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You've seen recent issues of the "Buffalo Gap Historic Village Happenings" and it probably didn't even register with you that a name change had occurred. For many years, our little Village went by the name "Buffalo Gap Historic Village." But since 2017, when Taylor County became the owner of the venue, it has officially been known as the "Taylor County History Center."
The origin of the Village goes back to 1956, when its name was "The Ernie Wilson Museum." Ernie purchased the long-abandoned-but-original Taylor County Courthouse, still in its original location in Buffalo Gap, and began buying other old buildings to move nearby. His heirs sold the property to Dr. and Mrs. R. L. Rode in 1977, who renamed the growing property "Buffalo Gap Historic Village." They added many more buildings and thousands of historical artifacts
When the Rodes retired in 1999, the new owners were the McWhinney History Education Group. They renovated many of the buildings, taking care to restore them to their original design and decor. That brings us to 2017 when Taylor County stepped in. A private nonprofit organization was created to manage the Historic Village and a board of directors was formed from citizens and county commissioners throughout Taylor County.
Although the Village has buildings and artifacts from throughout West Texas - beyond Taylor County - the board decided that Buffalo Gap was the appropriate and logical name, and that "Village" rather than "Center" was a more accurate description. Signage has been updated, social media has been converted, and an all-new website has launched with the new (old) name.
As with many websites, it is a work-in-progress. We invite you to check it frequently for more information about the history of Buffalo Gap -- and the last 50 years of the West Texas frontier.
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