The historic Galveston Orphans Home now houses The Bryan Museum. Opened in 2015 to display The Bryan Collection assembled by J.P. and Mary Jon Bryan, this museum contains one of the world’s largest collections of artifacts, documents, and artwork relating to Texas and the American West. The collection spans more than 12,000 years, from ancient Native American cultural artifacts to modern twenty-first century objects.
As you stand here, imagine nearly 70,000 items behind these walls: 20,000 rare books and more than 30,000 documents in Spanish, German, French, and English; three dozen saddles; over 250 antique firearms; several hundred spurs; and a wide array of fine art, religious art, folk art, and portraits. You’ll also find exceedingly rare maps and artifacts like "cowboy" chaps, Native American stone tools and arrowheads, and even a Spanish mission bell. The Bryan Museum presents a chronological history of Texas and the American West with a special emphasis on the Spanish influences in the region, and it also includes space for rotating special exhibits, a library, and an archive.
Picture the rare maps, saddles, and Spanish mission bell waiting among nearly 70,000 items behind these walls.