Current Exhibits

Temporary Exhibit

State Fair (Sept. 4 - Nov. 27)

State Fair captures photographer Arthur Grace's odyssey through fairs in ten states—Texas, Kansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio , and Virginia. Grace's images capture the strange mixture of the traditional, the kitsch, and the off-the-wall that is unique to these annual gatherings, which began as a celebration of rural American life and have evolved into super-sized extravaganzas.

The exhibit includes artifacts from past fairs, rodeos, and community gatherings in Bell County in addition to State Fair of Texas items generously loaned by the Dr Pepper Museum in Waco, Texas.

State Fair is an exhibition by the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at The University of Texas at Austin, presented in partnership with Humanities Texas.

Permanent Exhibits

Discover Bell County

Located in our 1904 Historic Carnegie Library, this exhibit takes visitors on a journey through Bell County History. Explore four themes of Bell County's past: The Land, Agriculture and Ranching, Transportation and Industry, and Education and Culture. Each theme covers part of the story of Bell County, Texas.

Enjoy historic photos on our interactive touchscreen, the famous Moustache Teacup Collection, paleolithic era artifacts, and more!

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The Gault Site: A Wealth of New Archaeological Evidence

This permanent exhibit includes large murals, discovery drawers, microscopes and the film, "The Gault Project: An Adventure in Time," funded by the Texas Historical Foundation.

The Gault Site has been home to human beings for over 13,000 years. It is strategically located in the Balcones Ecotone, the boundary zone of the Edwards Plateau and the Black Prairie/Coastal Plain Ecozone. The analysis of materials at the Gault Site provides archaeologists with a unique look into the lifestyles of the earliest people in Texas and, by extension, the earliest peoples in the Americas.

This exhibit also features an interactive dig pit, chalkboard for cave drawings, discovery drawers, and more!

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Little River Log Cabin

The Little River Log Cabin was built in the 1850s near Little River/Academy, the area of earliest Anglo settlement in Bell County. The cabin features half-dovetail notching, and was originally a “single-pen,” or one-room house, with side-facing gables.

In 1995, Grant and Jeanny Smith purchased the cabin and had it dismantled by Salado artist Lonnie Edwards. In 2001, the Smiths donated the cabin to the Bell County Museum.

The cabin is not the original size, nor are all of the stones and logs placed in their original positions. However, the logs and stones are original to the 1850s cabin. It can be seen from the museum exterior, or by tour groups. Ask staff about scheduling a tour!