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The
Coleman County Museum by Ralph Terry
(From A
History of Coleman County and Its People,
1985
The Coleman County Museum began
mainly through the efforts of Ben F. Cox, a
veteran service officer of Coleman. He
became interested in antiques in 1961, picked
up a few items, was given a few, and hung them
all on the wall of his office in the
courthouse. The idea caught on.
Everyone visiting his office would see his
collection and bring other items to add to
it. This was all good and fine for
awhile. Soon he realized he was
acquiring more items than his office could
hold, with the walls covered and junk stacked
to the ceiling. The city council got
interested and donated the old two-room
replica of the administration building of Camp
Colorado for a museum. Cox was elected
executive director and treasurer by the newly
established museum board of directors.
Milton Autry was elected president, J.B.
Harris was hired as custodian and
operator. The museum opened June 1,
1969; by November 1, more than 8000 had
visited it.
The museum is a widely diverse collection of items, containing only items that are from residents or former residents of Coleman County. Items displayed range from a life-size horse (which was the Nance Saddle Shop display horse) to old bottles, hardware, medical instruments and Indian relics. Other items include a wood cook stove, oil field equipment, old photographs of Coleman, an old studio camera used in the old Moore Studio, Coleman's first newspaper, old guns, license plates, barbed wire, and old railroad items. The registration counter is from the old Lawn Post Office. Outside items include a 1915 Fordson Tractor, 1928 American La France fire truck, 1902 fire cart, a blacksmith with old tools, the first road grader used in Coleman County, an old stalk thresher, and an old Case thresher, which was purchased by Henry Berryman of Talpa in 1914 and donated to the museum by Hubert Stokes. It was used until 1938 and is believed to be the last one in Coleman County. The museum is now operated by Mrs. J. B. Harris and her son, Johnny, and is open only in the summer months. Ben Cox at the Coleman Museum  The Old Threshing Machine at the Coleman County Museum in the City Park brings back many memories to the group above who were directly involved with it many years ago. They are, from left, Edd Bedell, who worked on the thresher crew from 1914 through 1926; Oscar Hintner, who was separator man for Eric Tate and Ben Hintner, prior to 1926; Hubert Stokes, who contributed the thresher to the museum and operated it from 1927 through 1938;G.R. [Rube] Bouldin, who was partner with John Stokes with the threshing machine in 1926; Mr. and Mrs. Walter King who cooked for the thresher crew during the 1926 and 1927 seasons.  Coleman Museum Blacksmith Shop with Windmill in background  Steam Thresher Drawing by Judia Gaines Terry Page 22 in A History of Coleman County and Its People |