Smithsonian Exhibit At Buffalo Gap’s Historic Village by: Hope Menken

The Smithsonian’s traveling exhibit “Crossroads: Change in Rural America” has been sweeping its way across the nation.

Created to bring awareness to rural small-town America and its past and current impact on the nation, the exhibit will visit a total of seven stops before completing the circuit in Rockport on March 9 before arriving in the Texas Plains Trail Region in Texas. The fifth of these is Buffalo Gap.

Located 20 minutes south of downtown Abilene, the Buffalo Gap Historic Village is a collection of several buildings, both replica and original, which showcase history from the 1870s to the 1920s including the original Taylor County Courthouse which served three years before the county seat was stolen and moved to Abilene. The Smithsonian exhibit is free for all and will be located at the Historic Village from March 15 to April 26 which coincidentally overlaps with the village’s 150th anniversary.  The exhibition will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturdays, and 1 p.m.- 4 p.m. Sundays and will be closed on April 20 due to the Easter holiday. 

There are six different themes, one for each week: Buffalo, Native Americans, Traversing the Trails, Ranching and Agriculture, Salute to the Military and Powering Our Region.  There are several events throughout the exhibit that are themed as well including The County Seat Caper and the Bank Robber Shootout reenactments, speakers such as Garland Richards on Fort Chadbourne, air shows, hands-on activities and more. The full schedule of events can be found at the end of this article. 

“It’s a joy to be able to bring history to life for a modern audience who so obviously appreciates their past. Taylor Roberts created a balanced script with both accuracy and humor, and our cast has worked diligently to honor her work, the historical events of our county, and the audiences present for the Smithsonian activities,” said ‘24 ACU alum Caleb Shields, director of The County Seat Caper said. “The best feeling is standing offstage (which in this case is a room adjacent to the old courtroom) and hearing the reactions - the laughs, the gasps, and responses - of the crowd. That’s what theater is all about. Telling a story and hearing how it is received by others.”

To find out more or to access the full calendar of events you can visit this link https://buffalogaptx.com/smithsonian-in-buffalo-gap-schedule/. If you would like to learn more about Buffalo Gap you can visit https://buffalogaptx.com/.