Stone Fort Museum to open exhibit on East Texas leader

Part of the newly installed exhibit "George Crocket: Out of the Ordinary" on display at the Stone Fort Museum at Stephen F. Austin State University beginning Thursday, Nov.8 and running through May 18, 2013.

The Stone Fort Museum at Stephen F. Austin State University will host an opening reception for the exhibit "George Crocket: Out of the Ordinary" from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8.

The newly installed exhibit examines the life and times of Dr. George Crocket. Born in the mid-19th century, Crocket lived a life spanning a period of great changes in East Texas. The exhibit not only highlights the impact of his leadership on the development of Nacogdoches and San Augustine, but also invites the visitor to share in Crocket's experiences through hands-on activities such as using period typewriters.

Research for the exhibit was completed by Kaitlin Wieseman, a Stone Fort Museum research assistant and a recent graduate of the public history program at SFA. Wieseman relied heavily on the extensive collection on Crocket housed in the East Texas Research Center at Steen Library. Before his death in 1936, Crocket donated his letters, drawings, sermons and research notes to the library, and the exhibit features many of these items.

In addition to the material on loan from the ETRC, Wieseman acquired artifacts from private and institutional lenders, including the Heritage Society of Houston, the SFA Alumni Association and the National Scouting Museum in Irving.

"We've been working on an exhibit about the life of Crocket on and off for about 15 years," said Carolyn Spears, director of the Stone Fort Museum. "The exhibit is a great way to bring the story of this important historian to the region."

During the reception, Perky Beisel of the Friends of Historic Nacogdoches Inc. will present information on the upcoming Crocket statue project.

The exhibit will run through May 18, 2013. For more information on the exhibit, or to learn how to book a tour for your group, call (936) 468-2408, e-mail stonefort@sfasu.edu or visit www.sfasu.edu/stonefort.