Freestone County Historical Museum

A traveling “museum” has been installed in the lobby of the Freestone County courthouse for visitors to enjoy for the month of December featuring photos from days past of Fairfield, Teague, Wortham, and Streetman. Freestone County Historical Museum Curator Patty Pratt and Board President Linda Mullen created the four-panel exhibit, showing the history of the county since its inception in 1851.

Over the years, the county has had five jails and four courthouses – the first of which was built in 1851 and described as an “old shanty.” There is a short history and photos of each courthouse in the exhibit, as well as a cost estimate of the construction.

Freestone County Historical Museum proudly announces the publication of former Sheriff J. R. “Sonny” Sessions, Jr’s book, Freestone Past and Present. The book was compiled by Museum Board President Linda Mullen. Book sales officially open Saturday, Dec. 1, at the museum with a book signing from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Hot cocoa and Christmas cookies will be served while you wait. On hand for signatures will be Linda Mullen, transcriber Eric Wood, and possibly Peggy Sessions. Admission is free for the day. Freestone Past and Present contains seven and a half years of Sonny Sessions’ weekly historical newspaper columns written after he retired from office in 2003 until just before his death in 2010. Eric Wood, of the Freestone County Archives website, transcribed the majority of the articles, as Sonny had previously given permission to Eric to post them on the website.

Despite the threatening weather, the 21st Annual Show of Wheels was a huge success with live music, food trucks, and great looking rides! Show of Wheels participants also gained free entry into the Friday night Men’s Poker Run with awards being given to Best Poker Hand and Worst Poker Hand.

Taking the title of Best Poker Hand was Place 1 Councilman James Tyus, while winner of the Worst Poker Hand was Fairfield Library Director Gary Wiggins. The ladies enjoyed their own Poker Stroll Saturday morning with Shelli Geer winning Best Poker Hand and Shana Skeans winning Worst Poker Hand.

A new exhibit is slated to be delivered to Freestone County Historical Museum in the next six months. The museum is working with Mark Thacker, AIA, a commercial and preservation architect in Tyler. The house will serve as an example of an early 1900s farmhouse and Thacker plans to also relocate and restore a log smokehouse and a detached kitchen. The house will be partially disassembled and then moved to the museum where it will undergo a restoration. The overall floor plan, according to a Facebook post from Thacker, is almost a square. “The house has some of the most amazing geometry I have ever seen in a “farmhouse,” said Thacker in an email to owner Sherry Matthews. “Whoever designed the house knew a lot about cross-ventilation and prevailing winds.” Over the next six months Thacker and his crew will be rebuilding the house.

Several departments presented their budget proposals to Fairfield city councilmen Monday, Aug. 27, but no decisions will be made until closer to October. Leslie Tate, Freestone County Historical Museum board treasurer, presented their budget requesting $40,000 – the regular $15,000 operating costs plus an additional $25,000 for the 1880s Freestone County Jail project.

Tate said the board is hoping to continue with the project by removing any interior walls not original to the building, relocating the stairs to the original place, and stabilizing the floor.

Freestone County gave the museum $10,000 in operating costs, but chose to give none for the project.

Commissioners continue to work on their budget, facing tough decisions such as department raises, travel allowances, and the upcoming capital murder trial. A public hearing was held on the tax rate at the Aug. 8 meeting. The court has budgeted $700,000 for the capital murder trial and it seems the trial may run upwards of $1 million.

Commissioners have proposed a two cent tax increase of 0.35947 cents per $100 valuation; the current tax rate is 0.339. Commissioners voted on the tax rate at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 16.

The Fairfield Recorder donated archive books from 1925 through 1989 to the Freestone County Historical Museum last week. The archive books have one edition from each week of the above specified years. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Pictured are (from left) Linda Mullen; Curator Patty Pratt; Publisher Richard Nelson; Nancy Rula; and Brad Pullin.
Photo by April Walker

Prizes were awarded last week for the Freestone County Historical Museum's 50 Year Anniversary Poster Contest. Winners were awarded a pizza party and cash prizes. Spencer and Conner Munster, of Wortham, took home the first place prize with their poster about the World War II Army Air Corp Medic Bartley Benjamin Livingston.

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The Freestone County Historical Museum is excited to announce the museum’s 50 Year Celebration. The museum staff and board would like to make Freestone County 7^th graders a part of the celebration by sponsoring a Freestone County History Museum Display Poster Board Contest for all county 7^th grade social studies and language arts students. The winning board will be displayed in the Poster Display Area at the museum throughout 2017. There is a $50 prize for the winning student or group and a $50 prize for the teacher, plus a pizza party for the classroom that submits the winning poster! The teacher will also receive a $100 gift certificate for the purchase of historic fiction and non-fiction books/materials for the classroom! Each 7^th grade classroom will be able to submit two boards to be judged at the museum. We hope you will approve this project for your 7^th grade students and encourage the teachers and students to participate.