Introduction to the
Alvin Museum Society & Building (1:38)

The Alvin Historical Museum is a joint effort of the City of Alvin and the Alvin Museum Society.  The day-to-day operation of the museum is conducted by a core of volunteers.  There are no paid employees.

This building was built in 1940 to house the Alvin Post Office.  Renovations were made in the 1960’s.  When the post office moved to the House Street location in 1986, the City of Alvin purchased the building.  The Alvin Museum Society was offered the use of the building by the city and, after a bond election in the 1990’s, the necessary renovations were completed.  The Alvin Historical Museum opened in May of 2007.

The terrazzo floors are original to the building.  The gift shop was the location of the post office service windows.  Postal boxes were placed around the edge of the terrazzo floor.  A handicap-accessible door was added on the East wall as part of the renovations.

The love seat and china cabinet were once housed in the three-story Fry Hotel which was built in the early 1900’s and burned in 1959.  Tommie Lee Reavis’ family donated this furniture as well as her porcelain shoe collection.

The small square table was a part of the furnishings at Hotel Alvin, located at the corner of Willis and Hardie Streets.  The hotel was demolished in 1983.

There are currently 21 permanent exhibits in the museum.  Most are professionally designed but some were put together by the Society volunteers with plans to redo them as we continue to develop a first-class museum.