History comes to life

The addition of the Denton County African American Museum makes the top of the Golden Triangle home to a triad of museums.  By Haley Shapley

 

ooking for a special way to celebrate Black History Month in Denton? Plan on attending the opening of the Denton County African American Museum on Feb. 16. According to Dr. Georgia Caraway, executive director of the Denton County museums, this newest installment to Denton’s museums commemorates African- American lifestyle, culture, and heritage.

Even the house that the museum calls home is an artifact. A goal of the Historical Park Foundation and its first chairman, Fred Patterson, has always been to include one of the houses from the area known as Quakertown, Caraway says.

That’s exactly what they found three years ago. One of the original Quakertown houses, built around 1900, became available and was moved to the Historical Park on Mulberry Street. Part of the museum will tell the story of Quakertown, a Denton neighborhood settled in 1875 by African-American families. In the early 1920s, Quakertown residents were relocated for the development of Civic Center Park.

“The story of Quakertown is an unfortunate part of Denton’s history, this museum is a way to heal,” Caraway says. “People from every walk of life have been involved in the formation and creation of this particular museum. It crosses all boundaries, and I think interest is across the entire community for this particular museum.”

Initially, the museum collection will mainly consist of historic photographs, but one of the most significant exhibits is about Dr. Edwin Moten, Denton’s first black physician, who resided in the city from 1907 to 1920. This collection includes letters written by Dr. Moten, photographs, postcards, medical records, medicine cases, and prescription pads, among other items.

All three rooms of the house will be used for exhibits. The introductory room features rotating exhibits on African-American life in Denton County from 1870 to 1950. A second room is reserved for the history of African-Americans in the city of Denton, while the third room depicts life in Denton County, from communities such as Krum, Pilot Point, Lewisville, and Southlake. For more information about the Denton County African American Museum, visit www.dentoncounty.com/dcaam.