Texas Civil War Museum to stay open after all; admission prices to go up, artifacts sold
The Texas Civil War Museum in White Settlement, which has been open since 2006 and displays Union and Confederate artifacts, is taking back its decision to close its doors at the end of 2023.
The announcement from the museum, which claims to be the largest Civil War museum west of the Mississippi River, came on Oct. 12 on Facebook:
“Due in part to your generous support in 2023, the museum board has made the decision to keep the Texas Civil War Museum OPEN!” the post said. “We will not be closing on December 30th.”
Museum sales director Dennis Partrich said on Facebook on Nov. 4 that a decision from the board two weeks ago will keep the museum to remain open. Its last day had been set for Dec. 30.
“That is wonderful, good news for this particular collection,” Partrich said. He added that part of the reason the museum is staying open is because of support it received the past spring, summer and fall through social media and groups visiting the museum.
Star-Telegram columnist Bud Kennedy wrote that the museum was “meant as a nonpolitical exhibit on the South’s failed rebellion but inevitably tainted as a whitewashed attraction that overlooked Black history and the horror of slavery.”
With the decision to keep it open, the museum will be selling some of its expensive artifacts to help fund the museum, Partrich said on a Facebook Live post on Nov. 18, though he didn’t specify what they would be.
“Other than that, the collection will stay together,” he said. Without continued support, Partrich said, the museum may face the decision to shutter again in the upcoming year.
The board also decided to raise admission fees starting in 2024, with the tickets currently $7 for adults and $4 for children. The museum is open Thursday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
This story was originally published December 6, 2023 at 2:52 PM.
