MISSION STATEMENT "The Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame honors those individuals who have shown excellence in competition, business, and support of rodeo and the western lifestyle in Texas”
SUMMARY – The museum is located in the Exhibits Building in the heart of the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District. The facility features many great exhibits, along with a Western Gift Store and the Jersey Lilly Old-Tyme Photo Parlor all under one roof. The exhibits you’ll find are: The Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, The Hickman Collection, The John Justin Trail of Fame, and Amon G. Carter’s vintage 1933 Cadillac complete with the custom made pistol holder for his pearl-handled handgun. Currently under renovation – the Hickman Wagon Collection and Amon G. Carter Cadillac are off exhibit.
STORY OF TEXAS COWBOY HALL OF FAME – The Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame was founded in 1997 by Bobby and Susan Kerr of Hico, Texas, to pay homage to the outstanding horsemen and women in Texas, who have excelled in and out of the arena. In 2001, Holt and Jo Hickman moved the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame to the Fort Worth Stockyards to compliment the world class exhibits located in Barn A. After the Fort Worth Stockyards Expansion, the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame purchased the Exhibits Building adjacent to Billy Bob's Texas on Rodeo Plaza, and now hosts the John Wayne: An American Experience, Escapology and Loz Vaqueros. This building hosts the newly desinged Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame exhibits!
The Collections
TEXAS COWBOY HALL OF FAME – honors 160 Texas men and women who have excelled in the sport of rodeo and cutting, performing, ranching and rodeo sports medicine. The ways of the rodeo cowboy are an extension of the hard-working ranching cowboy’s competitive nature and pioneering spirit. We strive to enlighten visitors on not only the sport of rodeo and its divisions, but also its origins that lie deep within the historic ranches of Texas.
Some of the inductees include: Ty Murray (7-time World Champion All Around Cowboy), Tuff Hedeman (4-time World Champion Bull Rider), Charmayne James (11-time World Champion Barrel Racer), and Don Gay (8-time World Champion Bull Rider, Bob Moorhouse (former General Manager of the Pitchfork Ranch), Dr. J. Pat Evans (Co-Founder of the Justin Sports Medicine Clinic), Tommy Lee Jones (Rancher, Polo Player, Actor, Author, Producer, Director), Tyler Magnus (Horsemanship Clinician and Professional Team Roper), Barry Corbin (Actor and Rancher), Red Steagall (Rancher, Official Cowboy Poet of Texas, Musician and Singer) and George Strait (Cowboy, Rancher, Entertainer). Each booth contains photographs and memorabilia including World Champion buckles, saddles, photos, reins, clothing and much more. Many of the booths also have a video, depicting the honorees’ careers.
THE HICKMAN WAGON COLLECTION – the Hickman Wagon Collection is billed as “the world’s largest lifestyle wagon collection” and features more than 60 antique wagons, carriages and sleighs. Included in the exhibit:
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Sicilian Cart dating to the 1750s, with dramatic painted scenes and intricate iron work
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Welsh Funeral Hearse dating back to the mid 1600s; complete with beveled glass windows, gold leaf paint, plumes and caskets.
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The Grain Wagon, Haberdashery, Dairy and Studebaker wagons on display give us examples of commercial companies made successful transitions from wagons to tractors and automobiles.
The horse-drawn vehicles in the Sterquell Wagon Collection have been painstakingly restored and are displayed to show their original use.
One vehicle has been added to the collection since the museum opened in 2001: a reproduction Stagecoach, hand made by Latham Coach Works of Fortuna, Missouri. The Stagecoach can be seen at the museum and in local parades.
JOHN JUSTIN TRAIL OF FAME – Justin Boots were a standard of the west even before John Justin Jr. was born in 1917. Justin’s grandfather Herman started the company in 1879 in Spanish Fort, Texas where the Chisholm Trail crossed the Red River. Cowboys trailing herds stopped to get measured for quality hand-fitted boots. Justin prospered. The firm moved to Fort Worth in 1925. John Justin Jr. ably carried on the family business. Justin boots are world-renowned and is currently celebrating over 130 years in business. Justin Industries is also parent company for Acme Bricks and Texas Limestone. Mr. Justin generously contributed to Texas Christian University and the Southwestern Livestock Show and Rodeo. He died February 26, 2001. The exhibit in the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame include boots, photos, personal memorabilia and a video narrated by Red Steagall, Ed Bass, Barry Corbin and President George W. Bush. The collection is on permanent display and was given to Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame’s owners by Mr. Justin’s family. An updated and interactive version of the exhibit is currently be designed in conjunction with the move and complete re-design of the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame & Museum.
AMON G. CARTER 1933 CADILLAC – The 1933 Cadillac V8 Coupe 2-door belonging to former Fort Worth newspaperman, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, Amon G. Carter, Sr. makes its home at the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame. The Cadillac is fully restored, complete with pistol holster attached to the driver's seat. Carter’s 1933 Cadillac shows the progression from the horse drawn vehicles of the Sterquell Wagon Collection to today's gas powered automobiles. It also tells the story of a great Fort Worth man known for tagging Fort Worth as the place "where the West begins."
JERSEY LILLY OLD-TYME PHOTO PARLOR – step back into time with a vintage sepia-style, one of a kind photo. Dress up like a cowboy or cowgirl, saloon lady or gambler, gunfighter, or a southern belle. There are five old-west style backgrounds to choose from. We photograph adults, children, pets, couples and groups up to 15. All photography happens inside the parlor. There’s no waiting for your photo: It’s processed right in the gift shop!