Audie Murphy American Cotton Museum

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Located off Interstate 30 is the Audie Murphy American Cotton Museum.  For over 20 years, the museum has explored the rich and fascinating history of the region taking guests on a journey of discovery from the heyday of the cotton fields of the 1880's to the battlefields of the 20th Century.
COTTON, COTTON, COTTON
Discover the days of a bygone era when cotton was a part of everyday life in Hunt County.  Greenville was home to the worlds largest inland cotton compress, which set a world record in 1911 and 1912.  One of the museum's newest exhibits lets visitors experience a walk through downtown Greenville at the turn of the 20th century.  In addition to a general store and millinery shop, you will be "shocked" at the lengths women used to go to for beauty in the hair salon!

Green, blue and brown . . . toothpaste, dynamite and ice cream.  What do these have to do with cotton?  Come to the museum and find out!
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HALL OF HEROES
The military Hall of Heroes, covering approximately 3,700 sq. ft. allows you to walk through a WWI trench and meander through the armory of antique guns on display.  Stroll among the extensive exhibits on WWII and lean about the regional and national heroes that came from the Hunt County area . . . Audie Murphy, Claire Chennault of the Flying Tigers, Dean Hallmark, and Nolan Herndon of the Doolittle Raiders just to name a few.  
SOLDIER, WAR HERO, ACTOR, POET, SONGWRITER . . .
Born into a poor sharecropping family near tiny Kingston, Texas, no one knew what future awaited Audie Leon Murphy.  Determined to help with the war effort, Audie enlisted at the downtown Greenville Post Office in 1942.  He went on to become the most decorated soldier of WWII, earning every medal possible, including the Medal of Honor, all before the age of 21.  And that is just the beginning of his story. 
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SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
There is something for all ages at the Audie Murphy American Cotton Museum.  There are actually several exhibits where touching is encouraged!  Try on a uniform jacket, figure out how to purchase items with ration stamps, listen to a soldier on the battlefront and his family back home read letters they both received, and find out how business and farming gained prominence in an area that was once ruled by cotton.
ENDE-GILLARD HOUSE
Also on the grounds of the museum is the historic Ende-Gillard house.  Built in 1857-1859 it is the oldest standing house in Greenville.  The first floor is completely refurbished and harks back to the early 1900's.

Plan to make the Audie Murphy American Cotton Museum a "must see" stop on your visit to Greenville!