Current Exhibits

Temporary Exhibits

Quilts of Valor
On display through September 12, 2026
This exhibit features homemade quilts made for veterans and active duty servicemembers. These quilts will be gifted to servicemen and women at the end of the exhibit.

Temple Community Treasures
On display through November 14, 2026

This exhibit features images of Temple’s historic buildings, places, and spaces and is sponsored by the Temple Historic Preservation Board.

All art was in the Temple Community Treasures Photography and Painting Contest.

Upcoming Exhibits

The Uncovered Canvas: Selected Works of the Bell County Museum's Art Collection
Opening September 26, 2026
The exhibit features works from the Bell County Museum’s fine art collection, including five newly acquired paintings by Bell County artist Marie Cronin. The exhibit will also include the bronze sculpture, War Chief by Salado artist Troy Kelley of Salado.

The American Revolution
On display December 1 - 19, 2026
In honor of America's 250th anniversary, this exhibit will include stories of people involved in and affected by the American Revolution through stories, artifacts, and interactive elements.

**In partnership with the Betty Martin Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

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!

This exhibit features fun interactive elements for kids of all ages.

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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 features an interactive dig pit, a chance to be an archaeologist, a 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.