Sugar Land Heritage Foundation
The Sugar Land Heritage Foundation is dedicated to preserving and celebrating Sugar Land’s history. Their museum is located on the site of the former Imperial Refinery, between silos and a 3-bay warehouse.
The refinery operated from the mid-1800s until 2003. The Sugar Land Heritage Foundation was founded in 2008 to preserve its history. Since the refinery operated throughout Sugar Land’s history, it was home to a wealth of historical artifacts dating back to the days when Sugar Land was a working plantation.
The museum contains both permanent and temporary exhibits borrowed from other local museums. Exhibits show visitors how life evolved in Sugar Land and the surrounding area as the sugar plantation grew into a thriving industry with a full company town. Artifacts showcase how people dressed during specific times in the city’s history. Models of important historical structures demonstrate how the town looked more than 100 years ago.
The museum also emphasizes the railroad’s importance to sugar production and distribution. Oral histories play as big a part in documenting Sugar Land’s history as the historical artifacts and documents from the refinery. The museum also shows how the idea of master-planned communities helped shape Sugar Land in its current form.
Rental facilities within the museum include a classroom or the entire museum, which can hold up to 350 people in an assembly-style setup. The classroom’s capacity is 41, and it is available both during the day and after hours.
The museum hosts special exhibits and events throughout the year. In 2018, the museum hosted a celebration of the San Isidro Cemetery’s 100th anniversary with a Dia de Los Muertos exhibit. Event planners hope to inspire community pride through special exhibits.
The Sugar Land Heritage Foundation’s museum is open Monday from noon until 5 p.m. and Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.
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