*Corporate and Foundation Supporters: Please call us toll-free at 1-877-750-8631 to discuss how your company or foundation can participate on the company and foundation level.



$90 of the contribution qualifies as a charitable contribution for income tax purposes. The Texas Ranger Hall of Fame is a 170(c) government-owned nonprofit.



Please click here to learn more about the program.

Discovering the Legend : Bowie Knife Presentation

On September 10th, the Museum formally accepted the Rezin P. Bowie/Capt. William Y. Lacey Bowie Knife donated by Mr. Rudolph Gleichman. During the ceremony, Shelly Crittendon, Collections Manager, gave a brief presentation on the history of Bowie knives, including the Lacy Bowie Knife. Master knife maker Greg Wall, a descendant of the Bowie family, crafted and donated a painstakingly made replica for educational purposes to the museum. He spoke on the meaning behind the making of the replica.

To watch our new Discovering the Legends episode featuring this event, please click here . Discovering the Legend is a television series produced by the Waco City Cable Channel and distributed to over 50 City and College cable channels across Texas.

Above, Left to Right: Lt. James Thomas, Collections Manager Shelly Crittendon and Major Corey Lain accept the donation of the Bowie Knife on behalf of the People of Texas

Below: Greg Wall presents a replica of the Bowie knife to the Museum

German Magazine Publishes Article on Museum

The Texas Ranger Hall of Fame was featured in the recent issue of Germany's Magazin fur Amerikanistik ( Journal of American History ) to mark the Museum's 50th year of its opening in the article "1968-2018: 50 Jahre Ruhmeshalle der Texas Rangers." Danke!

Lieutenant Patrick Pe ñ a

Lt. Peña receives a gift of appreciation from the board and staff of the Texas Ranger Museum.

Lt. Patrick Peña began his career in July 1999 as a Security Worker at Texas DPS Headquarters Complex in Austin. Graduating from the DPS Academy in 2002, he was a Highway Patrol Trooper in Van Horn and Waco. In 2008 he was promoted to Narcotics Sergeant serving in McAllen, Amarillo and Lubbock. Promoted to Texas Ranger in December 2012, he was assigned to Laredo and then Waco.

In Waco Patrick became fascinated with the history of the Texas Rangers and assisted with educational programs and welcoming visitors from around the world. In 2015 he participated in an oral history interview from the perspective of a Texas Ranger entering service ( please click here to read it ).

While we will miss the daily working relationship, we are excited to announce that he was promoted to Ranger Lieutenant in September and stationed in Tyler. We wish him the best of luck in his new role!

Fort Griffin History Days

Museum staff will be at Fort Griffin outside Albany, TX for the Living History Days October 12th and 13th! Authentic frontier history will come to life at Fort Griffin State Historic Site with activities and interpretations including military demonstrations, blacksmithing, 19th century children games, and much more. We will be talking about the important role the Texas Rangers played in Texas history and have a few of our replica firearms on display. Please come join us on both days from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Here are a few pictures from our attendance in 2016.

DPS Museum Day in Austin

On September 23rd, the Museum was invited to participate in DPS Museum Day in Austin at the DPS Headquarters. The event included the Mounted patrol and their horses, vintage and new DPS State Trooper automobiles, SWAT gear and much more! We look forward to next year's event in September 2019.

Last month, Knox Center hosted the Central Texas press conference for National Night Out. It included presentations by Representative Doc Anderson and Fire Chief Bobby J. Tatum Jr. (below) as well as photo ops with mascots including McGruff the Crime Dog.

National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live. National Night Out enhances the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community. Furthermore, it provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together.

Millions of neighbors take part in National Night Out across thousands of communities from all fifty states, U.S. territories and military bases worldwide on the first Tuesday in August (Texas celebrates on the first Tuesday in October). Neighborhoods host block parties, festivals, parades, cookouts and various other community events with safety demonstrations, seminars, youth events, visits from emergency personnel, exhibits and much, much more.

Please click here to learn more about National Night Out.

Gift Shop Feature: Wood Serving Board

These natural wood serving boards are ideal for cheese and fruit. Engraved with the Texas Ranger badge in the center, they measure 12 inches square.

$60 + Tax

Sales from the Gift Shop benefit the preservation and education activities of the Museum. Please call (877) 750-8631 or email [email protected] to order. Thank you!

Newsletter Compiled by Christine Rothenbush, Marketing & Development Specialist