"Texans Defending Texas"
MEDIA ADVISORY
Media wishing to cover the exhibit opening are invited to do so on Monday, Nov.11, 2013, and must arrive at 12:30 p.m. to allow for parking and coordination.
Members of the media are required to RSVP no later than Friday Nov. 8, 2013, by 5:00 p.m. with the TXMF Museum
at 512-782-5659 or 512-934-4059.
Camp Mabry is accessed at the Maintenance Drive gate from 35th Street and media will be required to show
credentials at the gate.
FOR IMMEDIATE PUBLIC RELEASE:
Texas Military Forces Museum to Open Major New Exhibit on Veterans Day
CAMP MABRY, Texas (Nov. 7, 2013) - On Monday, Nov. 11, 2013, at 1 p.m., members of the Texas Military Forces are scheduled to honor Veterans Day and the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War, hosting a ribbon cutting ceremony, here, for the Texas Military Forces Museum's newest exhibit, "From Gonzales to Appomatox and Beyond."
The 3,600 square foot exhibit will detail the history of the militia and volunteer military units of Texas During the 19th Century and tell the story of the Texas Revolution, the Texas Navy, the military struggles of Texas as a Republic, as well as the role of Texas troops in the Mexican-American War, War Between the States, Spanish-American War and the Philippine-American War.
"We have dioramas and actual historic artifacts you can touch," said Jeff Hunt, director of the Texas Military Forces Museum. "Additionally, there will be period music, interactive computers that lets you explore topics more fully, life size environments that virtually take you back in time, as well as in-depth interpretive panels for those who want to immerse themselves in the details of this period of history."
Highlights of this tribute to the militia and volunteers units of Texas as a Republic and State include:
- More than 100 original artifacts used by Texas troops between 1823 and 1901.
- 28 original or reproduction flags carried by Texas troops during the Texas Revolution, the Mexican War, the War Between the States and the Spanish-American/Philipine-American Wars.
- Four interactive exhibits that allow guests to hear the haunting strains of the Duegello at the Alamo, vote for or against the secession of Texas in1861, learn how to fire a Civil War musket or artillery piece, listen to civil Way are bugles calls or discover the role of the Texas Brigade at the Battle of Gettysbubrg.
- A life-size cross section of the gun deck of a Texas NAvy warship, circa 1842.
- A full-scale reproduction of a Civil War artillery emplacement, complete with a six-pounder smoothbore cannon.
- A recreated sharpshooter's position in Devil's Den on the battlefield of Gettysburg.
- Dramatic dioramas of the battles of the Alamo, San Jacinto, Galveston and Sabine Pass.
- More than 70 interpretive panels detailing the role Texas troops and units played in the Texas Revolution, the struggle for the frontier, the Mexican War, the War Between the States and the Spanish-American and Philippine-American Wars.
"No state has a more fascinating and inspiring military history than Texas," said Hunt "Nowhere else in Texas will you find a museum that lays out the saga as fully and as dramatically as the Texas Military Forces Museum."
The new, state-of-the-art exhibit had been nearly two years in the making and will become a permanent feature of the museum. The exhibit is made possible through funding from numerous organizations, including the Texas Military Forces Historical Foundation, and individual donors who want to ensure the heritage of today's Texas Military Forces is remembered and honored.
The ceremony will include guest speakers from the Texas Military Forces and museum, as well as the Texas Military Forces Historical Foundation and the Texas NAvy Association. Immediately following, the Texas Navy Association president and a private collector will join in the official ribbon cutting due to their significant contributions to preserve Texas history.
For more information, please visit the museum's website at
www.texasmilitaryforcesmuseum.org. The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Veterans Day.
Camp Mabry is open to the public and adults only need to show a valid photo ID, such as as a driver's license or a military ID, to enter post.
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The mission of the Texas Military Forces (TXMF) is to provide the Governor and the President with ready and trained forces in support of the citizens of Texas and State and Federal civil/military authorities at home and abroad.
The Texas Military Forces are commanded by the Adjutant General of Texas, the state's senior military official appointed by the governor, and is comprised of the Texas Military Department (formerly the Adjutant General's Department), the Texas Army National Guard (TXARNG), the Texas Air National Guard (TXANG), the Texas State Guard (TXSG) and the Domestic Operations Command (DOMOPS).
Texas Military Forces Public Affairs
P.O. Box 5218, Building 10
Camp Mabry (Austin), Texas 78703