The Bryan Museum
"The adventure of history comes alive at The Bryan Museum."
Welcome to The Bryan Museum, the museum located in the historic Galveston Orphans Home that has housed the Bryan Collection since 2015.
The Bryan Collection is one of the world's largest collections of historic artifacts, documents, and artwork relating to Texas and the American West. Founder and namesake JP Bryan first began his collection at the age of 9, when he acquired his first two pieces; a Moore's Patent Front Loading Revolver and Sharp's Patent Four Barrel Derringer. From there he started gathering rare books, Texas literature, and basically any other collectible that dealt with Texas and The West.
Today you will find a permanent collection that spans 12,000 years of human history with 'pieces ranging from ancient Native American cultural artifacts to modern 21st-century objects'. There are 70,000 items total, including 20,000 rare books, over 30,000 documents, over 250 antique firearms, several pieces of folk art, rare maps, chaps, arrowheads, and so much more, all collected and presented as 'a chronological history of Texas and the American West, with a special emphasis on Spanish influences in the region'.
Take your time exploring galleries such as the Orientation Gallery, Spanish Colonial Era, Texas Frontier, and Texas Masters, then stop by the onsite Museum Store to pick up your educational materials or fun souvenirs. Field trip groups will want to opt in to a guided tour, sensory experience, or immersive activity, with program and tour options that include Adventures in Texas History, Trailblazing Texas History, Manifest Destiny, Texas Ranger Hunt, Garden Hunt, and more.