Category Archives: Texas History

Museum of the American Railroad In Frisco

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Museum of the American Railroad

People come to see Rexy, the huge Tyrannosaurus Rex sculpture inside the Frisco Public Library. But have you noticed the multi-ton monsters behind the library? They are the engines and railcars that belong to the Museum of the American Railroad.

Museum of the American Railroad History

The 1963 State Fair of Texas served as the catalyst for the museum, with a modest exhibit showcasing an old steam engine and Pullman sleeping car. The collection expanded and became a staple of the State Fair until, in 1986, a permanent Museum of the American Railroad opened.

Most folks are used to visiting museums inside the confines of four walls. The behemoth exhibits for this museum reside outside … on tracks. Three acres at Fair Park were not enough to accommodate the museum’s growing inventory of rolling stock. In 2011, the Museum of the American Railroad accepted an offer from the City of Frisco for a 12.5-acre site and relocated north.

How to Visit the Museum of the American Railroad

The Museum of the American Railroad is a work in progress. The museum envisions a future with fabricated sheds to protect its collection from the punishing Texas sun, and more of its rolling stock refurbished. Today the museum’s inventory numbers over 70 pieces of steam, diesel, passenger, and freight equipment. All this rail stock is housed behind the Frisco Discovery Center on track in a fenced enclosure.

Because of safety and liability issues, no self-guided tours of the outdoor exhibit are allowed. Instead, guided tours are offered three times a day from Wednesday through Saturday. Tours are led by knowledgeable docents with a passion for railroad history. The outdoor tours involve walking about a mile, and closed-toe shoes are recommended. This is not a tour for little kids (children under eight). But if you are a train buff or interested in the history of rail, these tours and the docents are fantastic.

Museum Educational Outreach

The museum publishes a guide of topics and offers instruction onboard some of its refurbished railcars. School and community groups can tailor a program to fit their needs. Through Collin College, I experienced one such program about Pullman and the Pullman Porters. It was a fascinating look at Pullman and the town created in Illinois for workers building the iconic railcars. Equally captivating were stories of the Pullman Porters and their impact on the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Learning history while sitting in an actual Pullman dining car was incredible!

TrainTopia

Train enthusiasts of all ages will enjoy TrainTopia. Located inside the Frisco Discovery Center, this model railroad will take you on a tour with life-like scenes of 1960’s downtown Dallas, Palo Duro canyon, and other Southwest areas.

Hard to imagine, but Steve Sanders built this incredible working G-gauge miniature railroad in his garage! After Sanders died, the ensemble was donated to the museum. With a large donation, the Museum of the American Railroad moved the model train display in its entirety to its permanent location at the Discovery Center.

Be sure to grab a clipboard and see if you can find all the items on your scavenger hunt. This version of I Spy is a great hit with the youngsters. See who can be first to find the ‘the men playing checkers’ or ‘the 2 John Wayne posters.’ The detail and breadth of TrainTopia is phenomenal!

When You Go

The Museum of the American Railroad (8004 North Dallas Parkway, Frisco) conducts guided tours Wednesday through Saturday at 9am, 11am and 1pm. Reservations and tickets can be purchased online. TrainTopia model train exhibit is open Wednesday through Saturday 10am to 5pm and on Sundays 1-5pm. TrainTopia is located inside the Frisco Discovery Center and also serves as the meet up location for those taking the outdoor train tour. Tickets can be purchased for the guided outdoor train tour and TrainTopia individually, or the two experiences, outdoor and model railroad, can be purchased as a combination ticket. There are no dining facilities at the museum, however, multiple restaurants can be found nearby. Free parking is available in the Frisco Discovery Center lot.

Tupps Brewery in McKinney

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Tupps Brewery joins the list of attractions in McKinney’s Historic Mill district. The brewery, known locally for its craft beers, had its start in McKinney in 2009. They moved to their new campus near the Flour Mill this spring. The expanded space, composed of three retrofitted 100-year-old buildings, outdoor stage, and open spaces, allows Tupps to not only serve great beer, but grow as an event venue.

Grain Room Taproom

We started our evening at the Grain Room Taproom. It’s a huge indoor space for those extra hot summer days or spring rains. Tables abound and there are large screens for the sports watch parties hosted at the brewery. If sports aren’t your thing, Tupps has something happening almost every night. Tuesday evening is Music Bingo and Burgers, and Wednesday is Tupps Trivia Night.

Brews and Burgers

Tupps has a full-service kitchen serving what you might expect from a brewery … burgers. The full-grown-man burger is one of those tall creations that challenge the human mouth. Thankfully, knives and forks are available. The food isn’t haute cuisine, but it is good and often unique, like the bacon stout jam used instead of ketchup in the burger. And there are new takes on old favorites like a charcuterie-styled selection with whipped peanut butter dip as its base. Vegetarian options and salads can be found on the menu, too.

Tupps Brewery has automated their food ordering. At each table you’ll find a QR code to scan that takes you to their menu, then make your selections and pay online. Each table is coded, so the servers know where to deliver your food. We were pleasantly surprised at how well this system works. Unfortunately, you will, for obvious reasons, still have to stand in line to order your brew at the bar.

Tupps Outdoor Stage

The outdoor event stage is a welcome addition. Look for weekend performances during spring and summer evenings. There’s no fence around the grounds and no gate admission, so check out Tupps events calendar for some free alfresco music. There are a few limited ‘seats,’ so be sure to bring your own lawn chair and enjoy the tunes.

We visited on a Friday evening and were surprised by the number of kids playing at the brewery. A small Boho market was in full swing, and children took advantage of the ample grassy spaces to run and play. You’ll find corn hole games and even an entire outdoor section for the kiddos. This makes Tupps a great family hang-out, unlike other wineries and breweries with limited kid options.

McKinney’s Historic Mill District

Local Yokel, a long-time McKinney store selling farm fresh meat and eggs, has a fine dining restaurant across the rail tracks from Tupps Brewery. Local Yokel BBQ and Grill (350 E Louisiana) elevates barbeque to haute cuisine and is a great restaurant-styled dining if you want local fare but in a more formal setting.

Grain Silo Art. The most impressive town mural is the McKinney Silo Project and it’s right next door to Tupps Brewery. Guido Van Helten, an Australian artist, took over five months to complete the behemoth project, painting the mural depicting McKinney residents on the sides of 100-foot-tall concrete grain silos. If you haven’t yet visited, be sure to check out the photorealistic artwork. You can find it just north of Tupps Brewery.

When you go

Tupps Brewery is located at 721 Anderson Street. Parking is free but limited in front of the brewery complex. Additional parking is also available just north at the Flour Mill. Right now, navigating the Historic Mill District is challenging with construction everywhere. New buildings are being built and streets improved. Be patient. Once construction is complete, McKinney’s Historic Mill District likely will rival The Silos in Waco, with Tupps Brewery anchoring the district.

Buggy Barn Museum in Blanco

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I love unique and quirky. You’ll get both at the Buggy Barn Museum in Blanco.

Buggy Barn Founder

Located in the heart of Texas Hill Country, the museum and Pine Moore Old West Town are the brainchild of Dennis Moore, Blanco resident and trucking company owner. Moore began collecting buggies over a dozen years ago, at first renting them for proms and weddings. Bit by the buggy bug, his collection has swelled to over 270 of the horse-drawn conveyances. According to Moore, he has the second largest collection of buggies in the United States, and the largest collection open to the public.

Buggy Barn Museum

It’s an incredible assemblage. There’s an elegant Czechoslovakian funeral carriage and dozens of Studebakers. Who knew Studebaker made wagons before cars? After the Civil War, Studebaker was the largest producer of horse-drawn vehicles in the world. The museum has dozens of these Studebaker originals. It’s a bit overwhelming with buggies and wagons everywhere. Placards provide the carriage’s pedigree: when built, by whom, and for what purpose. Some have a famous lineage, having appeared in such films as Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter. From the practical buckboard wagon to the opulent coach, you see it all at the Buggy Barn Museum.

Pine Moore Old West Town

The Buggy Barn Museum, while impressive, is only a fraction of what you’ll find here. There is an entire Old West town. Well, not old, but a new, Old West town set. Pine Moore has been used for filming movies and music videos. You can rent the town for functions or use the church for your wedding. It’s really amazing. Pine Moore has a Texas Rangers building complete with jail cell, a saloon, and even a dentist/barber building.

Prop Master’s Dream

Pine Moore buildings are chocked full of vintage furniture and western gear. There are hundreds of saddles, wood stoves, butter churns, and ice boxes. The Buggy Barn Museum is one-stop shopping for anyone staging an American West production. All, including the buggies and wagons, are available for rent. For me, it was fascinating to go through the buildings and see all the everyday fixtures of frontier life.

The Buggy Barn Museum is not the typical museum. The massive collection is organized, but not like a standard museum. There are not exhibits, in the classic sense. But there is an amazing collection of western gear, carriages, wagons, and homestead furnishings.

When You Go

Buggy Barn Museum (1915 Main Street) is open Monday through Saturday. Admission is charged. There isn’t a café associated with the museum, but downtown Blanco is just a mile away. The Redbud Café (410 Fourth Street) is an excellent place for lunch. It’s open 10 am to 3 pm, later on Friday and Saturday.

Fun Fact: What is the difference between a buggy and a wagon? Buggy is normally a light two- or four-wheeled carriage, whereas a wagon is a heavy transport vehicle.

National Museum of the Pacific War

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The National Museum of the Pacific War is a must see for World War II history buffs and veterans’ families. This world class museum is located not in Pearl Harbor, but in landlocked Fredericksburg, Texas. Surprising, until you learn that Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz was born in this Texas Hill Country town.

The museum boasts an expansive, six-acre campus in the heart of Fredericksburg. The Pacific wartime story is deftly told in artifacts, memorabilia, photographs, and video. Unlike other World War II museums, the National Museum of the Pacific War devotes considerable exhibit space to set the historic stage describing Russian, Japanese, Chinese, and American actions that led to war’s outbreak.

George H. W. Bush Gallery

From the famous the Doolittle Raid to the obscure Operation “Good Time,” each Pacific campaign is described in exacting detail. “Toe Nail” gets my vote for the most interesting titled operation. News clips interspersed with veteran interviews describe actual battles.  Diaries, uniforms, pictures, propaganda posters are all there. This multi-media approach makes what would otherwise be a history lesson into an emotion-packed, personal experience. And touch-screens allow visitors to learn even more.

In addition to smaller artifacts, the National Museum of the Pacific War houses large items like a Wildcat F4F and the two-man Japanese midget submarine grounded on Oahu following the Pearl Harbor attack. For Oppenheimer movie fans, “Little Boy” bomb casing is part of the museum’s permanent collection.

The Admiral Nimitz Gallery

Recently renovated and expanded in 2020, the Admiral Nimitz Gallery tells the story of the World War II Commander of the Pacific Fleet, Chester Nimitz. Learn how a Fredericksburg farm boy who wanted to go to West Point became one of our nation’s greatest admirals.

Pacific Combat Zone

The Pacific Combat Zone, located a few blocks from the main museum campus, is the site of a PT boat exhibit. The museum also offers living history programs here. Reenactments highlight Medal of Honor recipients and give visitors an appreciation of the heroism of Sailors and Marines in the Pacific. A schedule for the reenactments can be found on the museum’s events page. Please note that reenactments do involve explosions and simulated fire, and may not be appropriate for all visitors.

Memorial Courtyard

Maybe it’s because so many of our World War II veterans are no longer with us. Whatever the reason, I found the Memorial Courtyard particularly poignant. This outdoor area is framed by a limestone wall covered in commemorative plaques honoring wartime veterans. Families and veteran groups sponsored the plaques and brick pavers here. It’s a reminder, lest we forget, of the men and women veterans who sacrificed so much.

The National Museum of the Pacific War provides an objective, and sometimes jarring, experience of the Pacific theater in wartime. It’s a story filled with sacrifice, heroism, and even brutality. Museums like the National Museum of the Pacific War keep history and the lessons it teaches alive so we do not repeat the mistakes of the past. 

When You Go

The National Museum of the Pacific War is located at 311 East Austin Street in Fredericksburg. The museum is open 9 am to 5 pm Wednesday through Monday (closed Tuesdays). Allow at least three hours for your visit. There is an admission charge. Museum exhibits are appropriate for older children. While the main exhibits may not interest young kids, the museum does offer a free exhibit, Children on the Homefront. Designed for elementary-aged children, the exhibits depict what life would have been like for kids during the war years. 

For those wanting to continue their World War II experience, I recommend a stay at the Hangar Hotel (155 Airport Road, Fredericksburg). A converted hangar on the edge of Gillespie County Airport houses this elegantly simple hotel. Staying at the Hangar Hotel is like stepping back in time to a World War II Bachelor Officer Quarters. Rooms are furnished in rusty reds, mossy greens and rich browns. There is even a green, wool army blanket on the bed. The room television is the only concession to the twenty-first century.  Advance reservations are a must at the Hangar Hotel.

Post Oak Creek Fossil Hunting

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Fossil Hunting at Post Oak Creek in Sherman, Texas

Post Oak Creek in Sherman teams with fossils waiting to be discovered. Most trek to the rural creek in search of shark teeth. For me, I’m content to gather any type of fossil. Summer, despite the heat, is a prime time to visit. The creek water level is low, exposing sandbars and allowing hunters the opportunity to walk miles up and down the stream bed.

Abundance of shells

In geological time, the formation exposed at Post Oak Creek is from the late Cretaceous period, some 90 to 66 million years ago. At that time, an inland sea covered the area. Seawater rose and receded with events like the formation of the Rocky Mountains.

Sedimentary rock embedded with fossil shells

Walking in Post Oak Creek, I literally reached into the water and retrieved millions-year-old shells. No digging or much hunting required. Fossil shells, mostly oyster, layer the sedimentary rock lining sections of the stream’s bank, exposed over years of erosion. If you want to find a fossil, Post Oak Creek is the spot.

Shark tooth prospectors

Oyster shells abound throughout the creek area, but most visitors search for more elusive finds like shark teeth and the even rarer mastodon bone or tooth fragment. Shark’s teeth range in size from a quarter to dime, and their shape reminds me of a fat capital letter-T. Sharks have been swimming in oceans for 400 million years, and some of the teeth found at Post Oak are from now extinct Cretalamna and Petaldus species.

To successfully hunt teeth, you need simple tools and patience. It’s a little like panning for gold. Scoop up some stream gravel, place it in a sieve, and then sluice the sieve around in the water to rinse out clay and dirt. From there, you can examine the remaining rocks for fossil treasures. A garden trowel or small hand shovel works well for the digging. The day I visited, people used all sorts of things for sieves including box screens and vegetable colanders. In fact, one clever family used plastic hamburger baskets – the red ones with the side slats — as sieves.

Other Post Oak finds

In addition to fossils, the careful scavenger may find other artifacts like arrowheads, more recent bone from mammals, and old pottery and glass. Through the years, the town of Sherman was home to many different factories. One lucky hunter found an old 1890 bottle from the now defunct Sherman Bottling Works.

South Travis Street Bridge

Post Oak Creek meanders through south Sherman, but getting to the creek itself can be a challenge. The easiest access is at the Travis Street Bridge. Here you can park on the road shoulder and use a short trail down to the stream. The address, 2400 South Travis Street, Sherman, works well for directions in most mapping programs. The creek flows under US 75, and some fossil hunters recommend the access road near the interstate as another egress. My recommendation is to stick to South Travis Street. It’s true, this area is well-picked over from scores of visitors, however, just hike up or down stream to get to less congested hunting grounds.

When you go

Be weather aware. In the height of summer, creek levels are low, however, strong rains fill the creek rapidly and can create a dangerous flash flood situation. This is not a park. No restrooms. It’s good ol’ Texas-styled boondocks. Come prepared with hat, bug spray, sunscreen, and lots of water on hot days.

I wore wading boots, in part, to protect myself from water snakes. I confess, I was the only one in the crowd in my galoshes. Still be watchful and alert for snakes. Wear clothes you don’t mind getting wet and dirty. A hand trowel and sieve is all you need to hunt shark teeth, though I also recommend bringing lots of baggies for storing your finds. I found a gallon bucket worked well for lugging around my equipment and for storing larger finds. If you don’t mind carrying it, a small camp stool can be useful for sitting in the creek while you search the gravel for treasures.

After you come home

The website Your Fossil Adventure has a page dedicated to Post Oak Creek. Here you’ll find pictures identifying the fossils typical to the location. Also, if you aren’t sure what you have, the Facebook page Texas Fossil Hunting is wonderful. Post a picture of your find and ask for help identifying it.