Travelers often follow their passions when they chose where to travel. However, another fun strategy could be to learn about the passions of others, especially in smaller towns. We found one such place with passionate owners in our hometown: the Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, Texas. The outside of the museum doesn’t look all that impressive, but don’t let that deter you.
As we opened the front door, I found myself fascinated by a room filled to capacity with a variety of television cameras. That was only the beginning. Each room revealed more treasures: hundreds of radios, a working tv studio, and sound equipment. The best part though, were the stories the owners, Chuck Conrad and Warren Willard, shared about the equipment inside.
How it began
Chuck Conrad had a passion for collecting broadcasting equipment, perhaps bordering on obsession. One day Chuck wandered into the post office when the clerk said to him “You know, there’s a guy you really ought to meet, his name is Warren Willard. He’s just as nuts as you are.” Together, the two of them bought an old car dealership in 2014 and turned it into the Kilgore Broadcasting Museum. In addition to their own collections, they started working on new projects together. One of their restoration projects included one of the first mobile studios, the 1949 Dumont TeleCruiser.
A Large Project
A favorite exhibit among visitors was also one of the most challenging to display, an ESPN mobile studio. They tried to drive it to Kilgore, but it broke down in New York. After many months, an 85 foot long truck brought it to Kilgore. Then they had to wait until they modified an overhead door so they could get it inside the museum to restore it. Yet all of the effort has paid off. We had so much fun stepping inside and seeing the old footage playing.
In contrast to these more “modern” displays, you can also examine a working 1845 Morse Code training device. You can get a small taste of the wealth of knowledge from our guide in the video:
The two men are so knowledgeable, in fact, they wouldn’t have to tell the same story twice to visitors throughout the week. However, some stories are perennial favorites. One such story explains the impetus for this museum. Chuck had a cub scout troop tour his radio station, and an eight year old asked him “If they didn’t have phones, how did they get on the internet?” Part of the mission of the Kilgore Broadcast Museum includes helping young people understand the history of communication before the internet.
They also have a television camera on display that was filming when Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald.
Another enjoyable part of the museum lies in the personal connections you can make to your own history. Seeing a display of color tubes, my husband reminisced about taking the tubes from their tv up to the local store to test them, so they knew which ones they needed to replace. My mom grew up in Marfa Texas. The museum displays a phone booth from a Marfa hotel that Elizabeth Taylor supposedly used while they were filming the 1956 film, Giant.
If you wanted to take a group on a field trip to this museum, they would have so many different interactive options to explore. For example, students ( or adults for that matter ) could star in their own tv broadcast.
Or maybe try their hand at being a disc jockey,
You can also rent out part of the facility for special events.
Though Chuck is the more boisterous of the two owners, Warren is equally passionate and would tell stories to individuals rather than to the whole group.
Believe it or not, I have only showed you just a small part of the museum. Even more astounding is that what is on display is only about fifty percent of the inventory they have! I am so glad these passionate collectors have chosen to share their love of broadcasting with our community and beyond! I would love to hear about any places you have found as you have traveled with the Father, where you have enjoyed learning from passionate guides or owners.