Armstrong County Museum

Organized just 20 years ago, The Armstrong County Museum tells the story of Armstrong County, Texas. The significance of this story is that it is the story of the opening of the west to settlers from Europe who had come to America to be a part of a "new world" under God. At this heart of the Armstrong County story is the establishment of the JA Ranch by Charles Goodnight and his business partner John Adair. The beautiful Palo Duro Canyon was selected as the location for this ranch. Charles Goodnight drove 2000 head of cattled inot the Canyons in 1876 and this phase of development began. Other settlers, called "Nesters" came and established small farms on the edge of the Palo Duro and some even established farms in the canyon. Charles Goodnight made deals with them and provide land on the edge of the canyon in an area called Mulberry Flats.
After the Nestors the railroad came and small towns developed. The windmill was introduced and an otherwise dry land became bery productive. This story was first told in a film produced by Charles Goodnight called "Old Texas." Although a rather "primative" production as compared with modern motion pictures, "Old Texas" is a land mark production that is shown from time to time in the Armstrong County Museum's historic Gem Theatre. The Gem Theatre, putchased by the Museum in 1993, is the "cultural and artistic" center of Armstrong County. A Texas Commission on the Arts "Presenting Theatre" the Gem Theatre provides Armstrong and surrounding Counties with music and drama which is both entertaining and educational. The Museum's Art Gallery which is adjacent to the Theatre adds an additional "cultural connection" by providing area artists with a venue for their work. Usually their works are also aimed at telling the story or providing an insight into the Southwestern Panhandle of Texas Culture.