Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum
Encyclopedia
Hall of Fame
A hall of fame, wall of fame, walk of fame, walk of stars or avenue of stars is a type of attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field...
and Museum in Waco, Texas
Waco, Texas
Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....
, is the state-designated official historical center of the famed Texas Rangers
Texas Ranger Division
The Texas Ranger Division, commonly called the Texas Rangers, is a law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction in Texas, and is based in Austin, Texas...
law enforcement agency. It consists of the Homer Garrison, Jr. museum gallery, the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame, the Texas Ranger Research Center and the Headquarters of Texas Rangers Company "F". The City of Waco serves as the appointed trustee on behalf of the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Legislature.
Location
Mission
The mission of the nonprofit Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum is to: (1) Disseminate knowledge and inspire appreciation of the history, public service and ideals of the Texas Rangers, a legendary symbol of TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
; and (2) Serve as state designated repository for artifacts and archives relating to the Texas Rangers.
Institutional History
In 1964 the Texas Department of Public SafetyTexas Department of Public Safety
The Texas Department of Public Safety is a department of the government of the state of Texas. The DPS is responsible for statewide law enforcement and vehicle regulation. The Public Safety Commission oversees the DPS. Its five members are appointed by the Governor of Texas and confirmed by the...
chartered the City of Waco, Texas, to construct and operate the official museum of the Texas Rangers. In return, the City of Waco agreed to commit 32 acres (129,499.5 m²) for a building site, provide an ongoing annual operating subsidy, and build and sustain a headquarters for Texas Rangers Company "F". More than three million persons have visited the historical center since it opened in 1968.
The museum complex was originally named Fort Fisher
Fort Fisher
Fort Fisher was a Confederate fort during the American Civil War. It protected the vital trading routes of the port at Wilmington, North Carolina, from 1861 until its capture by the Union in 1865....
after an 1837 Ranger camp from which the City of Waco traces its origin. It was designed in a vernacular style of Texas hill country
Texas Hill Country
The Texas Hill Country is a vernacular term applied to a region of Central Texas featuring tall rugged hills consisting of thin layers of soil atop limestone or granite. It also includes the Llano Uplift and the second largest granite monadnock in the United States, Enchanted Rock, which is located...
architecture reminiscent of a 19th century Texas Ranger headquarters. The first museum gallery was named after Col. Homer Garrison, Jr. who served and later directed the Texas Department of Public Safety and its Texas Rangers division from 1938 to 1968.
In 1971 the Texas Legislature appointed the Texas Ranger Commemorative Commission to honor the 150th anniversary of the Texas Rangers. The Commission was charged with raising funds and erecting the official state Hall of Fame of the Texas Rangers. The project was opened for the American Bicentennial in 1976. Soon afterwards the name of the historical complex was changed to the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum to reflect its broader role.
In 1975 the Moody Foundation
Moody Foundation
The Moody Foundation is a charitable foundation incorporated in Texas and based in the island city of Galveston. It was chartered in 1942 by William Lewis Moody, Jr...
of Galveston donated seed money to establish the Moody Texas Ranger Memorial Library. Along with the State Library and Archives in Austin, it has become a primary research center on the history and popular culture of the Texas Rangers. In 1997 it was renamed the Texas Ranger Research Center with the permission of the Moody Foundation to recognize its expanding role.
After 30 years of service, the Texas Legislature passed a 1997 resolution designating the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum as the official repository for memorabilia, archives and other materials relating to the Texas Rangers. Texas Ranger artifacts and archives donated to the institution become property of the People of Texas through the trusteeship of the City of Waco.
Col. Homer Garrison, Jr. Gallery
The Garrison Gallery (museum) was dedicated in 1968 and tells the story of the Rangers and their service through three centuries. It preserves more than 14,000 irreplaceable artifacts dating back to the founding of the Texas Rangers. Items on display include rotating displays of the 2,500 historic firearms and accessories in the collection, artwork, Texas Ranger badges and credentials, items from 1930s gangsters Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker and displays about forensicsForensics
Forensic science is the application of a broad spectrum of sciences to answer questions of interest to a legal system. This may be in relation to a crime or a civil action...
and famous Texas Rangers.
Texas Ranger Hall of Fame
The Hall of Fame is a memorial to Texas Rangers who significantly contributed to the development of the service or died heroically in the line of duty. A separate mission of the Hall of Fame is the compilation of a memorial roll of Texas Rangers killed in the line of duty from 1823 to 2004. Rangers are inducted in the Hall of Fame by the Texas Rangers and currently include:- Armstrong, John B.John Barclay ArmstrongJohn Barclay Armstrong was a Texas Ranger lieutenant and a United States Marshal, usually remembered for his role in the pursuit and capture of the famous gunfighter John Wesley Hardin....
- Aten, IraIra AtenIra Aten was a Texas Ranger who was inducted into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame.Aten was born in Cairo, Illinois. His father Austin Aten was a Methodist circuit rider, and moved the family to Texas in 1876, settling near Round Rock, Texas. In 1878, while still a boy, Aten witnessed the death of...
- Baylor, George W.
- Brooks, JamesJames Brooks (Texas Ranger)James Brooks was a Texas Ranger of the Old West, and is a member of the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame, and who developed a reputation as a gunman.-Early life:...
- Burton, Marvin
- Crowder, Robert A.Robert A. CrowderRobert Austin "Bob" Crowder was a Ranger in Minden, Rusk County, Texas who was posthumously installed in the Ranger Hall of Fame in May, 1982.-Career:...
- Doherty, Bobby Paul
- Ford, John Salmon "Rip"
- Gillett, James B.James B. GillettJames B. Gillett was a lawman of the Old West, mostly well known due to his service as a Texas Ranger, and is a member of the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame.-Early life and career:...
- Gonzaullas, Manuel T.Manuel T. GonzaullasManuel Trazazas "Lone Wolf" Gonzaullas was a Texas Rangers captain and a staff member of the Texas government....
- Guffey, Stanley Keith
- Hall, Jesse LeeJesse Lee HallJesse Lee Hall was a Texas Ranger of the Old West, and is a member of the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame, and was later a soldier....
- Hamer, FrankFrank HamerFrancis Augustus Hamer was a Texas Ranger, known in popular culture for his involvement in tracking down and killing the criminal duo Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow in 1934...
- Hays, John CoffeeJohn Coffee HaysCol. John Coffee "Jack" Hays was a Texas Ranger captain and military officer of the Republic of Texas. Hays served in several armed conflicts, including the Indian and the Mexican-American War.-Biography:...
- Hickman, Thomas R.
- Hughes, John R.John Hughes (lawman)John Reynolds Hughes was a Texas Ranger and cowboy of the Old West, and later an author.-Early life:Hughes was born John Reynolds Hughes, in Cambridge, Illinois, son to Thomas Hughes and Jennie Bond Hughes. In 1865 the family moved to Dixon, Illinois, then later to Mound City, Kansas. Hughes left...
- Jones, John B.John B. JonesJohn B. Jones was a Confederate army officer and Texas Ranger captain. Born in Fairfield, South Carolina, his family moved to the Republic of Texas in 1838....
- Klevenhagen, John J., Sr.
- Marsh, Bryan
- Miller, Charles E.
- McCulloch, BenjaminBenjamin McCullochBenjamin McCulloch was a soldier in the Texas Revolution, a Texas Ranger, a U.S. marshal, and a brigadier general in the army of the Confederate States during the American Civil War.-Early life:...
- McDonald, William J.
- McNelly, Leander
- Peoples, Clinton T.
- Riddles, James E.
- Rogers, John H.
- Ross, Lawrence S. "Sul"Lawrence Sullivan RossLawrence Sullivan "Sul" Ross was the 19th Governor of Texas , a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War, and a president of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, now called Texas A&M University.Ross was raised in the Republic of Texas, which was later annexed to...
- Walker, Samuel H.
- Wallace, W.A.A. "Bigfoot"William A. A. WallaceWilliam Alexander Anderson "Bigfoot" Wallace was a famous Texas Ranger who took part in many of the military conflicts of the Republic of Texas and the United States in the 1840s, including the Mexican-American War.-Biography:...
- Wright, William L.