A phoenix rises above two cannons on the Texas City Museum’s logo. The logo hints at what you’ll see in this impressive history, heritage, and culture museum in Texas City. Step inside the museum to learn about the city’s early days, devastation, resilience, and return as one of the most prominent seaports in the country.

You’ll soon discover this is no diamond in the rough. The museum is a sparkling, multifaceted gem from start to finish. Throughout the museum, old photos, eye-witness accounts, artifacts, and memorabilia donated to the museum, tell the city’s history. The building, an old JCPenney department store, was donated, too, and redesigned for you to step back in time and leave the outside world behind.

You’ll see artifacts belonging to the USS Westfield, a Staten Island ferryboat turned Union gunboat. During the Battle of Galveston, the USS Westfield ran aground on January 1, 1863. Rather than have the ship fall into Confederate hands, Commodore Renshaw detonated the forward gunpowder magazine. He and some of the crew died in the explosion.

What remained of the USS Westfield was excavated from the Texas City shipping channel in 2009. You’ll see a partial reconstruction of the ship from recovered bits and pieces, as well as remnants of shipboard life. The centerpiece of the exhibit is the “Big Gun of Texas City.” It’s a fully restored 9-inch Dahlgren cannon that fired 9-inch shells up to 1.5 miles away.

A brief video introduces you to Texas City, from its first settlers to the present-day. As you enter the exhibit hall, you’ll feel like you’ve stepped into a photojournalist’s portfolio. The photo-rich space details the people and events, innovations and industries that shaped the city, beginning with James and Mary Campbell who settled here after James retired from pirating. You’ll meet R&B musician, Charles Brown, and Guiness World Record holder, “Hoopie” Williams, who rolled a hoop to New York City. You’ll be amazed to find out that Texas City is the birthplace of the U.S. Air Force and the record-setting 1^st Aero Squadron pilots, who were trained by the Wright Brothers. You’ll learn about the city’s petroleum refineries and chemical industries that developed synthetic rubber to support the war effort. And you’ll discover one of the busiest seaports in the nation is the Port of Texas City on Galveston Bay.

The museum also delves into the Texas City Disaster. On April 16^th, 1947, a fire broke out on the USS Grandchamp loaded with highly explosive ammonium nitrate fertilizer. The explosion killed nearly 600 people and injured thousands. The exhibit relives the deadliest industrial accident in U.S. history and the city’s rebirth from the ashes. Footage from a home movie and firsthand accounts capture the immensity of the disaster. A clock forever stopped at the time of the explosion is especially poignant.

On a lighter note, kids love the Children’s Discovery Room. They can spend time playing games, solving puzzles, and checking out the interactive, educational displays. For curious minds of all ages, the exhibit around the periphery of the room takes a fascinating deep dive into the area’s petroleum and chemical industries.

If you visit on Saturday, head up to the second floor. The Galveston County Model Railroad Club transformed the space into a train room with different gauges of model railroads and elaborate to-scale towns and landscapes. Time flies while you’re looking at one of the largest model train layouts in Texas!

Be sure to check out Texas City Museum’s Facebook page for current exhibits and events. The museum’s temporary exhibits change every month or two, so there’s always something new to discover.