LCRA, City of San Saba Award $5,000 Grant to San Saba County Historical Museum Foundation

New outdoor exhibit will showcase the waters of San Saba County

The San Saba County Histori - cal Museum soon will add a series of outdoor panels illustrating the history and importance of water to San Saba County, thanks to a $5,000 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority and the City of San Saba.

The Community Develop - ment Partnership Program grant, along with $5,800 in matching funds from the foundation, will pay for 11 panels that will be displayed near the museum's entrance.

Each panel will include graph - ics, explanations and fun facts relating to the impact water has had on the county over the years, museum foundation board mem - ber Celia Bell said. Panels will include topics such as rivers and aquifers, floods, pecans, wildlife, and recreation. "The project started out as a simple curb appeal project to create a more inviting exterior for the museum," Bell said. "The curb appeal committee soon realized that this project could be an opportunity to present a snapshot of San Saba County history, so we decided on 'The Waters of San Saba County' to be the theme, and the project just flowed from there." Lynn Blankenship, president of the San Saba County Historical Museum Foundation, said she is looking forward to having an exhibit that visitors can access even when the museum is closed.

“The museum is located in Mill Pond Park,” Blankenship said. “The park has a lot of visitors that pass through because of the beautiful mill pond, wildlife, playgrounds, and of course, the restrooms, so the museum gets a lot of visitors. This exhibit will give anyone an opportunity to pause and learn something about San Saba County.”

Bell said the idea has been in the works for a while now and has been a true community project.

“The City of San Saba painted and cleaned the outside wall to prepare for the installation of the panels,” Bell said. “Our curb appeal committee has worked hard on all the planning, and our vendors have been helpful with the designing and production of the panels. It’s a lot of hours of work and a lot of dedicated people coming together to work on a great project. The grant from LCRA will make it possible to complete.”

Founded in 1965, the museum has several themed rooms with artifacts highlighting all parts of San Saba County history, including a room honoring local people who have gone on to achieve success such as soldiers, politicians, athletes, writers, artists, teachers and musicians.

The museum also puts on an annual fundraising event called “A Night at the Museum” on the first Saturday of March in honor of Texas Independence Day. This event is an evening with live music, guest speakers, cowboy cooking and more.

“The curb appeal project is another way to attract people to our museum, along with everything else we offer,” Bell said. “I’m excited, and I’m ready to see the project come to life.”

The community grant is one of 34 grants awarded recently through LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program, which helps volunteer fire departments, local governments, emergency responders and nonprofit organizations fund capital improvement projects in LCRA’s wholesale electric, water and transmission service areas. The program is part of LCRA’s effort to give back to the communities it serves. The City of San Saba is one of LCRA’s wholesale electric customers and is a partner in the grant program.

Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted in July. More information is available at lcra.org/cdpp.