Dateline: June 5, 2008

Museum exhibit celebrates newspaper

A newspaper exhibit will open at the Saints’ Roost Museum this Friday to coincide with the 130th anniversary of The Clarendon Enterprise.

The Texas Panhandle’s first newspaper began as The Clarendon News and published its first edition on June 1, 1878. The paper, which began as a monthly, has been published continuously since that time despite several name changes and changes in ownership.

The centerpiece of the new exhibit is an original copy of the second issue of the News dated July 1, 1878, which had previously been owned by the Square House Museum in Panhandle but was transferred to the Saints’ Roost Museum in 2006.

“We’re very excited to display this piece of history,” said publisher Roger Estlack. “It provides a glimpse at the daily lives of the colonists who settled in Old Clarendon.”

Another highlight of the exhibit is a reproduction of the newspaper’s first issue, which was obtained in 2006 from an antique book dealer in Pennsylvania. The original will be microfilmed by Texas Tech University.

“The first issue tells us a lot about the town, which was only a few weeks old at the time,” Estlack said. “It gives us the exact date the settlers arrived, and shows the enthusiasm they had for their Christian colony.”

The room also features reproductions of other early publications of the newspaper, an interesting relic from the Hedley Informer, a galley proofing press from the 1870s, photos, and other items.

Funding for the newspaper exhibit was provided by the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation. The CEDC has also provided funding for an upcoming JA Ranch exhibit.

The newspaper exhibit is just one of the many exciting changes at the Museum that will be on display during the open house and member appreciation dinner Friday evening.

Don Ray’s artwork will be on display in a special exhibit. Ray was born in 1937 in the Adair Hospital, which is now the home of the Museum, and he lived on a ranch near Clarendon until 1953.

Ray later worked for the American Quarter Horse Journal and served as the first graphics arts director for the regional education service center in Amarillo.

Ray has been a professional artist since 1972 and has produced many paintings and sculptures reflecting the landscapes and the Southwestern historical subjects in Texas and New Mexico.

The Museum will also draw for a pair of custom spurs made by Clarendon’s own Kevin Johnson.

Next Friday’s event will begin with an open house at the Museum at 6:30 p.m. followed by a barbecue dinner served out of the 1887 Ft. Worth & Denver Depot building at 7 p.m.

The dinner is free to Museum members and their families. Annual dues are $25 and may be sent to PO Box 781, Clarendon, TX 79226. Your help is needed and appreciated as the Saints’ Roost Museum works to preserve the history of Donley County.