The Fort Bend Museum presents exhibits on the local history of the Fort Bend County area, with a particular focus on the settlement of Austin's Colony. Educational programs highlight local history for schools, families and adults. Several historic house museums are adjacent to the museum, including the 1840s Long-Smith Cottage associated with the "Mother of Texas," Jane Long, and the 1883 Congressman John Moore Home. The Association partners with the City of Richmond in the creation and operation of the Richmond Historic District and is also the parent organization for the Fort Bend Archeological Society. The Association also manages the 480-acre George Ranch Historical Park as a living history museum (see separate listing). Upcoming projects include restoration of the 1901 Richmond depot, excavation of a number of historic archeological sites, and temporary and traveling exhibits on local and regional history.
Founded in 1967 by community leaders, the Fort Bend Museum opened to the public in 1972. During the late 1970s the Association acquired a number of historic structures, a number of which are open daily to the public. In 1984 it began the Texian Market Days festival, which has served as a catalyst for the organization's growth. In 1988 the Fort Bend Museum Association opened the George Ranch Historical Park in partnership with The George Foundation. In 1991 and again in 1999 the Association received accreditation by the American Association of Museums. The Fort Bend Museum Docents serve as an active group of volunteers for the organization. The Museum Association also created the Fort Bend Archeological Society, which has its headquarters in one of the Association's buildings.
Local history artifacts with a focus on the settlement of Austin's Colony. Information on many of the artifact collections are available online at www.fortbendmuseum.org/search.html
Archives, including business and personal papers, county records, photograph collections, and local history reference files. Digitized photograph collections are available online at www.fortbendmuseum.org/search.html
2025 Conference Theme: Looking Back to the Future For the past several years, many museums have been deeply involved in planning programs and events to observe the 250th birthday of the United States of America. While this is certainly an occasion to celebrate, this anniversary also forces us as a society to reckon with ongoing inequities and challenges within the US that go back to its inception. As museums ask their audiences to look to the past to understand the present and shape a better future, perhaps now is a good moment in time for Virginia’s museum community to take pause and look back at its own history. We are excited to see you in Blacksburg in March 2025 as we take a moment in our hectic schedules to take pause and visit our diverse pasts. Let’s uncover and share our histories to build a more resilient Virginia museum community.
"Innovation: Museums and Reaching our Potential
The heart of innovation is transformation – shaking up our established way of doing things by introducing new methods, new ideas, and new approaches to both obstacles and opportunities
Museums across Ohio are not just adapting, but innovating to reach their full potential and better serve their communities. No matter their role, museum professionals are introducing forward-thinking perspectives and initiating creative solutions to launch the field into a future where museums can remain trusted and relevant community cornerstones
How can your museum stay true to mission and serve your community in new and meaningful ways? How can we as museum professionals meet the challenges of the future with reinvigorated enthusiasm
Join us in Athens, March 29-31 as we explore these topics and more at the 2025 Ohio Museums Association’s Annual Conference: Innovation: Museums and Reaching our Potential.
For more information, please email oma@ohiohistory.org.
Museums Unwalled: Expanding Horizon
This theme highlights the importance of museums as dynamic entities that engage with communities, foster education, drive cultural change and often go beyond the building itself. By focusing on areas such as community engagement, digital and virtual presence, interdisciplinary collaborations, sustainability, accessibility, and cultural diversity, we aim to provide a comprehensive and enriching experience for all attendees
The primary objective is to provide a platform for museum professionals and others working in the industry to share ideas, best practices, resources and innovative approaches that demonstrate how museums can reach audiences in and beyond our physical spaces. We aim to inspire attendees to think broadly about the potential of their institutions and to foster a spirit of innovation and community engagement.
By facilitating discussions, workshops, and networking opportunities, the conference will empower current and future museum professionals and to expand their impact, embrace new challenges, and create meaningful connections with their audiences and communities.
"From the Ground Up: Cultivating Essential Skills in Museums
This year, the AMA conference theme is "From the Ground Up: Cultivating Essential Skills in Museums" As museum professionals we learn and use a wide variety of tools and skills every day
The Arkansas Museums Association is planning its 2025 Annual Conference, which will be hosted by Historic Washington State Park on March 31-April 3, 2025.
The goal of the conference is to support and foster the museum community through a mix of speakers as well as workshops, practical and informative presentations, in-depth discussions, and examples of projects and initiatives that are relevant to museums in Arkansas. Arkansas Museum Association members take ownership in the conference experience as presenters, speakers, panelists, facilitators, and workshop leaders.
For more information, please email arkansasmuseums@gmail.com.
Cultivating Community: Looking In, Reaching Ou
Who are the members of our communities? How can we evaluate our internal structures to help us better understand our organization, define our audiences, and serve our communities? How do we bring all communities together to support our field? How can we support and develop our internal community of staff, volunteers, and board members? How can we advocate for funding that meets operational capacity needs and includes equitable staff support? What changes do we need to make to prioritize the health and well-being of our museum workforce that will support the longevity and sustainability of our institutions and strengthen our ability to build meaningful community relationships
MANY presents conference sessions, workshops, panel discussions, facilitated discussions, and peer-to-peer learning experiences focusing on our 2025 conference theme, Cultivating Community: Looking In, Reaching Out. We will be gathering in Ithaca, in the Southern Tier Region of our state, located on the traditional homelands of the Gayogo̱hó:nǫɁ (the Cayuga Nation)
MANY’s annual conference helps museum professionals build a network to share perspectives, tools, and skills that develop excellence across the field. Our goal is to nurture a community of practice, advance institutional change, and create an inclusive and expansive New York team of collaborators who learn together.