Collections

Our collections have been carefully gathered and organized over many years and been displayed at museums, civic centers, local businesses, and libraries just to name a few, with select items available for onsite display or demonstration. They are educational and great to share with school groups. To learn more visit us at the Museum.

Artifacts

Longhorn football championship memorabilia, physician’s and carpenters’ tools, clothing, homemaking, barbershop, and clock repair items are among the museum collections. When not on public display, artifacts and documents from our permanent collection are archived or stored to preserve the integrity of those items. Please call for an appointment to view a list of artifacts or documents in our collection.

This horse bit, with etched silver sides, is from the old livery stable at the southeast corner of Houston and Texas Streets (just south of the current Babe’s Restaurant) in Historic Downtown. In the 1880s a talented blacksmith worked in the stable crafting a variety of metal items, including airtight wagon bed liners for hauling ice from Oak Cliff. One hundred years later this bit was uncovered at the site with the help of a metal detector. Greg and Linda Patton who made the discovery have generously donated the item for the museum’s permanent collection.

Photographs

The collection, including digital, has over 3,000 images. Periodically a “new” photograph will be selected to add to the online collection.

PHOTO SPOTLIGHT

Circa 1930, this school bus was driven by “Uncle” Joe Tidwell for the Cedar Hill School. He is seated on the front fender. Students were all taught at the Bray Elementary site just west of the railroad track where Straus Road, Main Street and North Cedar Hill Road merge.

Oral Histories - People

Oral histories are recorded periodically and can be either audio or video. Recordings take place at the Museum or at the storyteller’s home. At one such event in 2010, Jimmy Mobley, Robert Nelson, Frankie Lee (nee Carrell), and Dr. Joe Potter, all Cedar Hill natives, each added their stories to our collection.

J.R. Hickman shared his recollections of attending Pleasant Valley School during the 1930’s. The school, located on the southeastern border of the Lake Ridge Development, was also a church and cemetery. During funerals students would be sent home early.

The Cedar Hill Museum video records oral histories by appointment. If you have lived in Cedar Hill prior to the 1980s we would like to visit with you. Our collection currently includes interviews of Lovell Penn, Booney Dawson, Marietta Clark, Faye Carrell, Irene Stewart Haney and Vinus Nelson, among many others.

Community

Our community has grown and flourished because of its people, but theirs are not the only stories that have made Cedar Hill what it is today. Therefore, we want to learn the story of your church, your business, your service organization, or a significant event of which you were a part, in Cedar Hill’s history. Our request is for a representative from your organization, be it a president, board member, or other individual, to provide us with information about your projects, milestones, or achievements, annually. The report can be in any format and could include a video recording.

For a complete list of oral histories, to schedule a recording, or for additional information, please call 972 293-3806 or email Geri@cedarhillmuseum.com or Karen@cedarhillmuseum.com.