GIRAFFES AND BALL GOWNS

Want to see a life-size stuffed giraffe and an elaborate 1956 Fiesta de San Jacinto ball gown all in one afternoon? Make your way to the Willacy County Historical Museum in the town of Raymondville. The museum, housed in the repurposed Raymondville High School (a red brick charmer built in 1924), exhibits an eclectic mix of photographs, objects, and memorabilia commemorating the region's heritage and displayed in various showrooms. The Wildlife and Gun Room, aptly named, exhibits taxidermy specimens (including the giraffe) and an extensive collection of antique firearms. The Farm and Ranch Room includes a chuck wagon and a horse-drawn buggy once owned by area ranching icon Mifflin Kenedy. Elaborate pageant and festival gowns adorn mannequins in the Costume Room, as well as military uniforms once worn by local Raymondville veterans and hand-beaded dresses created especially for some of the state's annual festivals. The museum and its collection are considered hidden treasures by Raymondville residents, a secret definitely worth checking out. (Now if only the giraffe were actually wearing the ball gowns!)

Watch our Legacy of the Chisholm Trail video to learn more about the Chisholm Trail in Texas. This video was produced for inclusion in our Chisholm Trail mobile tour found in our Texas Time Travel Tours mobile app. Download the app for more videos and travel information: