San Antonio’s Witte Museum is turning 100 this year, a milestone that reflects a century of service to families, schools and the broader community. Founded in 1926 by schoolteacher Ellen Schulz Quillin, the museum has grown into a premier nature, science and culture institution nestled in Brackenridge Park.
Celebrating a century of discovery
President and CEO Michelle Cuellar Everidge, who grew up visiting the museum with her grandmother, says the centennial is “a very special place” that has thrived because of the love, commitment and donations of countless San Antonians. To honor the first 100 years, the museum has launched two major exhibitions titled “Witte Museum: 100 Years,” which will run through Jan. 9.
The new displays feature a wide range of treasures: a kiwi bird, modernist art, a Fiesta‑era gown, a ceramic mask, indigenous cave art, a mosasaur skeleton, a juvenile mammoth and a replica of the 49.73‑carat diamond stolen during HemisFair ’68 and never recovered. Visitors can also marvel at the life‑size model of Quetzalcoatlus northropi—nicknamed “Quetzy”—the largest animal ever to take to the skies, which roamed Texas 72 million years ago.
Education at the heart of the museum
Education has always been the museum’s core mission. Each year, the Witte welcomes roughly 60,000 schoolchildren who explore hands‑on exhibits, from placing a coin in a centrifugal‑force device to walking among dinosaur skeletal mounts. Half of all school field trips are supported by scholarships, ensuring that families of all means can benefit from the museum’s resources.
Everidge emphasizes that the museum’s purpose is to “make sure that people know there’s always more to discover” and to help today’s youth become curious adults who ask questions about the world around them.
Community stewardship and new initiatives
Beyond its galleries, the Witte Museum offers land‑stewardship programs for youth, leads tours of the White Shaman Preserve near Del Rio, and employs a working paleontologist. Recent additions include a traveling “Black Cowboy” exhibit, a showcase of Texas art, and a new exhibit on Texas foods featuring a mural by local artist Kat Cadena.
Financially, about half of the museum’s $14 million annual operating budget comes from individual donations, foundations, corporations and government support, with the remainder generated by admissions, memberships, program fees and a modest 3 % each from investment income and the City of San Antonio.
Looking ahead
Everidge notes that the museum’s collection now holds 400,000 specimens and continues to grow. Since 2021, the Witte has been a state‑ and federally‑certified curatorial collection repository, qualified to safeguard archaeological, paleontological and geological finds from around the globe.
As the museum looks to its next century, it remains committed to its founding principle: providing children and families with direct access to the natural world, fostering a love of learning that aligns with the values of faith, family and liberty cherished by the San Antonio community.
Original reporting: San Antonio Report — read the source article.
