Old black and white image of the Columbia bank that now houses the museum.
An old greyscale image of the Rosenwald School with students on the front steps.

Columbia Historical Museum

Rich heritage from the First Capital of the Republic of Texas

Once the battles were over and Texas won her independence from Mexico, Texas became a nation, and the foundations for that new country were poured right here in West Columbia in October 1836. Exhibits, artifacts and knowledgeable docents tell that story in a beautifully constructed 1950s bank. Let us open the vault of Texas history and share it with you.

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Columbia Rosenwald School

A unique preservation

The Columbia Rosenwald School served African-American students from 1921-1948. The one-room schoolhouse was rescued from life as a hay barn and restored to its former self and moved into town behind the Columbia Historical Museum. Docents tell the history of Rosenwald schools and the Columbia school’s restoration in the only one used as an interpretive center set up like the original school.

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