Kathy loved dinosaurs. Almost as much as penguins. I guess it started when she was going after one of her degrees (she had 6 or 7, I lost count).
This one was at the University of Texas at Dallas, where she was in a program for science education. The department was run by a couple of paleontologists. One of the things the students in her cohort did was work as teaching assistants in the paleo department, which included going to Big Bend National Park on dinosaur digs. She spent two summers there guiding students through the digs. And, of course, she brought home souvenirs. When I was clearing out the house to get ready for this little adventure, I ran across one of those little boxes that you get with catered lunches full of fossils.
And she had little toy dinos all over her office. The only thing that outshone the collection was her penguins.
So, when I was looking for something fun to do while at Lake Whitney, and ran across Texas Through Time, and saw it was a fossil museum, I just had to go.
Located in a former service station in old downtown Hillsboro, Texas Through Time's mission is to bring together a comprehensive collection of fossils with the intent of educating the public on the ancient history of our great state and though that raise appreciation for the largest and most diverse population of fossil records in the U.S.
Now, they're pretty new at this. The director of the museum has been at it for a long time, but the museum has only been open a little over a year. That said, they do a very good job of it. From the showcases full of fossils, taxidermy examples and even a preservation area where visitors can watch them work, to a sand pit for the kids and some fun replica dinosaurs, there's a lot to see.
And the staff great! They know and obviously love their work, and are more than happy to walk visitors through the exhibits, explaining how each fit into the fabric of history.
Like many museums, they house special events and travelling shows. I just missed one I would have loved to see featuring meteorites and the relations to dinosaurs including a visit from one of the "Meteorite Men" from TV. And they had a Halloween night called "Night at the Booseum" How cool is that?
Kathy would have loved this place. I know I did. I look forward to following their progress. You can check out more on the Facebook page (@texasthroughtime) or their website www.texasthroughtime.org.
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