Orange Grove: Orange Grove Area Museum

Low storefront with a metal roof and awning with sign saying Orange Grove Area Museum
Red caboose rail car with Rock Island painted on the side

Railroad exhibit at the Museum.

Metal milk jugs with a funnel and a butter churn

A museum exhibit highlights the dairy industry in the Orange Grove Area.

Covered wagon inside a building with two mannequins next to it

Pioneer exhibit at the museum. (Valerie D. Bates)

Two commercial buildings, one a bank, on an unpaved street with men standing in front

Orange Grove in its early days. (Valerie D. Bates)

Once the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad was constructed in South Texas, real estate developers and land speculators began promoting a paradise: a newly subdivided community in tropical South Texas with the enticing name of Orange Grove. German-Texan families read about this paradise in local newspaper ads, and flocked to the new town. By 1914, 200 people had settled on land that was empty a few years before. The rifle club, which launched in 1911, built an octagonal hall in 1912 that still stands and is used for dances and events.

Orange Grove continued to grow, and for years maintained a distinctly German culture. Artifacts and memorabilia at the Orange Grove Area Museum recall that German influence on the town, including a replica of an old dry-goods store and the 1920s post office façade.

Orange Grove Area Museum

  • Hours: Wednesday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
  • Admission: None
  • 119 S. Eugenia St, Orange Grove, TX 
  • 361-384-1300
  • Visit Website
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