The Texas Civil War Museum will close its doors on Oct. 31 after 18 years of showcasing artifacts from the Union and Confederacy.
The 15,500-square-foot building has been sold and artifacts on display will be sent to a consignor, The Horse Soldier, in Pennsylvania, the museum announced in a Facebook video last week. Those interested in acquiring any of the objects can contact the consignor.
Founded in 2006 by Judy and Ray Richey, the museum housed artifacts from the couple’s collection and the former Texas Confederate Museum in Austin. The items from the Austin museum, which closed in 1988, are owned by the United Daughters of the Confederacy and will not be sold.
In the Facebook video, Dennis Partrich, director of sales and marketing at the museum, thanked the public for its support.
“All of us here at the Texas Civil War Museum want to encourage you not to mourn, but to celebrate this collection, its presentation of American history and the willingness of the Richey family to share with the public their collection,” Partrich said.
The museum store, which sells Civil War and Victorian period memorabilia, will remain open until the last day.
“If you’ve put off a purchase, don’t delay,” Partrich said. “Inventory is limited to the stock on hand and once it’s sold, it’s gone.”
In April 2023, the museum announced it would close to coincide with the owner’s retirement on Dec. 30. The decision was reversed later that year, with the museum’s board citing an outpour of support.
To continue operating, the museum planned to sell some of its high-value artifacts and increased admission fees from $7 to $12 for adults and $4 to $6 for children ages 6-12.
The museum’s artifacts were estimated to be worth around $20 million to $25 million last year, The Fort Worth Star Telegram reported.
Some of the notable artifacts have included a cigar partially smoked by U.S. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, a Victorian-era dress that belonged to Winston Churchill’s mother and a pocket knife carried by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.
Marcus Richey, the director of the museum, could not be immediately reached Friday afternoon for comment on the decision to close.
In the comment section of the Facebook announcement, supporters lamented the loss of the museum. “The public can no longer learn [about] and enjoy these wonderful artifacts,” one person wrote. Another person called the museum “a true treasure.”
The museum’s mission, according to its website, has been to preserve Civil War-era artifacts that relate to the “role Texas played in the conflict.”
David Bedford, the museum’s education director, told The Dallas Morning News last year that the artifacts are meant to be educational. “This is about the people, the men and women who served,” he said. “This goes more toward them than what side is right or wrong.”
The museum has drawn criticism, though, from some community members who have taken offense with the Confederate relics and accused the museum of downplaying the history of slavery.
Bud Kennedy, a columnist for The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, wrote last year that the museum was a “whitewashed attraction that overlooked Black history.”
In 2018, the museum was considered as a landing spot for a statue of Robert E. Lee that was removed from a park in Dallas. The controversial monument was ultimately sold at auction in 2019 and later donated to a golf resort in West Texas.
CORRECTION, Sept. 6, 2024 at 4:48 p.m.: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that a statue of Robert E. Lee was sold to a golf resort in West Texas. It was donated there instead.
CORRECTION, Sept. 9, 2024 at 8:38 a.m.: An earlier version of this story incorrectly described the relationship of The Horse Soldier to the Texas Civil War Museum. It is the consignor.
