Texas' Official History Museum Hides More Than It Shows

The Bullock Texas State History Museum is an impressive piece of Texana, a hulking granite-faced structure across the street from the University of Texas campus.

Step inside and you’re confronted with a giant mural of longhorns, horses, and cowboys that promises to tell you “The Story of Texas.”

There are equally oversized quotes from famed author Larry McMurtry and others, telling you what an amazing state you’re currently standing in.

It’s an impressive introduction to the state’s official history museum, projecting an aura that feels akin to the great history museums of New York and Washington, DC. But after taking the tour, I’m here to tell you that the story of Texas, as told by the Bullock museum, leaves a lot to be desired.

It is, literally and figuratively, a whitewash. A (mostly) warts-free story told by people who want you to know that Texas is a great place and that almost nothing bad ever happened here.

That’s a problem when state leaders are doing their best to erase the reality of slavery from public schools, universities, and libraries. The late lieutenant governor’s passion project hasn’t been spared from an agenda that values spin over truth. The Bullock Museum is, to put it bluntly, a beautiful facade for public relations copy.

https://thebarbedwire.com/2025/09/11/bullock-history-museum/