Crosby County Pioneer Memorial Museum & Community Center

04/22/2026

Tomorrow’s museum board meeting has changed locations from the CCPMM conference room to the Ericson Farm and Ranch Museum. These meetings are open to the public. Feel free to call the museum with any questions.

Ericson farm and ranch museum
211 Aspen
Crosbyton Tx
April 23, 2026
5:00

03/03/2026

The day has finally arrived!! Demo of the old chiller/boiler system started today. The parking lot around the museum is going to be a little full over the next few months. CCPMM employees will be onsite but we ask that you give us a call if you need research or help instead of coming to the building. 806-675-2331. We can't wait to be up and running and share all the things we've been doing during the closure.

01/22/2026

So what exactly has the staff been doing during the museum closure.. INVENTORY!!

So why is this the project we decided to tackle?
1. Accountability & Security:
*Confirms items are where they should be, preventing loss or theft
2. Collections Care & Stewardship:
*Identifies objects needing conservation or preservation.
*Documents condition, helping to track damage or changes.
*Ensures items are stored properly and efficiently.
3. Operational Efficiency:
*Provides an "ID card" for each object, streamlining research and access.
*Saves time by locating items quickly for loans, exhibitions, or research.
*Updates records for better management and planning.
4. Legal & Financial Requirements:
*Fulfills legal obligations for managing public collections.
*Provides essential data for insurance valuation.
5. Documentation:
*Gathers detailed information, including photos, history, and provenance.
*Creates a baseline for future collection development and management.

By undertaking this inventory project, we are ultimately making our collections more manageable for future exhibitions, research, and loan requests. Knowing what we have, where it is located, and the care it requires is fundamental to our mission.

But wait…that's not all!!! CCPMM will also be able to publish the collections online. Our new system, Catalogit, is such a cool program but what does that mean for you? The public will be able to view collections like the 20k+ Wayne J Parker Collection in full. The week of July 20th we will give a presentation on the new system at the Crosby County Library .. so mark your calendars and be ready to be impressed!

CatalogIt is a cloud-based Collections Management System for mobile and desktop. Its intuitive visual interface delivers powerful museum-level capabilities for multiple users to collaborate simultaneously, securely, and in real-time to catalog and manage all kinds of collections and publish to the w...

01/21/2026

So how are things going at the Crosby County Pioneer Memorial Museum.
As most of you know, we are in the process of a significant upgrade to our museum’s climate control system. The current chiller and boiler, which have served us for nearly 60 years, are being replaced with a modern, advanced system. This new system will not only provide efficient heating and cooling but will also actively monitor and regulate humidity levels to better preserve the artifacts you have entrusted to CCPMM.

This important project involves extensive electrical upgrade work within our nearly 70-year-old building and represents a major investment in the long-term care of our collections.

Where we are in the process…
1. Contracted with a local engineering firm to design a new HVAC system tailored to the museums needs.
2. Had existing ductwork cleaned and will be used instead of having ductwork replaced, which will help reduce costs associated with system.
3. Conducted the required asbestos testing to ensure safety and compliance.
4. Developed a plan for the HVAC company to work efficiently and safely within the museum environment.
5. Project advertised and Engineer met with potential companies to walk the museum and review plans.
6. Opened and recorded sealed bids.

CCPMM board will review bids @ January meeting and discuss cost and projected completion timelines.

Although the museum is closed for public visits the staff is onsite working and will give an update on some exciting progress we've made within the collection in a future post. Also, look out for an exciting collaboration with the Crosby County Library. As always, please feel free to call for historical research and any other questions you may have.

08/28/2025

Found these gems while looking for Jubilee pictures. What a priceless piece of history CCPMM houses.

08/26/2025

In preparation for the Crosbyton Jubilee, we created a slide show with photos from the Old Settler's Reunion and 1958 Jubilee. Enjoy!

08/26/2025

In preparation for the Crosbyton Jubilee, we are releasing some new videos. Each one has it's own unique scenes. Here is the third video.
Crosbyton Businesses, Sept. 14-Oct.18, 1956

08/26/2025

In preparation for the Crosbyton Jubilee, we are releasing some new videos. Each one has it's own unique scenes. Here is the second video.
Crosbyton Town Pictures, Aug. 17, 1956

08/26/2025

In preparation for the Crosbyton Jubilee, we are releasing some new videos. Each one has it's own unique scenes. Here is the first video.
The Town of Crosbyton 1956

08/11/2025

Did you know the museum has 4 wings with 4 different themes? As we dive into the inventory project and catalog each item we also consider does it lend to the retelling of the theme of each wing. Here is breakdown of each section

The Walker Wing (west wing) tells the story of Crosby County. We start with a brief introduction of Hank and Elizabeth Smith but really focus on the establishment of Estacado and proceeding towns. This wing features historical places, people and events from about 1876 forward.

The Hank and Elizabeth Smith Room (Rock House) Tells about the life and adventures of Crosby County's first pioneers, Hank and Elizabeth Smith and their families. (did you know our board president is the great grandson of Hank and Elizabeth)

The McCurdy Wing (east wing) features replicas and examples of items used for domestic living from covered wagons up to the 1930's. This wing features the half dugout, a must see for everybody.

The Wheeler Wing featuring the Wayne J. Parker Center for the Study of Native American Culture. This area highlights Pre-Crosby County history. It houses the Wayne J Parker collection and a research area that has been utilized by universities, archeologist and historians to further the understanding of the Native American culture. You can also find artifacts from Mackenzies 1871, 1872 and 1874 expeditions including the battle of Blanco Canyon site. We also dive into the Texas Rangers presence in Crosby County and display artifacts found from the camp Roberts site. We also share the adventures and contributions that local residents like Wayne J Parker, Choise Smith and Joe Taylor made to discovering this county's rich history buried under the West Texas dirt.

Hopefully, as we continue the inventory we can find items that have been tucked away to share with our long time friends and supporters.

08/08/2025

So now that we've covered the why and how we do an inventory and collection management.. what does that look like for CCPMM? CCPMM has 2 main storage areas. One area is climate and humidity controlled while the other one is not. We started by emptying the contents of the climate controlled area and started the process of photographing, measuring and accessing each item. Each item will be entered into our new system, Catalogit, and evaluated. Some items will be set aside for our collection committee to review while other are carefully boxed and tagged. The collection committee will determine if the items presented to them meet the mission statement or not. If they don't meet the mission or the condition is too deteriorated to display.. the item will be processed according to standard practices discussed in previous post. One of the cool things about this process.. we will be able to share the inventory with the public. Collection profiles are created as we enter and photograph items. These collection profiles will then be uploaded to CCPMM website for the public to view. We know this is going to be a long process and we want to be transparent with the citizens of Crosby County. As always, if you have questions or concerns feel free to call us.