BRAZOS COUNTY, Texas — The birthplace of Texas is undergoing a $44 million renovation thanks to public, federal, and state funding.
Assistant Site Manager Donna Barker gave her thoughts on the news, saying “We have tremendous investment from the legislature from our agency that is allowing us to come in and change from a nationally known museum and turn it into a world class facility.”
The museum employees say that there’s so much more to the historic site than what is currently on display.
“We have a treasure trove of wonderful artifacts and documents and books and personal items from people that were living through the republic and all the adventures they were having but we’ve not had a really great way to change out the story to refresh to tell new things and now we will.”, explained Collections Manager Amanda Cagle.
The renovation will allow the museum to modernize their buildings and exhibits without losing their historical integrity.
“The last time the museum has seen an update has been about 20 years, so its due for a refresh," explained Site Manager Jonathan Failor. "Its due to have its exhibits updated and we want to take the story of the republic of Texas and present it in a way that’s really engaging for young audiences and old audiences alike. Young Texans, old Texans, new Texans.”
Washington-on-the-Brazos wants to leave a lasting impact on many generations to come.
Cagle expressed, “My favorite thing when a family comes in especially if they have smaller kids and walking around the museum and I hear a kid go wow I want more of that I want that core memory that’s the best feeling in the world when someone sees what you’re passionate about and just goes wow, that’s what I want.“