What Texan doesn't enjoy talking about Texas? But few would take it as far as some Johnson County residents, and start a museum.
David Murdoch and Robert McMinn are two of the cowboys behind the Chisholm Trail Outdoor Museum in Cleburne. The 10-acre property boasts 21 exhibits meant to take people back to the days of the wild west.
"You can go anywhere in the world and say 'Texas,' and people know what you're talking about," Murdoch said.
The property itself is historic. It sits where Wardville, the first county seat of Johnson County, was established in 1854.
"During the heyday of Chisholm Trail there were 17 saloons that stretched from here all the way to Cleburne. So if you could imagine [this place] on a Saturday night it was a wild place," Murdoch said.
The property includes the original Wardville courthouse, the oldest log cabin courthouse in the state; a jail, including the original jail doors; a replica school house; a museum dedicated to Native Americans and more.
"They teach history in school, but they don't have hands-on, and this is hands-on," McMinn said.
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The property was established more than a decade ago and is run entirely by volunteers and donations. It remains open for free to the public.
Murdoch and McMinn both say this is their way of giving back and helping future generations understand Texas' past.
"Come visit, enjoy what we enjoy and get hooked on history," McMinn said.
The museum will host its annual free Pioneer Days Nov. 17 to 19. The museum will celebrate 150 years of the Chisholm Trail with their own cattle drive.
MORE: To learn more visit the Chisholm Trail Museum website
