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El Paso Museum of History
El Paso, Texas
History

The El Paso City Museums derive originally from the International Museum, a one-time private institution, which was located in the old Turney home at 1201 Montana. The collections were eclectic, containing items of natural history and world culture, as well as some art and local history.

In the late 1950s, an arrangement was made with the Kress Foundation for a "permanent" loan of medieval and renaissance art. At that time, the building and the collections were turned over to the City, in return for City staffing and maintenance. The International Museum was redesignated the El Paso Museum of Art, and those items that did not fall under the categories of painting, print, sculpture, or decorative art were put into storage on the premises.

In the mid 1970s, two new museums were built -- the El Paso Cavalry (History) Museum and the Wilderness Park Museum. The money for the buildings and the land was donated or acquired at little cost to the City. The new museums had their exhibits designed and built by art museum staff, and were provided with only guards/janitors/maintenance men. Professional staff was hired for the History and Wilderness Park Museums in the late 1970s.

In 1980, the name and focus of the Cavalry Museum were changed to the El Paso Museum of History. The History Museum remained a municipal museum, but received community support from the El Paso County Historical Society. The El Paso Museum of History became a separate city department with its own director in 1989, but continues to share support staff with the two other municipal museums. Since 1989, the History Museum has increased its programming and temporary exhibits, won awards for education and publications, and started its own support group, the Friends of the El Paso History Museum.

Artifact Collections

The El Paso Museum of History collects, by City ordinance, material from the coming of the Spanish to this area (late 1500s) up to the present. Items must either have been used in the El Paso region, been brought to El Paso by people who settled there, or be accurate examples of what was used or was brought there. Ninety-nine percent of the collections were received through donations.

The History Museum has collections in: fans, shawls, lace, typewriters, blacksmithing tools, carpentry tools, western bootmaking and saddlemaking tools, glass bottles, A large collection of 19th- and 20th-century clothing, including material from The Popular, a local department store.

Research Collections

The museum has little in the way of archival collections. The El Paso Public Library maintains archives divisions, and the local Historical Society collects photographs and other paper memorabilia.

Programs

Exhibitions, docent program, "hands-on" tours of museum, pre- and post-visit packet, lectures, demos, craft classes, summer programs, working on traveling trunks; not currently available for tour/loan; materials are fairly local and particular to the area and subjects; loan fees determined on case by case basis.

Address
510 N. Santa Fe
El Paso, TX 79901
e-mail: harrisra@ci.el-paso.tx.us
home page: www.elpasotexas.gov/history/default.asp
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Hours of Operation

Tuesday - Saturday 9:00 a.m. - 4:50 p.m.
Monday closed
Sunday 1:00 p.m. - 4:50 p.m.

Admission
Museum Type(s)
History
Staff
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MUSEUM CONFERENCES

Virginia Association of Museum's 2025 Annual Conference!

March 15 - 18, 2025

Blacksburg, Virginia

Virginia Association of Museum's 2025 Annual Conference!

Saturday, March 15 - Tuesday, March 18, 2025

The Inn at Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Virginia

Hosted by: Virginia Association of Museums

2025 Conference Theme: Looking Back to the Future For the past several years, many museums have been deeply involved in planning programs and events to observe the 250th birthday of the United States of America. While this is certainly an occasion to celebrate, this anniversary also forces us as a society to reckon with ongoing inequities and challenges within the US that go back to its inception. As museums ask their audiences to look to the past to understand the present and shape a better future, perhaps now is a good moment in time for Virginia’s museum community to take pause and look back at its own history. We are excited to see you in Blacksburg in March 2025 as we take a moment in our hectic schedules to take pause and visit our diverse pasts. Let’s uncover and share our histories to build a more resilient Virginia museum community.

Ohio Museum Asociation 2025 Annual Conference - Athens

March 29 - 31, 2025

Athens, Ohio

Ohio Museum Asociation 2025 Annual Conference - Athens

Saturday, March 29 - Monday, March 31, 2025

TBA

Athens, Ohio

Hosted by: Ohio Museums Association

"Innovation: Museums and Reaching our Potential

The heart of innovation is transformation – shaking up our established way of doing things by introducing new methods, new ideas, and new approaches to both obstacles and opportunities

Museums across Ohio are not just adapting, but innovating to reach their full potential and better serve their communities. No matter their role, museum professionals are introducing forward-thinking perspectives and initiating creative solutions to launch the field into a future where museums can remain trusted and relevant community cornerstones

How can your museum stay true to mission and serve your community in new and meaningful ways? How can we as museum professionals meet the challenges of the future with reinvigorated enthusiasm

Join us in Athens, March 29-31 as we explore these topics and more at the 2025 Ohio Museums Association’s Annual Conference: Innovation: Museums and Reaching our Potential.

For more information, please email oma@ohiohistory.org.

North Carolina Museums Council 2025 Annual Conference

March 30 - 31, 2025

Raleigh, North Carolina

North Carolina Museums Council 2025 Annual Conference

Sunday, March 30 - Monday, March 31, 2025

TBA

Raleigh, North Carolina

Hosted by: North Carolina Museums Council

Museums Unwalled: Expanding Horizon

This theme highlights the importance of museums as dynamic entities that engage with communities, foster education, drive cultural change and often go beyond the building itself. By focusing on areas such as community engagement, digital and virtual presence, interdisciplinary collaborations, sustainability, accessibility, and cultural diversity, we aim to provide a comprehensive and enriching experience for all attendees

The primary objective is to provide a platform for museum professionals and others working in the industry to share ideas, best practices, resources and innovative approaches that demonstrate how museums can reach audiences in and beyond our physical spaces. We aim to inspire attendees to think broadly about the potential of their institutions and to foster a spirit of innovation and community engagement.

By facilitating discussions, workshops, and networking opportunities, the conference will empower current and future museum professionals and to expand their impact, embrace new challenges, and create meaningful connections with their audiences and communities.

Arkansas Museums Association 2025 Conference

March 31 - April 3, 2025

Washington, Arkansas

Arkansas Museums Association 2025 Conference

Monday, March 31 - Thursday, April 3, 2025

Historic Washington State Park

Washington, Arkansas

Hosted by: Arkansas Museums Association

"From the Ground Up: Cultivating Essential Skills in Museums

This year, the AMA conference theme is "From the Ground Up: Cultivating Essential Skills in Museums" As museum professionals we learn and use a wide variety of tools and skills every day

The Arkansas Museums Association is planning its 2025 Annual Conference, which will be hosted by Historic Washington State Park on March 31-April 3, 2025.

The goal of the conference is to support and foster the museum community through a mix of speakers as well as workshops, practical and informative presentations, in-depth discussions, and examples of projects and initiatives that are relevant to museums in Arkansas. Arkansas Museum Association members take ownership in the conference experience as presenters, speakers, panelists, facilitators, and workshop leaders.

For more information, please email arkansasmuseums@gmail.com.

New York Museum Association 2025 Conference in Ithaca, NY

April 5 - 8, 2025

Ithaca, New York

New York Museum Association 2025 Conference in Ithaca, NY

Saturday, April 5 - Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Ithaca Downtown Conference Center

Ithaca, New York

Hosted by: Museum Association of New York

Cultivating Community: Looking In, Reaching Ou

Who are the members of our communities? How can we evaluate our internal structures to help us better understand our organization, define our audiences, and serve our communities? How do we bring all communities together to support our field? How can we support and develop our internal community of staff, volunteers, and board members? How can we advocate for funding that meets operational capacity needs and includes equitable staff support? What changes do we need to make to prioritize the health and well-being of our museum workforce that will support the longevity and sustainability of our institutions and strengthen our ability to build meaningful community relationships

MANY presents conference sessions, workshops, panel discussions, facilitated discussions, and peer-to-peer learning experiences focusing on our 2025 conference theme, Cultivating Community: Looking In, Reaching Out. We will be gathering in Ithaca, in the Southern Tier Region of our state, located on the traditional homelands of the Gayogo̱hó:nǫɁ (the Cayuga Nation)

MANY’s annual conference helps museum professionals build a network to share perspectives, tools, and skills that develop excellence across the field. Our goal is to nurture a community of practice, advance institutional change, and create an inclusive and expansive New York team of collaborators who learn together.

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