On Tues., Feb. 19, Doss Heritage and Culture Center members can meet Oliver Loving or Charles Goodnight while strolling through the new Trail Drivers exhibit during the members-only preview beginning at 6 p.m. at the DHCC in Weatherford.
Copper Creek will be providing hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar along with the players from Theater Off the Square, who are providing the entertainment in the form of the two legendary cowboys. Trail Drivers is the newest exhibit opening to the public Feb. 20 at the Doss. It is designed for visitors to learn more about the famous and infamous cowboys who made Texas a name known throughout the country from the end of the Civil war through 1900. Longhorn cattle were driven by Goodnight and Loving from the wilds of Texas to market in Denver.“Parker County played an integral role in the development of the Goodnight Loving story and that legacy continues today,” DHCC Curator Amanda Rush said. “Visitors will learn about Charles Goodnight’s chuck wagon design and how Loving’s body returned to Weatherford after he met his untimely death on the trail.”In addition to learning about cattle drivers’ past, visitors can connect the story of the longhorn cattles’ importance to Texas history to the conservation efforts being done today to keep the breed alive. The exhibit will be in the museum’s Cartwright Gallery, which will be closed until the evening of the reception.“It’s a great time to thank all of our loyal members and welcome new ones,” Executive Director Heather Castagna said. “Although our exhibit openings are usually open to the public, we wanted to make this one really special.”She said those wishing to become a member can go by the museum and sign up or become a member on the website. Memberships start as low as $25 for students or single-person memberships.Attire for the evening is “dressy Western” and attendees must present proof of membership for free admission to the exhibit opening. Memberships may be purchased the night of the reception.Those attending the event will also be some of the first to see the new Katrina Wright-Sculpted Stitches exhibition in the DHCC Heritage Gallery and see Gracie, the museum’s bison skeleton which was discovered on a Parker County ranch in 1985. The Gracie bison skeleton is thought to be a ceremonially-buried buffalo and will be on display with portions of the DHCC’s extensive arrowhead collection.The Doss Heritage and Culture Center is located at 1400 Texas Drive in Weatherford and the phone number is 817-599-6168. For more information on current exhibits and activities, visit the museum’s Facebook page or website, www.dosscenter.org.The mission of the James and Dorothy Doss Heritage and Culture Center is to collect, preserve and exhibit the heritage of Parker County and Texas.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
