By Louis Zylka
The 830 Times
The 21st annual Living History Days, a traditional educational event, returns to the Whitehead
Memorial Museum, 1308 S Main St., this weekend.
The event will last for two days: on Friday, Nov. 7, for fourth grade classes, and Saturday, Nov.
8, for the public. Admission is $3 for adults and $2 for children for individuals and families
attending on Saturday.
Living History Day invites students and attendees to learn and experience the lifestyles of
people who lived during the early and late 1800s in Southwest Texas. The event will have 14
stations with activities ranging from hands-on activities and guest speakers giving presentations.
Classes from 10 schools will be visiting the museum on Friday, and Michael Diaz, the museum’s
director, said there will be about 600 students attending. The classes will be at the museum for
an hour and a half, and Diaz mentioned that parents can also attend.
10 groups will be at the event, with eight being from out of town.
Returning groups include the
Lipan Apache Band of Texas group, which is known for bringing a full-sized teepee; the Black
Seminole Indian Scouts Cemetery Association and the Bexar County Buffalo Soldiers from San
Antonio. Another returning organization is Randi Whitehead and his chuck wagon presentation,
which includes a steer and a donkey.
Several of the activities for students and families to participate in include corn grinding,
scrubbing with washboards and artifact hunting.
Diaz said the Whitehead has been organizing the Living History Day event for around 15 years.
He said it is an amazing feeling to see lots of people visit the Whitehead for these educational
events.
“(The presenters) show all the artifacts they have, and kids don’t usually get to see that every
day. So that’s something that is exciting for students,” Diaz said.
“It’s just exciting to see the community get excited about history and see children and adults
learn something new that they didn’t know,” Diaz added. “That is what (the museum) does. This
is for our community.”
Diaz said one of the highlights for 2025’s Living History Day Event will be the Texas Historical
Commission donating pinch pot kits to museum on both days for attendees to take home with
them. The kits will include clay for people to learn how to make pinch pots.
