Witte Museum Opens
Much-Anticipated
Robert J. & Helen C. Kleberg
SOUTH TEXAS HERITAGE CENTER
SAN ANTONIO— It’s time South Texas reclaimed the legendary
story of this wild and vivid land, and the Witte Museum is doing just
that with the grand opening of the Robert J. and Helen C. Kleberg
South Texas Heritage Center, Memorial Day Weekend, Saturday, May 26,
2012. This untamed country was the birthplace of ranching empires
that continue today and was the crucible from which emerged the American Cowboy
from his Vaquero forbearers. The South Texas Heritage Center, a 20,000 square-foot, two-story building that incorporates
the historic Pioneer Hall, serves as a permanent home for the Witte’s South Texas collections, exhibitions and public programs, combined with the latest museum technology, to trace the legendary history of South
Texas.
The Witte’s South Texas collections are cherished links to
our interwoven heritage and include saddles,
spurs, basketry, branding irons, historical clothing, land grants, art and firearms. The South Texas Heritage
Center provides immersive and engaging experiences of real-life stories of the men, women and children of South Texas. Hear the traveling narratives of Tejano Freighters and the historical
narratives of Chili Queens, merchants,
Texas Indians, Spanish settlers, trail drivers, ranchers and farmers. Encounter historic personas
sharing the stories of vaqueros, cowboys, oilmen and women, gas industry leaders and the children who grew up on the land.
The main galleries
of the new Center include exhibits on ranching,
farming, San Antonio’s Main Plaza in the 1840s, the oil and gas industry, horse culture, life along the border and
a gallery dedicated to the Witte’s seminal 19th
and 20th century early Texas Art collection.
Additionally, the Witte’s ground-breaking 2006 exhibition, A
Wild & Vivid Land: Stories of South Texas, which attracted more than 100,000
visitors, has been enhanced and now takes its home in the South Texas Heritage
Center. A Wild & Vivid Land revealed
the relevance and real-life stories of South Texans in a new and compelling way
—and proved that present-day visitors want to understand the past.
“Most people don’t
know where they came from. And if you don’t know where you came from, I don’t
know how you can set a course for where you’re going to go…It’s an important
thing the Witte is doing to preserve the heritage of the families that
developed and pioneered in South Texas,” said Mary West Traylor, South Texas
rancher and Witte supporter. 
Other Highlights
of the Robert J and Helen C. Kleberg Foundation South Texas Heritage Center
include a grand two-story entry hall;
classroom space for educational
programs for students; an outdoor
amphitheater; sculptures and
much more.
The South Texas Heritage Center is included with museum general admission. For more information call
210.357.1910 or visit www.WitteMuseum.org.
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