Texas Wendish Heritage on Exhibit at The Bullock Texas State History Museum

With three floors of expansive exhibition space showcasing more than 700 original artifacts, the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum offers an ever-changing experience in the Texas History Galleries. New artifacts are continually added, bringing new stories to the Museum each week.

Exhibitions featuring 500-plus original artifacts that span 13,000 years and a robust calendar of special exhibitions, films and programs are the hallmark of the state’s official history museum. The Museum collaborates with more than 700 museums, libraries, archives, and individuals to display original historical artifacts and produce exhibitions that illuminate and celebrate Texas history and culture.

Artifacts are ever-changing, and beginning in October, items highlighting Wendish culture in Texas have been on display at the Bullock Museum. These rare pieces, on loan from the Texas Wendish Heritage Museum in Serbin, Texas, offer a view into the culture and traditions of the Wends and the hardships endured during their migration to the central Texas region in the 1800s.

The Wends, a Slavic group from eastern Germany, risked everything to preserve their religious beliefs and cultural identity when they began immigrating to Texas in 1849. Artifacts on view include a collection of Martin Luther’s sermons dating to 1732, a black wedding dress from 1879, a pine trunk from the 1840s used to transport family possessions to Texas, and a Rumpliche mask from the 1920s-1930s.

The Texas Wendish Heritage display is featured on the second floor of the Bullock Museum in the Cultural Crossroads exhibit, and may be viewed at the Museum through April of 2016.