Chisholm Trail Museum expansion continues

By Matt Smith/msmith@trcle.com

Those who haven’t stopped by the Chisholm Trail Outdoor Museum in a while may want to revisit the site to view the changes and progress made of late.

Johnson County Heritage Foundation members hosted attending guests Wednesday to formally unveil two new additions to the outdoor museum.

The first, dubbed the Chisholm Express, is a barbecue smoker crafted to resemble a steam locomotive. A newly constructed pavilion, overlooking Lake Pat Cleburne, houses the smoker.

Greenbriar workers joined family members of the late Carl Driver to dedicate the smoker. Driver — who, along with his father and grandfather, worked in the Santa Fe shops in Cleburne — designed the locomotive smoker to pay tribute to the history of Johnson County and the Santa Fe Railroad. He was unable to complete the project before he died, and one of his final wishes, according to family members, was that the smoker be completed and shared with the community.

Driver’s estate chose the Johnson County Heritage Foundation, which oversees the Chisholm Trail Outdoor Museum, to fulfill his request. The smoker was only partially completed when the foundation received it, said David Murdoch, JCHF president. Workers at Greenbriar, former site of the Santa Fe shops, agreed to finish the smoker.

The smoker’s maiden cook out is scheduled for Dec. 6, which marks the annual Cleburne Candlewalk Tour of Homes, an event which will once again include a stop at the Chisholm Trail Outdoor Museum, Murdoch said.

Foundation members next joined city and county officials and residents and members of the Cleburne Chamber of Commerce to cut the ribbon on the museum’s stage station. A refurbished stagecoach featured in John Wayne films and other western movies sits under the building’s porte-cochere. A tower atop the building holds a bell, which guests took turns ringing.

The bell, donated from Gary Lillard, came from an 1800s steam locomotive engine, Murdoch said. Construction on the building began in July, Murdoch said, and progressed well, in part thanks to donations of materials from local businesses.

“And we finally have running water out here,” Murdoch said.

Two bathroom entrances, one for cowboys, another for cowgirls, are on opposite sides of the building’s recessed entrance. The stage station itself, decked out in western motif, will serve as a visitors center and hospitality room.

“It will be a nice place for clubs and civic groups of 20-25 people who want to use it as a meeting place,” Murdoch said. “It’s especially impressive to see at night when the lights shine on the bell tower and give it a kind of glow.”

A sidewalk, donated by Westhill Construction, makes a third new addition to the museum grounds. The sidewalk runs from the stage station to the Wardville Courthouse, which is one of Texas’ oldest courthouses, dating from 1855.

Guests on hand gave the museum’s latest additions a big thumbs up.

“I think it’s fantastic, and the board has done an excellent job,” said Johnson County Sheriff Bob Alford. “The museum just continues to grow. It’s really a dream come true. This has already become a major tourist attraction, and it’s just going to become more so as they add on in the future.”

Murdoch calls the museum, located on U.S. 67 west of Lake Pat Cleburne, a work in progress. Alford donated a chuck wagon, which will be readied for use, and more attractions are planned.

“We’ll get started on either the blacksmith shop or sheriff’s office next,” Murdoch said. “It all just depends on funding because we run solely off donations.”

Besides attracting tourists to Cleburne, the museum offers a fun filled and educational destination for local students and stands as a proud reminder of Johnson County’s history for residents, Murdoch said.

For information, to make donations or book the stage center, call 817-648-1486, 817-648-5058 or 817-648-5640.