Buffalo Soldiers National Museum

My second museum trip was to the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum. The term buffalo soldiers comes from the 10th Calvary of the U.S. Army, and this museum is dedicated to the contributions of African Americans in the defense of the United States. I thought this would make a great museum to visit the day after Memorial Day, but I could not get there until Friday, June 3. Photography was not allowed on the second floor of the museum, which featured a fourteen-minute video and historic photographs.

The story that stuck with me the most from the video (other than how the buffalo soldiers got their name, which you can get from the trusty Wikipedia link above) was that of Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., who was West Point's fourth black graduate. According to the video, "not one social word was spoken to him during his four years there." West Point's first black graduate was Henry O. Flipper in 1877. A memorable photo on the second floor was of the 24th Infantry Band (from 1899), which included both a black violinist and cellist.

The first floor featured a variety of displays of memorabilia. The most catching was a showers sign for "white officers" and "colored officers." It reminded me of the first time, and maybe the only time, I had seen a similar sign (at the Smithsonian), which was for a "whites only" water fountain.

Segregated showers sign

Since Houston is Space City, there was a display devoted to African Americans in the Space program.

Display of astronaut memorabilia

This museum experience was a different one for me. When I visit museums, I tend to look at them in terms of collections and specific objects, and I usually feel a strong connection with a few select items. For the Buffalo Soldiers Museum, I saw it less in terms of individual objects and more as a grouping of items that piece together a particular story, rather like looking at the contents of someone's suitcase and trying to identify where he is traveling. It was a story I did not know well and one I am happy that Houston is sharing with the world.

I used to pass by this museum while I was teaching a class at the University of Houston. I would always tell myself that I would stop by one day after class, but there was never enough time as I always too much to do (Harry Chapin's Cat's in the Cradle is now going through my head). I'm sorry it took me so long to get here.

Artwork outside the museum