A century of Witte memories are now on display
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The Witte's centennial exhibit is now open. Photo: Courtesy of the Witte Museum
The Witte Museum is turning the mirror on itself with a new exhibit dedicated to its century-long history.
Why it matters: The Witte has been a place of discovery and memory-making for generations of San Antonians.
The latest: "The Witte Museum: 100 Years" opened April 11. It "honors the people, collections and curiosity" that built the museum, according to a press release.
Zoom in: Visitors can trace the museum's evolution — from its beginnings in a high school classroom to the opening of the "New Witte" in 2017, which expanded the campus.
- Artifacts, photographs, specimens and archival materials are on display, alongside key stories about the museum's earliest collections, natural history exhibits and the development of beloved experiences like the H-E-B Science Treehouse.
Flashback: The Witte traces its roots to 1923, when schoolteacher and botanist Ellen Schulz Quillin began building a natural history collection at Main Avenue High School with help from her students and the community.
- That grassroots effort grew into a citywide initiative, leading to major funding and the museum's opening in Brackenridge Park in 1926.
What's next: The exhibit runs through Jan. 9, 2027. It accompanies a forthcoming book, "The Witte Museum: 100 Years of Inspiration, Innovation and Resilience" by president emeritus Marise McDermott, expected this fall.
💠Madalyn's thought bubble: Some of my favorite childhood memories are field trips to the Witte — eating sandwiches in the picnic area, trying to stack the rock wall in the Egyptian exhibit, and seeing how high I could pull myself up in the H-E-B Science Treehouse.
- What are yours? Email [email protected] to let us know.