CR SMITH AMERICAN AIRLINES MUSEUM
The CR Smith American Airlines Museum, opened in 1993, is located in the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth airport. Named for the airline’s first president, C.R. Smith led it for 34 years and built it into the world’s largest. American Airlines employees now run the American Airlines museum. It was recently renovated to honor all employees of the world’s largest airline.
You begin your visit with a short film titled “Why I Fly,” which features stories from several American employees about their career journeys and why they chose to work in aviation. The museum guides you through the airline’s history, from its beginnings as a mail carrier to the numerous mergers with other airlines over the years. The OneWorld Globe shows real-time flight data of all American flights around the globe. It’s surprising to see how many flights are in the air at any given time.
A look through the years at the flight attendants’ uniform transitions is fun to remember, especially the swinging 60’s.
A large portion of the museum is dedicated to the IOC, or the Integrated Operations Center for America. This is where all the decisions about the airline are made. Flight delays, crew problems, weather delays, and maintenance issues are all handled in the IOC. Visitors can participate in a series of “What would you do?” questions and see how the problems can be resolved.
There are seven kiosks with displays that tell the employee story of each major workgroup at the airline, including pilots, flight attendants, baggage handlers, maintenance crews, and others. Americans asked some 300 employees to tell their stories about their jobs, so the real story of American Airlines could be told.
Kids and adults alike will enjoy the MD80 flight deck. Narration by an MD80 captain will explain just what it takes to fly this small, efficient aircraft. American has the youngest fleet of aircraft flying today.
“Flagship Knoxville” is a 1940 DC-3 that revolutionized commercial airline travel. The DC-3 was purchased by retired American pilots, restored by American employees, and presented to the museum.
This is much more than an aviation museum; this is an AMERICAN employees’ museum that wants to share the real story of American Airlines.
UNITED STATES BUREAU OF ENGRAVING
The Bureau of Engraving is a bit off the beaten path in Fort Worth, but it is well worth the time. Here, you will walk through the history of U.S. currency and see how money is made. The process remains complex and labor-intensive, even with today’s high-speed technology. Perfection is key here. Each step is carefully examined and executed to ensure that United States currency is of the highest quality and cannot be counterfeited. That is the whole reason that bills today carry a colorful background. As you can imagine, this is a highly secure facility, and unfortunately, no photos are allowed inside. With upwards of a billion dollars on the grounds at any given time, that is to be expected. Too bad, they don’t give out any free samples.
https://www.moneyfactory.gov/fortworthtxtours.html
To learn more about how money is made, see:
https://www.bep.gov/uscurrency/howmoneyismade.html
TEXAS CIVIL WAR MUSEUM
Texas Civil War Museum, located in Fort Worth, Texas, is the largest Civil War Museum west of the Mississippi. In over 35 years of collecting, Ray and Judy Richey amassed more than 3,000 Civil War artifacts. The Daughters of the Texas Confederacy collection honors Texas’s participation in the Civil War. Given the museum’s size, plan your time accordingly.
TOOLS OF WAR
Authentic guns, uniforms, cannons, dresses, and swords tell the Civil War story from both sides. While the collection boasts its Texas Civil War past, it also focuses on the stories of the artifacts: Jeb Stuart’s sword, General Grant’s coat and cigar from the signing of Lee’s surrender at Appomattox, and an original copy of Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
DRESSES OF THE ERA
The museum also features a display of 40 dresses from 1860 to 1900 that show the progression of women’s fashion during that period. Ms. Richey has some 300 that she has collected.
As you walk through the Infantry, Cavalry, Medical, and Naval galleries, the Civil War story comes alive. You will see uniforms worn on both sides of the conflict, the weaponry used, medical devices used on soldiers, the inside of a cannonball, and pieces of artillery.
UDC COLLECTION
The museum also houses the United Daughters of the Texas Confederacy collection of artifacts from the President of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis. Texas Civil War artifacts are rare, and many are housed here.
Two notable pieces for the museum are two dioramas constructed by Arizona high school students that depict the Battles of Palmetto Ranch and the Battle of the Wilderness.
CIVIL WAR FLAGS
The museum has an impressive collection of Civil War flags. The Confederacy struggled to agree on a flag design, resulting in numerous iterations and confusion throughout the war. Oddly, there were no state flags before the Civil War.
The museum also features a dollhouse of Beauvoir, Jefferson Davis’ post-war home in Biloxi. While the house itself survived 17 hurricanes, the dollhouse was in shambles when it arrived in Fort Worth. The curator meticulously restored it.
This museum is a fascinating look at our country’s Civil War history. Don’t miss it when in Fort Worth.
http://www.texascivilwarmuseum.com/?view=mobile
THE NATIONAL COWGIRL MUSEUM AND HALL OF FAME
The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, established in 1975, is a unique museum dedicated to celebrating women, past and present, whose lives exemplify courage, resilience, and independence that helped shape the American West. Housed in the beautifully ornate building in Fort Worth’s Cultural District, it is ‘pure cowgirl’.
MAIN GALLERY
The main gallery hosts “Hitting the Mark: Cowgirls and the Wild West Shows,” which honors the women who performed in Wild West shows popular in the 1880s through the early 20th century. Footage from Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show is featured, as well as an extensive gallery paying tribute to Annie Oakley, who is perhaps the best-known Cowgirl. You will hear Annie Oakley share her experiences in the West.
With approximately 5,000 artifacts housed at the museum, the thirty-three-square-foot museum’s mission is to preserve the Cowgirl’s importance to the history of women in the West.
The “It’s Never Just a Horse” exhibit pays homage to the link between the horse, the woman, and the West, as a partner, muse, friend, and more.
The Hall of Fame, with 238 members, is scheduled to reopen on March 9, 2019, following completion of its renovation. Come in and get your Cowgirl on!
