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Wolf Creek Heritage Museum Photo Album
A Museum of History and Art in historic Lipscomb, Texas
Map 13310 Highway 305 · P.O. Box 5
Lipscomb, Texas 79056
806-852-2123
staff@wolfcreekheritagemuseum.org
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July 19, 2009

WOLF CREEK HERITAGE MUSEUM NOTES
by Virginia Scott

MUSEUM HAPPENINGS

I think we broke a record this weekend. More than 150 people came to our reception/booksigning for Jean Weis, Rebecca Ashley, and Elaine Littau. Look for our write up with pictures in newspaper. Everyone had a great time visiting and enjoying the art and artists.

We also had the Babitzke family reunion this weekend and as always the family enjoyed visiting the museum. Ed and Erna have again given the museum some of the family history to add to our collection. They also gave us information to document the family history. We appreciate the family for ensuring that we have their family history at the museum and family objects that can be used to tell their story. If you are having a reunion reserve a time with us for your family to come and enjoy our heritage.

The board met on Wednesday and had a busy agenda. Discussion on Texas Historical Commission requirements were discussed. Approval for the publishing of two historical books was given. Please look for the posters and recruitment flyers for a book committee for the Lipscomb County Historical Commission. The last history book was published in 1976 so it is time for a new one. Volunteers from each town will be needed to work with the Bell Book company to collect family histories. So think about volunteering for the committee and start thinking about your family history in Lipscomb county so you can contribute to the book. This history will not repeat the histories in the first book but will try to document the families from 1970's to present. We will include earlier families not included in the first edition. Our goal will be to have a book for our 125th birthday in 2011.

The second book is a photographic history of Lipscomb County. It is a project that will select 150 photographs with captions for the publication.

We are also trying to obtain bathing caps and bathing suits from the past for an exhibit in August/September. If you have an old suit or cap , please loan it to us for the exhibit. We have a suit that was in an auction from Follett that was probably used in a beauty contest so all you former beauty queens bring in those suits.

Mark your calendar for August 1 for the community garage sale at the Legion Hall in Darrouzett from 8 am to 5 pm. Come and participate in the sale then journey to Higgins for the Will Rogers Day Celebration.

Tuesday of this week, I was in Plainview attending a workshop on how to prepare an emergency plan for the museum in case of disasters. Will let you know the details next week.

HISTORICAL HAPPENINGS

History reflects the need for these plans and Dorothy received research from Curt Holdaway of Amarillo that provides more information on the 1947 disaster that destroyed many of our towns . He provides us with the following summary of the destruction:
  • Woodward - 430 homes demolished and 650 damaged. 95 people killed
  • Ellis county - 52 homes destroyed and 133 damaged. 6 people killed
  • Woods county - 25 homes destroyed and 25 damaged.
  • Lipscomb County (Higgins) - 83 homes destroyed and 116 damaged . 51 people killed
  • Hemphill county (Glacier)- 36 flattened and 1 damaged. 16 people killed
He sent us a list of our victims and the location of their burial site. There are a few that he could not locate.

Another community in our area that has a tornado background is Mobeetie. It was devatated by a cyclone in 1898. (Interesting history question - When did cyclones become tornados? ). The community, considered the "mother city" of the Panhandle, developed from Charles Rath and Bob Wright's supply store on Sweetwater Creek at a buffalo-hunters camp called Hidetown in 1874, and grew to 150 residents the following summer as a trading post for nearby Fort Elliott. In 1879 the town applied for a post office and the Indian word mobeetie, possibly meaning "sweet water", was chosen for the communty. The 1898 cyclone took seven lives and leveled many of the buildings, including the Huselby House hotel and the townhouse of pioneer cattleman Robert Masterson.


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