Museum of the Coastal Bend > Exhibits

A decade of hardship during the Great Depression had been endured when the Victoria Advocate printed the news in 1941 that Victoria was in line for an Army Air Corp airbase.  The community of Victoria, TX, embraced the young men who were training in the advanced flying schools at Foster and Aloe Fields – Life Magazine even published an article on the extraordinary good relations.  Many of the military personnel married local girls, remaining in Victoria to raise their families and work in local businesses.  This exhibition examines Victoria during World War II with historical photographs, artifacts, WWII memorabilia, and excerpts from oral histories.

Ancillary Exhibits

June 2009:  War Brides of Victoria

August 2009:  Images of Valor:  U.S. Latinos & Latinas of WWII

Nov. 2009:  Morhiss -- American Archaeology on the Eve of WWII

The La Salle Odyssey exhibit tells the story of the first European settlement in Texas- the French Fort St. Louis, and the French ship La Belle’s archeological excavation in Matagorda Bay.

Fort St. Louis and Rene Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle  

The Fort St. Louis exhibition explores several subjects relating to the first French settlement in Victoria County and the first European settlement in Texas. From French explorer LaSalle’s early expeditions to life at Fort St. Louis and the archeological research on these subjects, each segment of this amazing story is told through informative scholarly written text panels, photographic images, and original artifacts found at the site.

The Cannons
The centerpiece exhibit in the Museum's gallery is the exhibit of seven of the eight cannons brought to Texas by French explorer La Salle. The eighth cannon is on exhibit at the State History Museum in Austin. The Fort St. Louis cannons are the focal point of the Museum gallery.

Presidio La Bahia scale model
The Spanish exploration and settlement of Texas in the early 1700s with the establishment of Presidio La Bahia in 1721 on the same site.

La Belle artifacts
Artifacts recovered from La Salle’s ship La Belle, which sank in nearby Matagorda Bay.