About the Museum

About the Society

The Alvin Museum Society was chartered in 1978 as a result of action by the Alvin Bicentennial Commission, authorizing the creation of the Alvin Historical Museum to collect and record the history of the community. Housed in a remodeled former U.S. Post Office building, it contains 21 permanent exhibits that explore the development of Alvin from its beginnings as an 1879 Santa Fe railroad loading site through its growth into a diverse Gulf Coast community.

From its beginning, the mission of the Alvin Museum Society has been to “preserve the history of Alvin and its immediate area by heightening residents’ awareness of the value of saving the past for the benefit of the future.” The Society maintains two facilities: a 1910 Victorian style house which has been restored and furnished to reflect the lifestyle of the period and the Historical Museum, which houses the collected artifacts and documents relating to Alvin’s history.

The Society began raising funds in the late 1970s, initially through private and corporate donations. Over the next 25 years, membership worked at fundraising through additional community-wide events, accruing nearly $225,000 by the early 2000s. Today, member dues cover most operating costs, while donations and memorials are used to “grow” the museum.

About the Museum

The Alvin Historical Museum serves as a casual destination for area residents as well as history buffs, tourists, and special exhibit visitors. The Museum is located in historic downtown Alvin, TX and housed in the renovated Alvin post office.

Come explore exhibits ranging from Prehistoric, Indian, the Formation of Texas and Alvin, Railroad, Ranching, Farming, War, and much more.

Items exclusive to this museum:

• • • Authentic signature of Santa Anna
    • Home plate pitched over by Nolan Ryan in Little League
    • Jersey worn by Nolan Ryan in the last game he pitched in the major leagues
    • Diary from Civil War kept by Union Cavalry man
    • Nolan Ryan’s baby shoes
    • Telescope loaned to the Navy in WW I and returned after the war with US President signature
    • One of the Post Office murals from 1940
    • New York Mets scouting report on Nolan Ryan when he was in high school
    • Letter from 1870 awarding land to a veteran of the battle of San Jacinto

Temporary exhibits are also featured and change every few months.  Visit our website for current information and hours.

Additional Activities in the Alvin Museum Society

Members of the Alvin Museum Society are encouraged to volunteer for these special activities. Click here to fill out and download a volunteer application.

Preservation

High-Resolution Scanning and Digitizing of Photographs
The Alvin Museum Society is interested in obtaining old photographs of persons, groups, businesses, and events relating to the history of the Alvin area. The photographs are scanned to become part of our digital archives and then the originals are returned to the owner.

Archive of Alvin Sun Newspaper – early Editions
The Alvin Museum Society archives contain the only collection of old editions of the Alvin Sun. These have been photographed and digitized in preparation for use with Optical Character Recognition software to use for research purposes.

Documentation

Using Past Perfect software to compile a database
Volunteers login and document information about artifacts, documents, and photographs which have been acquired or donated to the Museum. The database will be used to help create future exhibits.

Oral History

The Alvin Museum Society is making a catalog of existing taped interviews with plans to transfer them to a digital format. New equipment will allow digital interviews to be conducted with local people to preserve their life stories.

Programs for the Public

Museum volunteers are available to give presentations based on research done throughout collection on places, people and events connected to Alvin’s history.