Went to the Texas Ranger Museum Today, displays gone!

[rangerider7]

I haven't been to the Waco "Texas Ranger Museum" in 3 or 4 years. I have had a few things that were displayed there and I'm familiar with their other displays. I would say 25% of their displays are gone and another 15% are gone with a sign saying "temporarily removed". Many of the museum's levers and Colt SAA that were used by well known Rangers are removed. Captain Tom Hickman, Lone Wolf, Frank Hamer and other infamous Ranger's guns, spurs and badges etc. gone. Most of the items are on lone to the museum from family members. I have not been to the "Former Texas Ranger Assn." collection at the Buckhorn Museum since it moved to downtown San Antonio so I don't know if they are there. My guess is the worth of these Winchesters and Colts have gone so high that the relatives of these rangers are starting to cash in or they are getting ready too. Has anyone else seen this at other museums?

[mescalero1]

Thats not good, I had been thinking with no offspring that I should donate to museums.

[slickrock]

A fella contacted me to see if I "had a good home for some guns", he had two 25-35s that had homemade old ranger badges inset in the stocks, I said sure did and had them hanging on the wall for 15 years plus.

fella passed away and I hunted down his relation, half cousing thrice removed has a step son, he said he'd wondered what happneed ot great uncle bill's rifles and was happy to get them back, then I saw them for sale....

would have given the kid money had he said he needed it, I believe those rifles and their stories meant more to me than to him, that much was obvious.

Sorry to hear the displays are shrinking....oughta maybe ask how come?

[Hobie]

Thats not good, I had been thinking with no offspring that I should donate to museums.

Aw, DAD! (said in a truly whiny voice...)

[mescalero1]

Don't joke, if I could find a worthy cause; I would do it.

[bogus bill]

I remember as a kid seeing a colt navy that had a flap holster. Inside the flap was burned "to cole younger from major Quantrill". It was displayed at the oshkosh city museum in wisconsin. About 6 years ago I went to look at it again. It and many more were gone. The gun had been donated or loaned many years ago by the old daughter of I belived the police chief. It had been taken off a group of vagrants that got off the train with horses, just before the northfield robbery. A few days after northfield evidently it dawned on the chief that he had messed with the james/younger gang! I asked the currator, obvisely not a gun man what happened to the guns. He just shrugged and said maybe they are in storage! A old lady secatary overheard me and said oh, I remember that gun! She dug around and got me a postcard that they used to sell way back years prior from the gift shop. It had a picture of cole youngers gun on it. I have been looking for that card and havent been able to find it! I was going to post it on a couple threads before this. I just dont belive in giveing museums big ticket stuff like that. Not all those currators have a big intrest in guns etc!

[mescalero1]

Bogus Bill,
I had ( wrongly ) assumed that a museum would recognize the value of such an item, thanks for the heads up.
Back to giving the stuff to the wino in the gutter, at least he will get a good drunk out of it.

[RKrodle]

Bogus Bill,
I had ( wrongly ) assumed that a museum would recognize the value of such an item, thanks for the heads up.
Back to giving the stuff to the wino in the gutter, at least he will get a good drunk out of it.

If your looking for a good loving home for some wayward guns that need love and attention then look no further then "Rkrodle's Home for Old Guns". At RKrodle's HOGs we specialize in loving care and kindness. Please write, or call, for a free brochure.

[mescalero1]

[Mike D.]

Most museums reserve the right to "de-access" items in their inventory, for any reason, along as the board agrees to it. I have purchased such items from time to time, but not firearms. Also, as stated previously, "loaned" items can be called back at any time. Single owner "museums" can sell anything, at any time, with no restriction.

In the past, I "loaned" local Native American artifacts to a STATE OWNED museum, only to have them "repatriated" to an area Casino Band of Miwuk Indians after the 1990 Native American Graves Protection Act was passed. Nothing that was on "loan" had anything to do with graves, or grave goods. What bothered me is that the items were given back with no notice to me. I discovered that once a "donation" is inventoried it becomes the property of the State.

Think thrice before donating ANYTHING to ANY "museum".

[Hobie]

Don't joke, if I could find a worthy cause; I would do it.

And all joking aside, you should. There's a number of museums but, you should be aware of this, often they will sell or trade off donations to get pieces the curator thinks best fits their mission. IOW, your stuff wouldn't likely go into a display but would be sold to folks like us to raise money for the curator's idea of "his" museum.

[Old Ironsights]

Don't joke, if I could find a worthy cause; I would do it.

And all joking aside, you should. There's a number of museums but, you should be aware of this, often they will sell or trade off donations to get pieces the curator thinks best fits their mission. IOW, your stuff wouldn't likely go into a display but would be sold to folks like us to raise money for the curator's idea of "his" museum.

'course they'd probably never be shot again...

IMO it is always a better thing to find someone who will shoot & care for them, whether sold or "given".

I got 3 guns that way. All over 100yrs old. One Huntable Shooter (Drilling)- which Joe is tidying up for me, One 16ga damascus double that is a "shooter" if and only if you use .410 sleeves... but is good on bunnies nonetheless, and One 150+y/o "Zulu" Tabitere .72 smoothbore musket with a Snider type 12ga breech. That is really only a wallhanger... though the metal is so thick I bet if I fixed the sidelock/firing-pin it would work just fine too.

Had he not given them to me, the best that would have happened is that the Damascus would have ended up high on the wall of a Cracker Barrel as a prop, the drilling as a curiosity (maybe) and the Zulu as a tomato stake.

With no kids myself, my guns are destined to either my Brother's kids (if they are interested) or to the F&G Youth Program if I have no say in other sale/gift distribution in my dotage.

[Blaine]

Perhaps a donation to the NRA............ I'll have several dozen, prolly, when I expire. I'll give them to my daughter and point out, by model and serial number those that must be kept in the family forever......I won't have much money for her, so some very nice antiques and a perfect Gibson Guitar from the early 30's might be all she gets from me......

[Ray Newman]

Could it be that the displays have been removed for cleaning & other maintenance, or the displays are being rotated, new display cases installed, etc??

Right now we are all guessing @ the reasons why the displays changed. But it could be that there is a reason behind it.

I’ve been to a few museums when some of the displays that I wanted to see weren’t out. I always ask when they’ll be put back on display &/or why they weren’t out for public viewing.

IMO, if you have valuable or historical heirlooms that you are considering putting on display in a museum, talk to the museum curators, then discuss it w/ an attorney & have him/her review any paperwork.

[TCB in TN]

I hate to hear folks talk about what is going to happen to their "life's work" after they are done. I had to sell most of my guns when I got my divorce back in 1996. I was pretty broke back then, that said I never sold any of the "family" guns I had acquired. They are an important part of my life and barring death I don't plan on them going anywhere.

[mescalero1]

I don't get into the whole passing them on thing because there is no one to pass them on to.
A nice old Husqvarna .243 is coming to me from my half brother right now, why ? because he has no one to give it to.
It WOULD be nice to find someone to let them go to, who would CARE for them properly, not mis-use them.
I will continue to search, but I KNOW there are people who would follow my wishes and do the right thing.................
I just need to find them
Please no more jokes about adopting grown men

[Bill in Oregon]

Might have to e-mail the museum to ask why some of the displays are missing. I had planned to visit it too, when I go down to see my daughter at Baylor.

[Cruise]

All firearms might be worth a great deal more after January 20, 2009!

[mescalero1]

May be, but for the sake of the country; I hope not.