looks to future". WacoTrib.com. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
- ^ Wommack, Linda (2018-03-26). "The Texas Ranger Hall of Fame & Museum Marks 40 Years of Showcasing Lawmen". HistoryNet. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
- ^ Texas Ranger Hall of Fame