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Historical museums in communities across the nation have shuttered in recent years amid funding shortfalls and low visitation. But as far as their facility is concerned, the leaders of the Gregg County Historical Museum hope to keep history from repeating itself.

Museum leaders and supporters celebrated the museum性视界传媒檚 40th anniversary Thursday by unveiling a new logo and kicking off a campaign to fund museum modernization. Their goal, they say, is to keep the institution alive for another 40 years聽性视界传媒� and give more people a reason to come learn about Gregg County性视界传媒檚 history.

"We have adults that come in with their children, and they'll walk up to an exhibit and say, 'Oh yeah, I remember that when I was a kid. I saw it right there,性视界传媒櫺允咏绱綕 said Marc Welch, the museum性视界传媒檚 board president. 性视界传媒淲ell, we want them to come in next time and say, 'That's new, isn't it?性视界传媒� Because that's what brings people back."

'Big plans for the future'

Museum volunteers and community members gathered for a reception Thursday evening and watched Welch unveil the museum性视界传媒檚 new logo, pasted on a window facing Fredonia Street.

The logo emphasizes what made Gregg County the place it is today: a steam locomotive rolling down the railroad tracks; hot air balloons rising toward the sky; an oil derrick gushing black gold; and pine trees, well, being pine trees, growing in their natural habitat.

Those symbols tell the story of East Texas, and they性视界传媒檙e all things people can learn about by visiting the museum聽性视界传媒� which has a story of its own, Welch said.

Founded in June 1984, the museum is housed in what was known as the two-story Everett Building, which was built in the early 1900s and housed a bank and other downtown businesses. It性视界传媒檚 listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Before the building was donated to the museum, though, it needed to be restored, Welch said. In a town where old buildings haven性视界传媒檛 been well-preserved, that was a significant accomplishment.

Another significant accomplishment was the addition of the museum性视界传媒檚 education center, a large room where the museum hosts events and displays seasonal exhibits.

性视界传媒淏ut聽that's聽the past,性视界传媒� Welch said. 性视界传媒淲e've got big plans for the future, too.性视界传媒�

Conceptualizing change

In the future, museum visitors might learn about Gregg County性视界传媒檚 past not only by reading about it and examining artifacts from it, but also by experiencing it for themselves.

As Welch walked around the museum Thursday, he pointed to poster boards outlining how museum leaders hope to revamp exhibits in the next five to 10 years to make them more interactive.

Museum leaders intend to move administrative offices to the building性视界传媒檚 second floor, allowing more space on the first for the creation of an enlarged military exhibit and military history research library.

性视界传媒淚t will triple the size of what we have now,性视界传媒� Welch said of the military exhibit.

Across the room, the museum性视界传媒檚 mercantile exhibit聽性视界传媒� which shows what shoppers might have perused in an old-time store聽性视界传媒� will give museum-goers a more in-depth look at commerce. Though it性视界传媒檒l continue to display vintage items, the exhibit will explain the genesis of trade聽性视界传媒� from the days when cash was king at the sales counter to online purchases that are a part of people性视界传媒檚 daily lives now.

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The children性视界传媒檚 play area will be expanded, too. Visitors will be able to learn about famous area athletes such as Trent Williams and David Wesley, play in a cabin, crawl inside a replica Caddo Native American hut and listen to musical works by artists with East Texas ties. (Welch notes that country star Johnny Cash wrote his hit 性视界传媒淚 Walk the Line性视界传媒� in Gladewater, and Elvis聽性视界传媒� who performed in Gladewater聽性视界传媒� lived in Longview for a time. And, of course, there性视界传媒檚 country hit-maker Neal McCoy, who still calls Longview home.)

The Dalton Gang exhibit, which explores the story of the 1894 bloody downtown shootout with the Wild West outlaws, will get a technological twist that makes the exhibit more interactive. (Don性视界传媒檛 expect to get a shot at firing a real gun, however.)

In another room of the museum, the transportation exhibit will balloon聽性视界传媒� literally. People will get a chance to step inside a hot air balloon basket and slip on virtual reality goggles for a virtual vertical voyage. Nearby, ferroequinologists (better known as train lovers) will be able to watch model trains zip around a model train layout. Airplane models will be on display, too, for those who are flight-hearted.

Promoting all of Gregg County

Yet another exhibit will honor the working-class men and women who built Gregg County. The kinds of clothes and equipment worn by skilled and unskilled laborers alike will be shown for visitors to see.

It性视界传媒檒l serve another purpose, too: teaching folks more about Longview性视界传媒檚 neighboring towns.

"A lot of people do think, 'Well, that's a Longview museum,性视界传媒櫺允咏绱綕 Welch said. 性视界传媒淏ut what we're wanting to do is expand. Even though we do feature things from other the other towns聽性视界传媒� from Kilgore and from Gladewater, White Oak聽性视界传媒� we want to make it more inclusive to the other communities in the county."

The museum will address inclusion in another way, too. A planned exhibit will document the integration of Gregg County schools during the 20th century. Auditorium seats Longview ISD性视界传媒檚 demolished T.G. Field Auditorium and the Longview Negro High School will be placed there. The condition of the seat from the all-Black school is in noticeably worse condition than the one from the once-all-white school, Welch said.

性视界传媒淭hat way we can show yes, it was separate, but not equal, until we had full integration,性视界传媒� Welch said.

The museum性视界传媒檚 oil and gas exhibit will expand to discuss major Longview industries, such as Eastman Chemical Co. and LeTourneau Technologies, a major builder of heavy construction equipment. Those two industries deserve a larger presence at the museum, Welch said.

Adding accessibility

People who are in wheelchairs don性视界传媒檛 have access to the main room of the museum, but that could change if renovation plans are funded. Museum leaders aim to install a wheelchair lift on the stairwell connecting the main room to the rest of the museum.

That plan, like all the others, 性视界传媒渃omes down to dollars,性视界传媒� Welch said. 性视界传媒淲e have big plans, and we just need to find the funding to put the plans into action.性视界传媒�

Museum officials are kicking off the aptly named Gregg County Historical Museum Capital Campaign, and more details about the campaign will be released in the coming weeks.

The work museum leaders aim to do is 性视界传媒渘ot changing history, but adding to it,性视界传媒� Welch said. Their goal is 性视界传媒渏ust to tell a better story of Gregg County's history.性视界传媒�

性视界传媒淲e've done a good job, but we want to do a better job,性视界传媒� he said.