Buffalo Gap Historic Village

Introduction

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Established in 1956 by Ernest Wilson, Buffalo Gap Historic Village is an outdoor museum featuring numerous historical buildings dating from the late 1800s to the early 1900s, including the Old Taylor County Courthouse and Jail building (constructed in 1879) which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Many of the other structures were brought here from other parts of the state, including a Texaco gas station, log cabin, barbershop, blacksmith shop, and railroad depot. Visitors will learn about what life was like during the last fifty years of Texas frontier through static displays, a variety of programs, and from staff dressed in period clothing. The village is operated by the Texas Frontier Heritage & Cultural Center, a subsidiary of the McWhiney History Education Group.

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Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

When Ernest Wilson founded the village, it was just a museum featuring West Texas and Native American artifacts displayed in the courthouse building. Eventually, Wilson would acquire a few more structures before selling it to Dr. Lee Rode in 1977, who added more buildings in the coming years. In 1999, the village was purchased by the Grady McWhiney Research Foundation, which eventually changed its name to the McWhiney History Education Group.

Sources

Sault, Spring. "Buffalo Gap Historic Village: Rural Texas Life, Heritage, & History Rolled in One." Texas Hill Country. May 26, 2017. http://texashillcountry.com/buffalo-gap-historic-village/2/.

Photo: Renelibrary, via Wikimedia Commons