Stephenville Historical House Museum

One of the finest museums in our area is this jewel right in the heart of Stephenville, just a few blocks from the Erath County Courthouse. The Stephenville Historical House Museum is dedicated to collecting and preserving historical structures and artifacts as well as educating the public about the city’s history along with that of the surrounding area.

The Stephenville Historical House Museum has on display a sizable collection of old relics they’ve gathered up from the community. Milk cans, dental tools, dishes, and the list goes on and on. All the commodity items it took to run a ranch or a dental office or a homestead many years ago, in Texas, are on display. As the name suggests, The Stephenville Historical House Museum also has a collection of houses on display. This is what makes the Historical House Museum very different.

The museum’s collection of structures includes several log cabin style frontier homes, a church, an old schoolhouse, and a carriage house. These buildings are all on display in the grassy field behind the Berry Cottage. The Berry Cottage is the oldest house in Stephenville, and it’s quite unique with its steeply pitched roof and narrow shuttered windows.

The old buildings give the rest of the collection of relics a context. For instance, as you look at the log cabins and their sparse accommodations, the harshness of frontier life in Texas become apparent. The carriage house and blacksmith shop display the horse-drawn carriage in an environment fairly authentic to its time and place in transportation history.

The Stephenville Historical House Museum has lots of outdoor space to roam. Take the kids and the camera. The museum offers many unique photographic opportunities. The museum is located a couple blocks from the county courthouse at 525 East Washington Street. Call 254-965-5880 or visit www.shhm.org for more information.