The
exhibition tells the Astin family story, charting the rise of the family and
its business enterprises in the Brazos Valley region. James Hugh Astin, pioneer planter, first came
to Texas in 1854, and after a brief stint as a gold miner in California, but he
returned in 1861, serving in the Confederate Army’s famed Hood’s Brigade. Ultimately, Astin married, settling in Bryan
in 1865. Gradually, through hard work
and native business sense, he accumulated extensive holdings in the Brazos
Bottom, becoming one of the most successful cotton farmers in the region. His
descendants constructed Rivermist, an extensive cotton plantation near Bryan,
and went on to become one of the most prominent families in Brazos County.
The
Astin’s are one of a few key families who helped build this region into what it
has become today. Their story provides a
point of access to their milieu, one of privilege on the frontier in the 19th century,
and the gradual transformation that social, economic and political realities
imposed through the first half of the 20th century. The exhibit incorporates fashion, graphic
design, and art from the period to highlight the popular culture and couture of
the first three decades of the 20th century.
Nina
Heard Astin and her daughter, Nina Bess, well known for generosity and community
involvement, bequeathed much of their inherited wealth to the Bryan/College
Station community through the Nina Heard Astin and Nina Bess Astin Charitable
Trusts. The two trusts continue to
support community projects, scholarships, and charitable organizations including
the Museum. Legacy will be held in the Museum’s
main gallery – named for the Astin family.
Materials
on loan from the Heard-Craig House Museum in McKinney, Texas, including
photographs and family china, will augment an extensive collection of historical
clothing once belonging to members of the Astin family, on loan from the Brazos
Heritage Society. Supplementing couture
on display are stunning examples of period jewelry, purses, and hats. A selection of decorative items, including
Steuben glass and Tiffany reproductions, art from the period on loan from the
J. Wayne Stark University Center Galleries,
and other Art Nouveau and Art Deco pieces will give the visitor a sense of the
prevailing art and design movements of the period. Collaborators include historian John P. Blair
and genealogical researcher Bill Page, along with members of the Brazos
Heritage Society and coordinating curator, Elisabeth Manning of the BVMNH.
The
Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History is open to visitors Tuesday-Saturday
10am-5pm. The admission fees: adults $5; seniors/students/children $4; children
3 and under are free.
Members
of the Brazos Heritage Society are encouraged to attend this opening reception.
