The Civil War as it relates to museums in Texas : four case studies.

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the interpretive methods and narratives used by the Texas Heritage Museum, the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, the Texas Civil War Museum, and the Pearce Museum in Texas, in order to determine how they interpret the Civil War and the involvement of Texas. By studying the objects, text panels, and other elements of the exhibits through a combination of observation and interviews with executive staff at the museums, the case studies reveal that the museums employ a combination of academic and popular history. The juxtaposition of older and modern museum methodologies demonstrates a lack of unity within the museum field in Texas.