2021-06-12 Buffalo Gap TX

 Saturday morning most of us gathered at the Rally Room again. Adventures today were Buffalo Gap, Frontier Museum, or the Zoo. We ended up splitting the group up between the Frontier Museum and Buffalo Gap. I chose Buffalo Gap. Yes, it was hot but this is Texas and we are tough plus we have A/C back at the park.

Six of us headed out in a couple of vehicles. Before we went into the Visitor's Center, we had to get a photo. Brenda was both one of our hostess's for the Rally and our guide as she used to live in Abilene.

This is considered a unique white buffalo which actually looks kind of yellow and is really a bison.

The Hill House was built in 1882 at a cost of $400 for Marshall Tom Hill when he moved to Abilene at the age of 27 to become the first Marshall. He and his wife Molly and their two daughters lived here. He died as the result of an accidental shooting 4 years later.

Water pump right outside on the porch.

The Taylor County Courthouse was built in 1879 at a cost of $8000 and was the first courthouse in the county. The small room downstairs was the office of the judge and county clerk.

The large room was used for commissioner meetings and trials..

There is a main jail room upstairs for 12 prisoners and a small cell for dangerous or violent criminals.

When the county seat moved to Abilene in 1883, the building was sold and turned into a two story home.

The Knight-Sayles cabin was built in 1875 as a single room cabin.

The Doctor's Office was actually built as a home but is used as a doctor's office because doctor's worked from home in the early days. This was a very unique heater.

The Barbershop building was built in 1922 as a post office. In the early 1900's, the barber provided a shave and haircut with the option for a bath for an additional fee.

The Train Depot here was originally built in Clyde in 1910 for $40,000. There were separate waiting rooms for whites and coloreds.

The Blacksmith Shop was built in the late 20th century. Services were horseshoeing, repairing wagons and buggies, and making branding irons.

This was in the gallery where classes are sometimes held and rotating exhibits are displayed. You would want to be real careful how you sat here.

This is the Wagon Barn.

The Cottonwood Flat Schoolhouse was built for $900. It was no longer used for a school after 1938.

By the 1920;s, there were more than 15,000 gas stations around the country. This one was built in Winters TX and had only 1 pump.

The Post Office was the first freestanding post office in Buffalo Gap. It was built in the Post Master's front yard for $600.

The Print Shop was built to hold multiple machines used in the newspaper printing business. The equipment was used for 34 years before being donated to the museum.

The Buffalo Chapel was called "The Sweet Church". The walls of the chapel used to be filled with bees, and after failing to get rid of them, the members of the congregation accepted them and divided their honey amongst each other. That is how it became "The Sweet Church". The church was founded by Mary Lee Cagle in 1896 and this chapel was built in 1902. Opposition to a female preacher occurred often but she founded at least 18 churches before 1908 with 11 of them being in Texas 

After a great time at old Buffalo Gap, we went to the Gap Cafe for lunch. It is owned by the Perinni Ranch which is famous for their steaks.

We all really enjoyed the tour of Buffalo Gap. After lunch we quickly headed back to the park because we had a special craft project in the afternoon on how to make rusty shirts.