Happy Holidays!

The Museum will be closed for the Christmas holiday from Wednesday, December 23, through Monday, December 28.

We will open with our regular hours (10 am to 6 pm) on Tuesday, December 29, but please note that we will be closed on Friday, January 1, for New Year's Day.

Book Signing

Tomorrow from 1:00 to 3:00 pm, I'll be signing copies of our new book, Williamson County, published by Arcadia Publishing.

If you haven't picked up your copy yet, here's your chance:
Hastings Books
2200 I H 35 S
Round Rock, TX 78681-8001
(512) 244-2223



We also sell copies of the book in the Museum's gift shop. You can always stop by the Museum to purchase your copy, too!

Busy Times

I always used to think that our quiet time was October through January-- those few months after Up the Chisholm Trail. But, this year it's very different. And, really, this month is very busy with events, regular business, and the holidays.

Here's a run down of the next couple of weeks.

Wednesday, December 2:
I'll be in an all-day workshop. Plus, we're having our Volunteer Christmas Party. It'll be held at the Georgetown Winery. (I've made yummy artichoke-olive tapenade to put on crostini.)

Thursday, December 3:
For me, I'll be in the second day of my all-day workshop. Mickie has a trunk show at a local school and then a scout tour in the evening.

Friday, December 4:
It's First Friday! That means we'll be open until 8:00 pm (ish). This First Friday, the Sun City Dulcimers are playing in the gallery. In addition, the new Williamson County book is out, and Chris and I will be doing our first book signing.

Saturday, December 5:
Ho, ho, ho...It's the Christmas Stroll! Staff will get here early in order to prepare for our Members' Only party, which will be held at the Courthouse. We'll have brunch goodies (including mimosas), and attendees can watch the Christmas Stroll parade from the balcony. The Museum will open as soon as the party and parade are done. We'll be open late into the evening, since there will be exciting things happening around the square. Make sure to stop by the Museum for some hot cider.

Wednesday, December 9:
Join us at Wildfire for December's Salon. This month, we'll hear from Dr. Bonnie Stump who is going to discuss rainwater harvesting in central Texas.

Thursday, December 10:
Mickie's got Tippet Middle School (7th graders) coming for a field trip. There's a BIG group of students, so we'll be giving them the works!

Friday, December 11:
Mickie's going to Brushy Creek school for a trunk show.

Saturday, December 12:
If you missed your chance to purchase your signed copy of Williamson County at the Museum's First Friday, stop by the Round Rock Hastings between 12:30 and 3:30 pm. I'll be there!

Local History

Robyn from the City of Georgetown found some interesting City Ordinances from the early 1900s, which she was kind enough to share with me. I thought I'd share one of my favorites with you.

An Ordinance Prohibiting the Running at Large of a Chicken, Chickens or Other Fowls in the Corporate Limits of the City of Georgetown, Texas, and Prescribing Penalties.

Be it Ordained by the City Council of the City of Georgetown, Texas:

That it shall be unlawful for the owner of person in charge or control of any chicken, chickens or other fowls to permit any chicken, chickens or other fowls to run at large within the corporate limits of this City, and any person violating this ordinance shall be fined in any sum not less than One and not more than Twenty-five Dollars, and each and every day that such chicken, chickens or other fowls shall run at large in said City shall constitute and be a distinct and separate offense.

Passed and approved this 10th, day of March, 1919.

R.E. Ward, Mayor of the City of Georgetown, Texas

Attest: Geo. Keahey, Secretary.

First Friday, November 6

Scary!

I spent all day yesterday transferring all of my software, documents, etc. from my old computer to my Brand New One. The old computer predates the start of my employment at the Museum. It ran great...until a couple of months ago. All of the sudden, it started moving slowly. Sometimes it would take up to 10 minutes to open a Word document or a Photoshop file. Then, to print? For get about it.

I ordered a new computer in early October. It was delivered last week, but with two days of archaeology events, I didn't have time to install everything until yesterday. I was mainly worried about transferring information from our collections/membership database, called PastPerfect. My computer works as the network from which all the other staff members access the program and information. I had to backup all the information, install all the new software, restore the backed up information, make the files to PastPerfect networked (or "share" them) with the other computers, THEN reconnect everyone else's computers to PastPerfect. There's a couple of little glitches, but all in all, it was well worth the way. This Brand New Computer is super-fast. I love it!

Speaking of scary...Make sure you join us tomorrow night for Walking Ghost Tours of the Downtown Courthouse Square. Tickets are $10 each, and tours are at 7:00, 7:30, 8:00 and 8:30.

Before, After, and Up Next

A couple of weeks ago, Round Rock Public Library asked if we'd like to put together a temporary exhibit for them. I drove over to check out the space. Here's what the empty case looked like.




It took us about a week and a half, but we came up with a nice little exhibit about the museum-- what we collect, what we exhibit, and examples of interesting artifacts and photographs from the permanent collection. Here's what the finished exhibit looks like.



Don't forget: ARCHEOLOGY DAY is this Saturday, October 24, at Berry Springs Park and Preserve. Visit our website for more information and a map to the park. (Or see the flier from my earlier blog post below.)

Hope to see you soon!

Archeology Day- October 24

Join us next Saturday (October 24) from 10 am to 3 pm for Archeology Day at Berry Springs Park 7 Preserve!

Coming Soon!

I'm working on a new photograph exhibit featuring images that are in the new Images of America: Williamson County book written by Museum staff, which will be published at the end of November 2009.

In the mean time, I hope we'll see you at next week's Salon.

Recuerdos

When it rains, it pours

First, we want to give a huge shout-out to the chuckwagons and wagon sponsors who participated in the Up the Chisholm Trail Chuckwagon Cook-off. You may (or maybe not) aware that it rained the ENTIRE weekend of the event (see photos below). We ended up having to cancel everything except the chuckwagon cook-off.

The results of the third annual Up the Chisholm Trail Chuckwagon Cook-off are as follows:

Beans- 3rd place: Bear Creek Ranch from Kerrville (sponsor: Bryan & Marsha Farney)
Beans- 2nd place: Wagon Wheel C from Prairie Hill (sponsor: HNTB)
Beans- 1st place: Scorpion Cattle Co. from Roscoe (sponsor: TDM Sales Company)

Biscuits- 3rd place: R bar D from Canton (sponsor: HNTB)
Biscuits- 2nd place: Wagon Wheel C from Prairie Hill (sponsor: HNTB)
Biscuits- 1st place: Scorpion Cattle Co. from Roscoe (sponsor: TDM Sales Company)

Potatoes- 3rd place: Break Away from Stamford (sponsor: Lott Brothers Construction)
Potatoes- 2nd place: Rodgers Ranch from Bertram (sponsor: Double Boot Ranch)
Potatoes- 1st place: Scorpion Cattle Co. from Roscoe (sponsor: TDM Sales Company)

Dessert- 3rd place: M bar S from Burton (sponsor: Whataburger)
Dessert- 2nd place: Rodgers Ranch from Bertram (sponsor: Double Boot Ranch)
Dessert- 1st place: Rocking K from Slaton (sponsor: TDM Sales Company)

Meat- 3d place: Dove Creek from Copperas Cove (sponsor: Haynie Consulting, Inc.)
Meat- 2nd place: Wagon Wheel C from Prairie Hill (sponsor: HNTB)
Meat- 1st place: Rocking K from Slaton (sponsor: TDM Sales Company)

Best Wagon- 2nd place: Break Away from Stamford (sponsor: Lott Brothers Construction)
Best Wagon- 1st place: Wagon Wheel C from Prairie Hill (sponsor: HNTB)

Best Overall- 3rd place: Break Away from Stamford (sponsor: Lott Brothers Construction)
Best Overall- 2nd place: Wagon Wheel C from Prairie Hill (sponsor: HNTB)
Best Overall- 1st place: Rocking K from Slaton (sponsor: TDM Sales Company)

This weekend-- Up the Chisholm Trail!

It's been extremely busy at the Museum this month. We had two events last week-- a special You Can't Do That, Dan Moody! performance in partnership with the Palace Theatre and First Friday. This week we have The Salon tonight at Wildfire. This month's speaker is Rodney Gibbs, co-founder of Fizz Factor and a game developer.

We've been spending the last few months planning for our biggest event: Up the Chisholm Trail. (www.upthechisholmtrail.org)

The event starts on Friday night with a kids' chuckwagon cook-off starting at 5:30 pm and live music from AC Bible at 6:30 pm. Awards for the best kids' cooked dessert will be at 8:30 pm. Friday night also honors our men and women in uniform. So, if you wear your uniform, you'll get your dessert for free! Otherwise, tickets are $3.00 each.

Saturday morning begins with a cowboy breakfast (biscuits, sausage gravy, and coffee)served at 8:00 am. Tickets for breakfast are $3.00 each. We'll have live music, western art vendors, children's activities, demonstrators, and living history groups all day, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. The Chuckwagon teams will serve lunch at 1:15 pm, with tickets going on sale at 8:00 am. (Tickets are $10.00 each and includes a plate lunch with meat, biscuit, beans, potatoes and dessert.) The awards ceremony is at 3:00 pm.

The longhorn cattle drive begins along the San Gabriel River around 5:00 pm. Then across the road in the WCSP Rodeo Arena, the Ranch Rodeo begins at 6:00 pm. (Tickets are $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for children, and can be purchased the day of the event.)

So, in the two days leading up to Up the Chisholm Trail we're plenty busy. The competition food is being delivered today, and the meat is delivered tomorrow. We've got to get the rest of the signage printed and mounted. The chuckwagons start rolling in tomorrow, and we're beginning initial set up in the park-- tents, wood, tables, etc. Friday morning, most of the wagons will arrive early to be set up by noon-ish in preparation for wagon judging, which begins at 1:00 pm.

If you're free this weekend, stop by and see us!

Sign Your Kids Up for Chuckwagon Team Cook-off!

SPECIAL RULES
1. Eligibility—contestants must be between the ages of 10 and 15 years to compete in the cook-off.
2. Entry—each contestant must complete a cook-off entry application. Entry is limited to 30 kids.
3. Teams—contestants will be paired in teams of two (2). Each team will be required to work with their assigned chuckwagon crew to cook a dessert dish to feed 50 people using peaches. It is up to the discretion of the wagon and the kids’ team on what the dish will be and how it will be prepared.
4. Supervision—the Chuckwagon Cook-off Committee will be responsible for assisting kids to their assigned wagons. Only cook-off contestants are allowed within the designated wagon cooking area.
5. Dress code—all participants must wear close-toed shoes. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Kids’ Chuckwagon Cook-off Competition SCHEDULE
Friday, September 11
Check in and Wagon Assignment 5:00 pm
Kids’ Cook-off Competition 5:30 – 7:30 pm
Dessert Entries Submitted for Judging 7:30 pm
Kids’ Cook-off Awards Ceremony 8:30 pm

Prizes
First Place Team $50
Second Place Team $30
Third Place Team $20

To enter the Kids’ Cook-off Competition
Spots are limited. To sign up to be a participant in the Kids’ Cook-off Competition on Friday, September 11, fill out the Kids’ Chuckwagon Cook-off Entry form and drop it off or mail it to The Williamson Museum (716 S. Austin Ave., Georgetown Texas 78626) or fax it to 512-943-1672 by Saturday, September 5, 2009.

Entry form and Release can be found at: http://www.upthechisholmtrail.org/kidsevents.htm.

A Surprise Visit

Last night, Books for Texans met at the Georgetown Public Library. Our normal group showed up to discuss August's book selection: City on Fire: The Forgotten Disaster That Devastated a Town and Ignited a Landmark Legal Battle by Bill Minutaglio.

The synopsis of the book given by the Library Journal: On April 16, 1947, two huge explosions rocked the port city of Texas City, TX, killing 600 people, injuring thousands more, leveling houses and buildings, and soaking the landscape with toxic chemicals. Cold War sabotage was initially suspected, but the true culprit was a shipment of ammonium nitrate, a chemical that can be a fertilizer or a deadly explosive. The chemical was being manufactured and shipped by the government with no warning label or instructions for safe handling. Angry at this negligence, attorney Russel Markwell brought the first-ever civil class action suit against the U.S. government under the Federal Tort Claims Act and won. Though the victory was overturned on appeal as a dangerous precedent, the government's responsibility wasn't in doubt. Over two thirds of the book is a poignant present-tense account of the hours before, during, and after the explosion, bringing to life the horror, pain, and bravery of the people of Texas City. The account of the lawsuit is secondary, as it should be. This terrible story deserves this passionate retelling.

Here's the REALLY EXCITING part: a survivor of the Texas City explosion was visiting his daughter in Round Rock and read that our book club was discussing the book. So, Floyd Walker joined us for the evening and talked about his recollections of the explosion. He was 5 years old. His mother, sister, and brother were at home, which was located about 2.5 miles from the port. His older brothers were at the high school, which if you've read the book means they were in the thick of it. And, his dad, who was reporting for jury duty in Galveston wasn't at his job and survived. If he didn't have jury duty, chances are he'd been killed in the explosion, too.

Floyd's stories about that day, his memories of growing up in Texas City (he still lives there), and his years working at the refineries made the book come to life.

Thanks, Floyd!

The numbers never lie

I just did a little bit of math out of curiosity. First, I figured out how many artifacts we've entered into the collections database in the past 2.5 years I've been at the Museum. If you're wondering, it's 2589.

Doing a bit of research a while back, I read somewhere that it takes on average about 3 hours per artifact to completely document it-- catalogue, number, photograph, put in storage, and enter information into the database. 2589 artifacts at 3 hours each equals 7767 hours of work.

Now, here's the interesting thing. 7767 hours of work equals 194.175 weeks of work. I've been at the Museum for 2.5 years. That's 116 weeks. I've had two 6-month collections interns. That's an additional 48 weeks, for a total of 164, 40-hour weeks. We're still 30.175 hours short.

Of course, I do not spend all my time working on documenting artifacts. I conduct research, work with the volunteers, help with special events, design posters and postcards, and write and design exhibits, just to name a few things. And, the interns-- they didn't spend all of their 24 weeks with us working just on collections.

It's the volunteers! Those wonderful collections volunteers who come in every other Tuesday and catalogue each and every artifact. The math proves it: we couldn't do it without them!

So, here's a treat for everyone from the collections. It's a photograph of a postcard in our collection. You'll notice the building-- it's the Museum, today. I couldn't resist sharing this. It's just too funny. The card belonged to a woman who served as the Vice President of Farmers State Bank, when it used this building for their place of business. I swear-- it's too funny! (If you're curious-- 26 years is 1248 weeks...that's 49920 hours. If we worked that long, we could document almost 17000 artifacts!)

Book Club

If you didn't attend the book club meeting last night, you missed a lively discussion. We had read The Captured: A True Story of Abduction by Indians on the Texas Frontier by Scott Zesch. We talked about everything from views of Native Americans, immigrants to Texas (especially Germans), and the death of the buffalo, among many other topics. If you haven't read the book, I'd recommend it. It read like a novel.

Next month, we're meeting on Tuesday, August 18, and we're reading City on Fire: The Explosion that Devastated a Texas Town and Ignited a Historic Legal Battle by Bill Minutaglio. I've been interested in the topic since my first trip to Texas City a few years back.

Chuckwagons!

The Chuckwagon Committee has been meeting monthly since February to plan for this year's Up the Chisholm Trail chuckwagon cook-off. We sent out information to a BUNCH of wagons in March. Slowly, entries started coming in. And NOW we have 13 wagons confirmed. That's more than we had total at the event last year! While we're sure that we'll get more (we're aiming for 15 total), here's who is coming:

Bertie Bell from San Angelo
Wish Bone from Axtell
Crew 1298 C&C from Corsicana
Rodgers Ranch Chuck Wagon from Bertram
Wagon Wheel C from Prairie Hill
Texas Stampede Chuckwagon from Watauga
R-D Chuckwagon from Canton
Break Away Wagon from Stamford
Rocking K Chuckwagon from Slaton
Dove Creek from Copperas Cove
M bar S from Burton
The Buckaroo Band from Houston
Bear Creek Ranch from Kerrville

Mark your calendars-- September 11 and 12. I promise you won't be sorry!

Happy 4th of July!

Just a quick reminder that the Museum will be closed on Saturday, July 4.

Just this morning I was reading about when the first July 4th was celebrated. From Live Science:

The following year [after independence was declared], no member of Congress thought about commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence until July 3 - one day too late. So the first organized elaborate celebration of independence occurred the following day: July 4, 1777, in Philadelphia.

Learning new things

We've been working on writing captions for the photographs for the pictorial county history book that's due next month. Doing a bit of research on agriculture, here are a few facts I discovered.

In 1920, there were only 225 tractors in the United States.

Rubber tires for tractors were introduced in 1932.

The John Deere company started out when Deere developed the steel walking plow. It wasn't until they bought a company called Waterloo Gasoline Traction Engine Company in 1918 that they started producing tractors.

In 1930s and 1940s, Williamson County was one of the top three corn producing counties in Texas.

What we're doing

It seems like it should be quiet, and really it kind of is. School tours are over now that school's out. Pioneer Days are over. Summer is usually our planning time.

Here's a little of what's going on:

Mickie is starting to plan Up the Chisholm Trail and Archeology Day. She's marketing the Williamson County Courthouse for weddings and receptions. And, the really big thing, she's planning Summer History Explorers' Camp: two weeks of history and fun.

Celina's been working to get our Up the Chisholm Trail brochure printed and approved for distribution at Texas Travel Centers. She's dutifully keeping up with our Twitter and Facebook pages. Celina and Mickie continue to plan First Friday celebrations, getting food, drinks and special guests.

Chris and I are working on writing a pictorial history of Williamson County to be published by Arcadia Publishing. We're using images from our permanent collection, and doing all of the research and writing ourselves. No small task, lemme tell you.

Me? I'm working with the volunteers to keep up with cataloging artifacts. Planning for our quarterly acquisitions committee meeting. Meeting with potential artifact donors. I've taken down the map exhibit, and I'm trying to see if we can be an additional venue for an art show later this year.

I've been meeting with the chuckwagon committee since February, and I think that we're farther ahead of schedule than we were last year at this time. We even have 6 confirmed wagons! And Books for Texans book club and The Salon are trucking along with monthly meetings.

So, even though is *seems* like it's quiet around here. It's really not. We're working hard...very, very hard. We just make it look easy.

Don't forget-- Second Wednesday = The Salon

Gloves- a short history

Whenever you see a museum artifact handled by anyone, they're wearing white gloves. We've got about a hundred pairs of white cotton gloves all over the Museum. And, on occasion, we still use them. Especially with certain types of artifacts (like negatives).



Back in 1999 or 2000, I can't remember which, I attended a workshop that was about handling different types of artifacts. It was held at the Harry Ransom Center in Austin and put on by the Texas Association of Museums. So, these people knew what they were talking about. At that workshop, they weren't using the cotton gloves to handle the artifacts. NO. They were using nitrile gloves. They explained that sometimes the cotton of the white gloves could snag on loose elements of various artifacts. And, really, you lose a lot of feeling when you're wearing the white gloves...they can be pretty thick. I, of course, switched immediately to the blue nitrile gloves. I've been using them for years at various institutions.



Last year, I started to notice that when we were handling metal artifacts with the blue nitrile gloves, that the gloves would turn a reddish-rust color. Weird. At first, I thought it was rust from the metal transferring to the gloves. But, it happened a lot and worried me enough that I started using the white gloves again for handling metal. Then one day while reading an email thread from a listserve, I saw something that confirmed what I had noticed. There WAS a reaction between the blue nitrile gloves and the metal. Conservators had done some testing, and they found that using the accelorater-free GREEN nitrile gloves was better. Not the same reaction.



So a few months ago following this advice, we switched to the green nitrile gloves. Very green, and fun, which never hurts. And, they're working wonderfully!

New books selected for book club readings

We've picked our reading selections for the next two Books for Texans Book Club meetings.

For June, we've chosen: Harder than Hardscrabble: Oral Recollections of the Farming Life from the Edge of the Texas Hill Country by Thad Sitton. June's meeting is on the 16th.

For July, we chose: The Captured: A True Story of Abduction by Indians on the Texas Frontier by Scott Zesch. We'll meet on July 21 to discuss this book.

We hope to see you at our next meeting!

Books for Texans Meeting- Tuesday, May 19

Join us as we discuss Tulia: Race, Cocaine, and Corruption in a Small Texas Town by Nate Blakeslee.

We'll meet at 7:00 pm in the Hewlett Room on the second floor of the Georgetown Public Library.

See you there!

The Salon @ Wildfire- TONIGHT

Pioneer Day- Saturday, May 9

Wanted: collections management intern

We're looking to hire a collections management intern for a three-month period. The job description and requirements are below. If you are interested, make sure to contact me.

Judge Thomas Proctor Hughes and Tom E. Nelson Families Museum Internship

Description: The Williamson Museum is located in Georgetown, Texas, 30 miles north of Austin. The Williamson Museum is housed in the 1911 Farmers State Bank building and serves as the county history museum. The Museum Intern will assist with the research, cataloguing, organization and the updating of information in the Museum’s collections database (PastPerfect). Working under the supervision of the Curator, the intern will be assigned collections management projects to complete both independently and as part of a team. This internship program is named for and is established to honor two Williamson County pioneering families: the T.P. Hughes and the Nelson families. To learn more about The Williamson Museum, visit our website at www.williamsonmuseum.org.

Required Qualifications: Applicants are required to have completed or working to complete a master’s degree in museum studies, public history, archival studies or other related field. Preference will be given to applicants with experience in a historical organization or museum. All applicants must demonstrate organizational skills, strong communication skills, the ability to manage multiple tasks, and the ability to work independently as well as in a group.

Compensation: The full-time, three-month internship pays a stipend of $1000 per month (for a total of $3000 for the internship). In addition, the internship can be completed for course credit depending on school requirements.

Dates of Internship: The internship may be scheduled any time from June 1 through the end of 2009.

How to apply: For consideration, please send cover letter and resume with three (3) references to Lisa Worley, Curator at The Williamson Museum, by email to lworley@williamsonmuseum.org, or by fax to 512-943-1672. Applications should be received by May 8, 2009.

Are you a museum member?

During the Red Poppy Festival Parade, we are hosting a brunch from 9 am to 10 am exclusively for members of the Museum.

This special brunch will be held at the Williamson County Courthouse. We will watch the parade from the balconies of the courthouse. This is a chance for the Museum to show appreciation for our members, as well as a chance for everyone to mingle.

It's not formal but a chance to share in conversation, eat, and watch the parade from a special place.

If you would like the chance to participate in future members-only events, please contact Celina at The Williamson Museum: caguirre[at]williamsonmuseum.org or 512-943-1670.

Photographs...and more photographs

We did it! We have finally entered all of the Sesquicentennial Photograph Collection into our collections database. It only took three weeks of work-- entering information, resizing photographs for addition to the database, and going through a couple of different logs and files to get information together. It's a huge accomplishment-- the collection has over 1000 photographs. This is especially important as we start identifying photographs and writing text for a new pictorial history of Williamson County book.

Here's a sample of a couple of the photographs.



If you'd like to see the photograph collection, visit our website at www.williamsonmuseum.org. Click on COLLECTIONS, and then on VIEW OUR HISTORIC PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. From there, you find PDFs with thumbnail images and descriptions of the Sesquicentennial Photograph Collection. Enjoy!

The Salon- Wednesday, April 8

Join us for April's Salon in Wildfire's backroom @ 6:30 pm. On April 8, Bob Hudgins, Director of the Texas Film Commission, will talk about making movies and their economic impact in Texas.

April 3- First Friday

The Museum always participate's in Downtown Georgetown's monthly First Friday event. We'll be open until 8 pm (or there abouts) on Friday, April 3. Stop by for exhibits, refreshments, and a visit with Museum staff and volunteers.

Special Guests: Sun City Dulcimers will play music on their mountain dulcimers from 7pm to 8pm.

What's a dulcimer, you ask? A mountain dulcimer, also called an Appalachian dulcimer, is a fretted stringed instrument of the zither family, typically with three or four strings. The mountain dulcimer is native to the Appalachian region of the United States. (For more information visit wikipedia.)

See you Friday!

Books for Texans

Reminder that our next Books for Texans meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 17, at 7:00 pm in the Hewlett Room at the Georgetown Public Library.

This month, we'll be discussing "Three Roads to the Alamo" by William C. Davis. I don't know about y'all, but I'm REALLY enjoying this one!

See you Tuesday!

The Salon, March 10 @ 6:30 pm

Speaker Profile:
March’s Salon features guest speaker Teresa T. Miller who serves as Manager of the Dell Foundation. Teresa is responsible for setting the strategy of the Dell Foundation, oversees partnership grants to over 80 non-profits across the United States, manages YouthConnect Grants for Dell India, and is part of the Dell Giving Team. Teresa is a 14-year veteran at Dell who received a bachelor’s of Psychology with a major in Marketing from Missouri State University. Teresa serves on the Community Montessori School Board as Secretary where her daughters attend school. She has served on the Advisory Council for Hands on Central Texas, served on Greenlights for Non-Profit Success Crossroads Advisory Council.

Coming Soon...The Salon

A salon is a gathering of people, who meet partly for amusement and partly to increase their knowledge through conversation.

The Williamson Museum’s Salon
The Salon encourages open, easy-to-understand conversation. No lectures. No PowerPoint. No technical jargon.

The Salon is an event where anyone can participate in topical discussions with leaders in the fields of science, history, art, archaeology and technology, among other topics. Hosted by The Williamson Museum, these monthly talks are held in the banquet room of Wildfire Restaurant and promote discussion of diverse topics in an informal community setting.

The Salon is a new program hosted by The Williamson Museum with once-a-month presentations by leading professionals and researchers in their respective fields. The presentations will be followed by opportunities to mix and mingle with like-minded people.

Admission is free for the presentation, with refreshments offered by Wildfire Restaurant pay-as-go before and after the formal presentation.

Meetings
Meetings are held once a month (second Wednesday) and begin at 6:30 pm. If participants want dinner, we suggest that they arrive early (say, 5:30 or 6:00 pm) so that they’re done (or eating) before the program starts, or they can stay and eat after the program is over (8:00 or 8:30 pm) with the speaker at a reserved table at Wildfire.

Check back soon for specific speaker information for the first meeting!

Goin' Green

A while back, we rounded up a bunch of our old vinyl banners-- some of the sesquicentennial celebration and those with our old name and logo. We sent them off to a company that makes tote bags and purses out of the banners that we can turn around and feature in the gift shop. They're AWESOME!



This is the "Randi Tote," and it sells for $29.00. It's made from one of the old sesquicentennial banners.










Made from our old logo banner, this is the "Tiara Tote," which costs $35.00.













Your yoga workout won't be complete without this yoga mat bag ($30.00).















This super-cute handbag features an image from the cattle drive; it's priced at $44.00.















And, seriously, my personal favorite: the messenger bag ($52.00). We only have one. I'll fight you for it!

The Swedes!

You knew it wouldn't end...our From Småland Sweden to Big Land Texas exhibit has been such an overwhelming success that we've extended the exhibition for another year. In addition, the traveling exhibit based on this popular topic has been at the Round Rock Public Library and is now at the Taylor Public Library until March. (Check back later to see where it's scheduled next.)

In addition to what we've got at the Museum, graduate students from Texas State University Jac and Jamie produced a website and a video about the Swedish migration in central Texas.

Check it out here: Swedes of Central Texas: A Passage from Agriculture to Education.

We want to hear from YOU!

We are accepting exhibit proposals for future exhibit topics. We will review proposals and ideas with the entire staff, and we generally try to have our exhibition schedule planned two to three years in advance.

The Museum’s mission is to collect and interpret items that promote the unique culture and heritage of Williamson County.

If you have an idea or proposal for an exhibition at The Williamson Museum, include the following information in your proposal:

1. What is the topic of your exhibit?
2. Why is the exhibit topic significant?
3. What could the Museum’s visitors see, hear, read, and experience in the exhibit?
4. How would the exhibit top be relevant to visitors’ lives today?
5. How does the exhibit topic fit in with the Museum’s mission?

Please send exhibit proposals to me at:
The Williamson Museum
Attn: Lisa E. Worley, Curator
716 S. Austin Ave.
Georgetown, TX 78626

Or you can email them to me at lworley at williamsonmuseum dot org.