Entertainment services, Field Trips, & Educational programs, exhibits, lectures, events, etc.

Overview
Provider

Joined Community Fuse May 31st, 2023

Our museum was featured on the Daytripper show! Click here to watch episode 4 of S11!

Date founded: 2/28/1966

The Gregg County Historical Museum is a 501c3 non-profit organization located in Longview, Tx. Since 1984, the Gregg County Historical Museum has offered the opportunity to step back in time. The museum has the 2nd largest collection of Caddo Indian artifacts in the state of Texas. One of the top 5 shootouts in the Wild West occurred on the outside of the building when the Dalton Gang showed up to rob the bank that was once housed in the museum building. Guided tours and self-guided tours are available!

Address: 214 North Fredonia Street; Longview TX 75601

Phone number: (903) 753-5840

Hours of Operation: Tuesday-Friday 10:00-4:00; Saturday 10:00-2:00

Services/Resources offered at the Gregg County Historical Museum

Entertainment and Fun activities for children and families
Field Trips
Educational programs, exhibits, lectures, events, etc.

Admission to the museum is:

$5 for adults
$2 for senior citizens 60+
$1 students
Veterans FREE

Memberships:

- Click here to become a member!!

Areas we serve: Anyone is welcome!

Contact: Lindsay Loy - Executive Director / email: director@gregghistorical.org

We currently need:

Visitors, Grants, Website assistance, Membership donations
- Click here to make a donation to our museum!!

Volunteer opportunities

Click here to learn why you should get involved as a volunteer!

Upcoming Events

One of our most popular events is "Dalton Days". Get a sneak peek of what it's like!

Annual public events for the museum begin in February and March with “Black History Month” exhibit and events. Exhibit days are general admission ($5 for adults, $2 for Senior Citizens, $1 for Students) but there is always one Saturday during the exhibit that is open free to the public. Any lecture or lecture series in conjunction with Black History Month is always free to the public. The museum has a Black History Month Committee that decides on all exhibits and tries to develop local topics that have/had a nationwide impact. Black History Month brings in approximately 500 visitors.

“Dalton Days”, which spotlights the reenactment of the 1894 Dalton Gang bank robbery, is held on the first Saturday in April. This event hosts four reenactments of the bank robbery and includes fun activities such as a petting zoo, kids’ zone, crafts, vendors, live music, artisans and much more. This event is always free to the public and in 2023 we had 3,103 visitors.

“Traveling Exhibits” are hosted during the spring and summer months. These touch on topics such as World War II, Immigration through Galveston Island, Mardi Gras, History of Flight, Hot Air Balloons and much more. These traveling exhibits encompass full exhibits, hands-on activities, videos, special event days, historical lectures, and off-site activities.

The Museum also hosts the “Landmarks of Longview Architectural Home Tour.”. This tour occurs on the third weekend of September. This event takes participants on a charter bus ride to learn the history of certain buildings and the people that lived there. There is always an opportunity to go inside two or three designated homes on the tour. This event is $25 per person. This event sells out charter buses every year with around 250 in attendance.

The first Saturday of December is the opening day for “Living History Christmas”, which brings the museum to life with vintage holiday cheer and children’s activities along with a highly popular “Model Train and Holiday Village Exhibit” which is on display for the entire month of December. The Saturday of “Living History Christmas” is always free to the public bringing in over 500 visitors in one day. The museum has over 2,500 that attend the three weeks of the Christmas festivities.

To learn more about our events, please visit our website at http://gregghistorical.org/

Mission: To protect and preserve, for public benefit, the history and heritage of Gregg County.

Website: For more detailed information about our services and programs please visit us at http://gregghistorical.org/

Follow us on Social Media:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/GreggCountyHistoricalMuseum

Instagram - @gregghistorical

Keywords: history / museums / museum / museum for kids / entertainment for kids / educational activities for kids / fun activities for kids / fun activities for children / learning space for children / field trips for elementary students / field trips for middle school students / learning opportunities for kids / museum membership / historical landmark in longview / free resource for veterans

Contact Information:

Address: 214 N Fredonia St Longview, TX 75601, Longview, Texas

Phone: (903) 753-5840

Email: [email protected]

Service Areas:

Gregg County, TX

Website

http://gregghistorical.org/

Forms

If you wish to make a resource request to this organization or support the organization by offering to volunteer, please use the following forms to fill out your information and send it to the organization using the contact information above.

Headquarters:
214 N Fredonia St Longview, TX 75601, Longview, Texas

Gregg County Historical Museum

Gregg County Historical Foundation

In 1963, the Gregg County Historical and Genealogical Society was founded with 70 charter members. From this group, the Board of Directors of the Gregg County Historical Foundation was established and chartered by the State of Texas on February 28, 1966.

On January 23, 1967, The Gregg County Historical Foundation was granted 501(c) (3) tax exemption by the IRS. A twenty-four-member board of directors governs the Gregg County Historical Foundation.

The Gregg County Historical Foundation had always hoped to have a permanent place to display its collection of historic Gregg County artifacts, documents and photographs. Ann Lacy Crain purchased the Everett Building and on May 27, 1979, donated it to the Foundation in loving memory of her parents, Rogers and Lawson Keener Lacy. Later that year, the building was entered in the National Register of Historic Places.

Museum History

Before the opening of the museum on June 2, 1984, extensive restoration and rehabilitation began on the historic Everett Building to transform it into the Gregg County Historical Museum.

The San Antonio architectural firm of De Lara-Almond Architects Inc. was retained, and Killis P. Almond, Jr., AIA, was the project architect. The general contractor was David Stewart Construction Company of Longview.

The result of their expertise and many months of labor was a resounding success. Charles A. Paramore of Museum Arts in Dallas designed and installed the exhibit areas to illustrate the development of Gregg County with antiques and historic photographs in themed settings. Mr. Paramore arranged the entire space, as well as each display. On the main floor, he took a rectangular room and made it magical with a variety of exhibit layouts and traffic flow features.

On February 20, 1983, friends and supporters of the museum were invited to attend the dedication of the rehabilitated Everett Building. In the same year, the building was recorded as a Texas Historic Landmark. After 74 years, the graceful old edifice became the home of Gregg County Historical Museum, which was officially opened to the public on June 2, 1984.

The structure of the building is the most valuable artifact at the museum. In our community, where has very few buildings that were built before 1930 survive, the Everett Building is extremely important. The museum's beautiful lobby has the original inlaid tile floor and pressed tin ceiling with cherubs. Many children have been quoted as saying that the ceiling looks like icing on a beautiful cake.

The museum celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2009. During the first 25 years, it has hosted visitors from all 50 states and over 36 foreign countries. Going forward our exhibits, services and educational programs continue to expand.

Gregg County Historical Museum is a precious gem in the heart of downtown Longview. The institution and the people who are committed to its continued success have become woven into the fabric of the community.