A Tale of Two Sides

Influences of Civil War Era Weaponry from the Conner Museum Collection

The John E. Conner Museum presents “A Tale of Two Sides: Influences of Civil War Era Weaponry from the Conner Museum Collection,” an upcoming lecture that will be given by Dr. Roger Tuller, a professor of History at Texas A&M University – Kingsville (TAMUK).

This lecture will showcase rare, iconic weaponry and artifacts from the Civil War Era, more specifically showcase current exhibit, War and Peace in the Rio Grande between 1861-1867.

The Conner Museum is located on the TAMUK campus in the Loftin Hall since 1976. According to the TAMUK website, “The Frist Professor of history, John Edwin Conner, began his collection in 1925 and the John E. Conner Museum was organized four years later.” 

The Conner museum’s mission is to educate the community and provide a space for the TAMUK faculty to present knowledge and information regarding the history of South Texas life and culture.

Kathy Pawelek, interim director of administration and operations, says that this upcoming lecture is the first one in a while since the temporary closure of the museum due to COVID.

“I have been drafting plans to revitalize, reorganize and give the museum a fresh look. I want to focus on making the museum more family friendly and interactive through hands on learning,” Pawelek said. “Since we are slowly opening up the museum, we are trying to expand opening times for the public and dedicate allotted times to give opportunities for private education and research by TAMUK faculty and staff.”

Tuller said the Civil War artifact display contains rare weaponry that Dr. Tuller had only read about in texts. 

“Students would have the chance to take a look at some very rare, iconic weapons that represent South Texas during the Civil War Era,” Tuller said. “My goal is to give as much knowledge and facts as I can in a coherent fashion and explain why it is important to our history.”