Hutchinson County Museum — Attraction in Borger

For a first time visitor to the Panhandle to see the land where my late grandmother grew up, I was pleasantly surprised by the range of material kept here. It is certainly a labor of love by people who want to make sure the early settlers and oil field workers like my grandfather are not forgotten by those who come after. Besides the photographs there are custom graphics and written information posted with many exhibits.

The building's exterior is a bit misleading to the exhibit size, because once inside you are met first by the docent counter and an alcove dedicated to pamphlets about other area sites. Then you encounter an exhibit featuring the geology and fossil records of the area, a display of leading into display about the early Native American inhabitants, a sampling of firearms spanning from the 1800s to roughly 1930, a picture display of various flora and fauna from the region, a collection of photographs and a few preserved newspapers, and finally a mockup of a gas station featuring: an actual Model A Ford, vintage pump and a collection of automotive tools.

Circling around on the same floor is an exhibit of an early 20th century dentist office, a display of a store from the 20s-30s with goods from the era, a working model of the earliest wells, a display of the tools used as well as the terms they used and a photo collection of the oil workers and fields, then various objects that were a part of everyday life during the same period of time. There was also a display dedicated to the electrification of the region of Hutchinson County, a buggy and wagon.

Proceeding upstairs, there is a handmade model of the VZ Bar ranch stead with a block of stone from the structure itself. Upstairs, the exhibits include paintings of Quanah Parker, Chief Lone Wolf and Billy Dixon. Furthermore, there are exhibits of the Spanish colonial period with a model Spanish ship and a few artifacts, Kit Carson, the buffalo hunters and trappers, a mockup of a hospital (20s-40s?) and a white settler home, an Adobe Walls exhibit, models showing the layout of various early plains settlements, WW2 artifacts, Boy and Girl Scout memorabilia, more paintings of the area, and an exhibit dedicated to the first town of Hutchinson County: Plemons.

My brief review doesn't do credit to this small but dedicated institution keeping the stories of early Hutchinson alive for the descendants of early Texans, giving a rough idea of their lives and hopefully an appreciation of their struggles and...

This museum has very interesting and outstanding examples of the early years in the county, from the historical origin of the area showing examples of the native people in the area to the present day. Because of its location within the historic Panhandle oil field, the museum has some of the most outstanding examples of the early day oilfield in the area not only of equipment and production problems, but of the hardy people that did all the hard work. Even the origin story and the problems of the early boom town of Borger will leave you fascinated!...

I visit Hutchinson county every few months, and have never thought to visit the museum. I always assumed it would have some information on oil, and some things i am not very interested in.

I visited this morning and had an amazing time! There were incredible relics and it was a great learning experience for me. I loved seeing how the town developed and seeing it's importance across the years.

The museum is free as well! I would highly...