The Texas Heritage Museum recently received the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation’s highest honor for museums and libraries. The award recognizes institutions that make significant contributions to their communities through education, engagement and preservation.
For Museum Director John Versluis, the award is proof that even a small museum in rural Texas can have a national impact.
“What we’re doing here with our college students and the community is cutting edge,” Versluis said.
Walking through the galleries, visitors pass rows of military uniforms, historic artifacts and exhibits telling the stories of Texans who served in wartime.
But the museum is more than a place to display history. At Hill College, the museum is also part of the classroom.
Faculty bring students into the galleries and archives to work directly with historical objects and documents as part of their coursework and research projects.
Versluis says that hands-on experience helps students build a personal connection to the museum.
“After they’ve taken a course and done a research project here, they don’t say ‘let’s go to the museum,’” he said. “They say, ‘let’s go to our museum. I want to show you what I did.’”
The museum’s collections focus on the stories of Texans during wartime — and how those experiences shape the present.
“Even if someone isn’t interested in war itself, this is our history,” Hill College Communications Director Cami Steele said. “It’s our grandparents’ history and it’s why we’re here today.”
And many of the artifacts on display — from military uniforms to personal belongings — gain meaning through the stories behind them.
“Without the story, it’s just a jacket,” Versluis said. “But when you can talk about who that person was and what they did, it brings that uniform back to life.”
That commitment to storytelling and community engagement helped the museum earn the national medal.
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