I Love Williamson County: Pioneer Day Poster Contest

Students from Williamson County were invited to submit an artistic interpretation of what makes Williamson county special.  This contest is to honor pioneers of the area who created the wonderful culture we have today.  The exhibit will be up for 6 months and you can come check it out for the first time during First Friday in May from 6-8pm.  See our website for more information on Pioneer Day as well!

Miria Isbell

New At The Museum Store

We have two new great items at The Williamson Museum Store.  The "just off the press"  Historic Homes of Georgetown has arrived and is already a big hit.   For something a little different we are now selling a local product, Today's Farm Freeze-Dried Fruit Snack from Justus Foods Inc.

This week we will be stocking some new wood toys and some old fashioned candy.

Hope you stop in and use your membership discount to buy some of our new products.   If you are not members we would love to have you join and you can also take advantage of discounts at the store.

Jim Ross
Visitor Services Coordinator

Behind the Scenes

If you've ever wondered how much work it takes to put up a new exhibit at the Williamson Museum, we'll tell you- it's a lot!! This past January we opened our newest exhibit A Cabinet of Curiosities, and due to funding, the staff got to do must of the 'grunt work'. They never tell you in Museum School that you'll need to learn how to properly apply gold stenciling to a wall, or how to patch holes, tape off an area with painters tape, properly prime, paint, stain, wood grain, or, or... I digress...
I've included a few pictures for your enjoyment, and in order to see the finished product- come to the museum!!! You'll be just as pleased with the new exhibit as we are! ENJOY.

 Out with the old and in with the new!

scraping tape and pulling off boards- our arms were sore!

Before....

And AFTER..

Spring Volunteer Spotlight: Larry Davis

How long have you been volunteering with the WM?
Since April 2010

What are your primary duties?
Cataloging collections, assisting with educational activities and acting as a docent.

How many hours per week do you usually volunteer?
5-8

What type of training did you have?:
Volunteer orientation and docent training
How do you feel your work helps others?
By becoming more knowledgeable about Williamson county, I am able to transfer that knowledge to both local residents and out-of-town visitors who come to the museum.

What you enjoy most about WM?
Working with a group of very professional and dedicated staff and volunteers to accomplish the mission set forth for the success of the museum.

What's unique about WM?
I especially like the fact that the volunteer can pick and choose what he wants to do from a wide variety of activities and work as much as he wants within a flexible schedule made possible by procedures developed by museum staff.

As for the museum itself, I think the most unique thing about it is its location. It is a stone’s throw from the courthouse where so much of Williamson County’s history has been made. And, it is on the town square which allows it to benefit visitation wise from people coming to town on courthouse business, to shop and/or sightsee. Local business benefits from people that come primarily to visit the museum and then finish their trip with a little shopping.

Personal information about yourself:
Born and raised in southern Indiana (a native Hoosier). I have a B.S.C.E from Purdue University. Worked in private industry for several small and large consulting engineering firms. Then moved to Texas in 1996 after retirement. I currently live in Sun City with my wife and two cats. We spend summers in Canada and winters in Texas.

Interested in Volunteering? Please contact Celina Aguirre at caguirre@williamsonmuseum.org for more information.

Please DO Touch The Artifacts!

"Please Do Not Touch" signs are common at museums, and help to protect valuable historical artifacts from being damaged by casual handling.  But behind the scenes at The Williamson Museum, our trained collections volunteers DO touch!... wearing protective gloves, of course.  Two times a week, volunteers gather at the Museum to catalog artifacts from Williamson County's past.  Under the supervision of the Museum Curator, they measure, describe, and assess the condition of assorted objects ranging from love letters to chicken feeders and everything in between.  It's a great way for inquisitive volunteers to put their "hands on" history, while also helping The Williamson Museum document its growing collection of artifacts.

Here is a sampling of some of the approximately 500 artifacts that volunteers and Museum staff cataloged in the month of March:

• 1941 program from a Georgetown High School production of "Headed for Eden"
• Dust pan from Guarantee Electric Company
• Instructions for opening a Belford Lumber Company safe
• Pullman railcar uniform button
• 1907 United States "Barber" dime
• 1920 Liberty Hill High School diploma
• Purple Heart awarded posthumously to Duncan S. Hughes for service in World War II
• Tellus Company wood burning stove
• Minutes from a meeting of a 1960s era Georgetown anti-segregation group
• Photographs of workers mounting the goddess Themis statue onto the Williamson County Courthouse dome

If "Do Not Touch" signs leave you feeling a step removed from history, consider becoming a collections volunteer at The Williamson Museum!  No experience is necessary, and we'll train you on all the ins and outs of safely handling historical artifacts.  Contact the Museum at (512) 943-1670 for more information.

Abby

Archeology Day is Coming!

Archeology Day is just around the corner and we are working feverishly to make sure it is the most fun event of the year!  This week I had some dedicated volunteers come to “work day” to help with the preparation for the hands-on stations.  We are going to have a few new stations this year that will be exciting for the whole family- Caddo Trade Fair, Archeology Matters, a mock pottery dig and so much more! 

One of my favorite hands-on activities for this event is making a Native American rattle.  It is fun and easy, just my type of project.  There are 3 easy steps to making this cool musical instrument.  1.)  Take a nature walk or even out to your own backyard and find a good and sturdy y-shaped stick.  2.)  Tie a piece of raffia or twine around one arm of the “y”.  Thread a few beads onto the yarn.  Tie the other end of the yarn to the other end of the stick.  3.)  Make some magical music! 

If this sounds great to you, come join us on March 26th from 10am to 3pm at Berry Springs Park and Preserve at 1801 County Road 152 in Georgetown.  Admission is Free!

Miria Isbell

Visitors

One of the fantastic things about working at The Williamson Museum is you meet people visiting the area for the first time.   As an example just this morning we had two visitors from Iowa, two from Minnesota and two from the United Kingdom.  

It is a pleasure to engage our visitors discussing the Williamson Museum, our history, people and how great it is to live in Central Texas.   However, the best part for me is listening to the many wonderful compliments about The Williamson Museum. 

Jim Ross