To most people, the Camp Colorado Replica at the City Park has been there forever ... or so it seems, but in 1936, the Centennial year, it was built.  Interest in history was high as the Centennial year approached and that interest continued through most of 1936.  Here in Coleman and throughout the county there was desire to participate in our state’s 100th birthday. 
The idea was proposed to erect a replica of the administration building of old Camp Colorado in the City Park.  The city fathers, then including Commissioners Bert Scott, Hubert Shore and Mayor E. P. Scarborough, approved the proposal and proceeded with plans.  Through the efforts of State Senator Walter Woodward of Coleman, a grant of $3600 was obtained from the Texas Centennial Commission and with these funds, and labor provided by the Works Projects Administration (WPA), the replica was erected.
 

There is more to the story than that however.  Plans and specifications were needed.  Records from the old Federal outpost did not reveal a set of plans for the structure, and there was nothing to do but turn to memory.  The old structures at the post, of course, were long gone.  In 1879, Henry Sackett had purchased the property where the old camp had stood, and he built a ranch home there, using some of the rocks from the old buildings, and leaving the old original guard house of the outpost attached to the rear of his home.  Inscribed above the door on the old guardhouse is the date, 1857, which can still be seen today.

Without plans or pictures, the city officials visited Mrs. Sackett and obtained her description of the former administration building.  From her description, City Engineer Clarence Cooper prepared a scale drawing, and Bert Scott recalled that when shown the drawing later, Mrs. Sackett wept, and stated that the drawing was indeed exactly as she remembered the building.  With drawing in hand, work proceeded immediately on the structure at the City Park, and an impressive ceremony and program was held later that year at the time of the dedication, and a marker was placed at the site of the old camp that same year.

Many items of historical interest were displayed in the Replica in 1936, and tragically many of the items disappeared.  Apparently security measures for the structure were not adequate at that time.  Down through the years the Replica has been used for meetings and for family gatherings.  In 1961 it was chosen as the site for the Coleman County Museum, which has been operating since that time.
 

The Coleman County Museum began mainly through the efforts of Ben F. Cox, a veteran service officer of Coleman.  He became interested in antiques in 1961, picked up a few items, was given a few, and hung them all on the wall of his office in the courthouse.  The idea caught on.  Everyone visiting his office would see his collection and bring other items to add to it.  This was all good and fine for awhile.  Soon he realized he was acquiring more items than his office could hold, with the walls covered and junk stacked to the ceiling.  The city council got interested and donated the old two-room replica of the administration building of Camp Colorado for a museum.  Cox was elected executive director and treasurer by the newly established museum board of directors.  Milton Autry was elected president, J. B. Harris was hired as custodian and operator.  The museum opened June 1, 1969; by November 1, more than 8000 had visited it.

The museum is a widely diverse collection of items containing only items that are from residents or former residents of Coleman County.  Items displayed range from a life-size horse (which was the Nance Saddle Shop display horse) to old bottles, hardware, medical instruments and Indian relics.  Other items include a wood cook stove, oil field equipment, old photographs of Coleman, an old studio camera used in the old Moore Studio, Coleman’s first newspaper, old guns, license plates, barbed wire, and old railroad items.  The registration counter is from the old Lawn Post Office.  Outside items include a 1915 Fordson Tractor, 1928 American La France fire truck, 1902 fire cart, a blacksmith with old tools, the first road grader used in Coleman County, an old stalk thresher, and an old Case thresher, which was purchased by Henry Berryman of Talpa in 1914 and donated to the museum by Hubert Stokes.  It was used until 1938 and is believed to be the last one in Coleman County. The museum is now operated by Mrs. J. B. Harris and her son, Johnny, and is open only in the summer months.

The Old Threshing Machine at the Coleman County Museum in the City Park brings back many memories to the group above who were directly involved with it many years ago.  They are, from left, Edd Bedell, who worked on the thresher crew from 1914 through 1926; Oscar Hintner, who was separator man for Eric Tate and Ben Hintner, prior to 1926; Hubert Stokes, who contributed the thresher to the museum and operated it from 1927 through 1938; G. R. [Rube] Bouldin, who was partner with John Stokes with the threshing machine in 1926; Mr. and Mrs. Walter King who cooked for the thresher crew during the 1926 and 1927 seasons.