2202 18th St, Hondo, TX 78861
Housed in Hondo’s former Southern Pacific Railway depot, the
frontier beginning of Medina County is portrayed by over 2000
items on display, offering something of interest to every visitor.
Built in 1893, the depot still contains several items used during its
operative years, such as the freight scale and telegraph set.
Many railroad memorabilia items will interest train enthusiasts,
especially the 1964 Southern Pacific bay-window caboose
#4218. As a bonus, trains still rumble by the museum several
times a day!
Displays in the museum date from before the founding of the
county in 1848, with numerous family portraits of the early
settlers. Descendants of these hardy folks have donated family
heirlooms to the museum. Clothing, furniture, books,
housewares, and keepsakes are on display to give the visitor an
opportunity to see how the early pioneering families not only
survived the Texas frontier, but were able to thrive, laying the
groundwork for the communities of today.
Also included in the museum displays are artifacts from Hondo
Army Airfield, a former U.S. Army Air Forces base established in
1942, and later reactivated during the Korean War before closing
in 1958. It served as the largest U.S. Air Force navigation school
at the time.
Located on the museum grounds is the former Rothe one-room
schoolhouse, with blackboards, desks, books and other items
giving today’s students an idea of what education looked like
before the age of computers. “His” and “hers” outhouses, the
sanitary arrangements of bygone days, are adjacent to the school
building.
Another attraction on the grounds is a 1913 steam engine, which
for 74 years powered the D’Hanis brick factory. Housed in a
building constructed of D’Hanis tile, this may well be the only
engine of its kind left in the United States.
Early farm equipment used to break the ground, plant and harvest
crops is on display under the equipment sheds, as well as a
buggy and carriage in the buggy barn, former modes of
transportation before the automobile became the vehicle of
choice.
The Medina County Museum is currently open on Saturday
from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and Sunday from 1:00 to 3:00
p.m. Admission is free, with donations gratefully accepted.
Private tours can be arranged.
Use the museum as a starting point for a driving tour of
historic sites in and near Hondo. Maps are available in
the museum lobby.
Created on November 09, 2025 by Donna Schulte Loth