Fire destroys museum dedicated to preserving North Texas history, officials say
Fire destroyed a Wise County museum that housed important artifacts of North Texas history early Saturday, officials said.
The Wise County Heritage Museum, located at 1602 South Trinity St. in Decatur, was home to the Wise County Historical Society and Commission and a treasure trove of local history.
“We are deeply saddened to announce that the Wise County Heritage Museum has caught on fire tonight,” museum officials posted on social media. “The entire building has been burned.”
The Decatur Fire Department said units responded to the three-story stone building around 1 a.m., according to a news release. Smoke was coming out one side. Then fire conditions changed, and crews working to stop the blaze from inside were forced out as flames and smoke spread swiftly through the structure.
No one was on site at the time of the fire and no first responder injuries were reported, officials said. The Decatur Police and Development Services buildings located nearby sustained smoke and odor damage.
Officials are investigating the cause of the fire.
Wise County Historical Society President Kerry Clower told the Wise County Messenger that it was difficult to process all that was lost.
The Lost Battalion Room, which featured photos and uniforms of Texas soldiers who were imprisoned for 42 months after being captured by Japanese troops during World War II, was just one of many exhibits housed in the facility.
“It’s gone,” Clower said. “If it’s not water damaged, it’s smoke damaged or what have you.”
The building was constructed for Northwest Baptist College in 1893, according to the museum’s website, but the school went bankrupt three years later. The Texas Baptist Convention purchased the property and founded Decatur Baptist College, the forerunner of Dallas Baptist University.
The facility had been used as a museum to preserve the heritage of Wise County since 1965.
The Wise County Historical Society was scheduled to meet at the museum March 23 and the family event “Night at the Museum” with crafts and a scavenger hunt was scheduled for March 25, according to the museum calendar.
This story was originally published March 18, 2023 at 2:21 PM.
