ROYSE CITY —
Deloris Cross Ballard and Karen Grist agree that the Royse City Zaner Robison Historical Museum could be the best kept secret in Royse City.
“But we don’t want it to be that way,” responded Grist, a member of the museum’s advisory board.
Ballard, the museum’s curator and docent, and Grist want to see more than the recent monthly average of 30 visitors.
The women believe first-time visitors to the museum will be surprised by the huge collection of Royse City-specific historical items and displays that can be found behind the blue doors at 124 South Arch St.
And the only way to confirm the “surprise” response is to visit the museum, which is open from noon to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
Ballard said she would like to see more school, scout and senior groups tour the museum.
The Masonic Lodge building that houses the museum is historic itself. The building was constructed in 1925 and once was home for city hall and the fire station.
The first items that catch a visitor’s eye — after signing the guest register — are the vintage military uniforms. On a wall are pictures of Royse City’s “hometown heroes,” local residents who have served in the military.
Another highlight of the front room is a table and chairs from Palmer’s Drug Store, commonly called Blakeway Pharmacy because the business was run by Jim Blakeway.
The newest item in the room is a “community collection cabinet.” The cabinet is available for local residents to display their collectibles for a month. A recent display was a local resident’s collection of 100 hair combs.
A valuable historic resource in the front room is a 1952 telephone book. In the book, Ballard said, listings include five grocery stores on Main Street, four car dealers and two movie theaters.
Touring the back portion of the building is where Ballard’s wealth of knowledge about Royse City is used to call attention to items that illustrate the city’s rich history.
Ballard, a lifelong Royse City resident, can provide information about most — if not all — of the collection in the building.
Scenes in the big area, which formerly housed Royse City’s two fire engines, feature a 1920s and 1930s kitchen, a 1940s classroom and a 1950s parlor.
An item that Ballard pointed to during a recent tour was a well-worn domino table. The domino table was in the Royse City fire house and later was with Royse City resident Jerrell Baley while he served as a firefighter with the Dallas Fire Department.
The table was returned to its home in Royse City when Baley retired. He is retired from both the Dallas Fire Department and the Royse City Volunteer Fire Department, where he served 33 and 20 years simultaneously.
Baley, Royse City’s mayor, is a major contributor of historic items to the museum.
The museum was started in June of 2008. Most of the items are donated by Royse City residents. The museum now is a city department.
Annie Cornelius served as curator until she resigned several months ago.
Local News
Museum officials wish to boost number of visitors
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Fate council approves plans for new city hall contract
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City officials shift focus to new projects
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New member joins city staff
Thomas Fry, crime analyst and computer technician for the Rockwall Police Department since 2005, joined the City of Royse City staff on May 6 as senior project manager.
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Former RCISD building takes long trip to new location
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Question: Why did the house mover haul a portable building from Royse City to Greenville and then back to Royse City?
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Walmart discussion on P&Z agenda Thursday
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One agenda item involves the final plat for Erby Campbell Retail Center, a 26.338-acre site on the northwest corner of the Interstate 30 service road and Erby Campbell Boulevard. -
Herald-Banner Internship Information
The Herald-Banner has internship positions available for the summer to work with any one of our three publications: Greenville, Rockwall or Royse City.
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ELECTION DAY: County results provide little drama
Aside from one race decided by a margin of just three votes, all other races on Saturday were pretty one-sided during an election day that included races for the Fate City Council as well as Board of Trustees in both the Rockwall and Royse City Independent School Districts.
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LIVE ELECTION RESULTS
Stay up-to-date on the latest happenings from Saturday's elections in the Royse City ISD school board and City of Fate with our live updates here and also on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/RoyseCityHeraldBanner. We will update several times throughout the evening so be sure to check back often for the latest news and info.
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A SCOUT’S HONOR
Lee and Esther McCormick are getting some help coping with the loss of their 6-year-old son who was killed in a traffic accident on Nov. 5.
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