On the second floor of the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin, one gallery walks visitors through a century that forged a legend. Building the Lone Star Identity travels from Mexican Independence in 1821 to the Texas Centennial in 1936, showing how the Lone Star came to symbolize a shared Texas heritage.
The journey begins as Texas becomes the northern frontier of an independent Mexico and empresario settlers arrive from the United States. Their arrival spurs the Texas Revolution of 1836, and a focal point of the exhibit is a recreated facade of the Alamo paired with a short film on the legendary battle.
The gallery is rich with storied artifacts currently on view: Elisabet Ney’s sculpture of Sam Houston, the barricade from the Battle of Galveston, a treaty stone from the 1850 peace negotiations, the Goddess of Liberty, and a Texas Centennial carving by Fannie Bruce Shaw. Together they trace how a frontier province became a state with an identity recognized around the world.
The Bullock, at 1800 N. Congress Ave., is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the gallery pairs perfectly with the museum’s first-floor Becoming Texas and third-floor Being Texas exhibitions for a full day of happy exploring.
Photo: Bullock Texas State History Museum
