History of the American Museum of Agriculture

In 1969, as agricultural museum was deemed important to the people of West Texas. Too many people thought of the old machinery left in the back yard as junk. To Alton Brazell, a Lubbock County Commissioner for 36 years, this junk was a hidden treasure. Alton took it upon himself to begin a collection of agricultural equipment and machinery that told the story of American agriculture. This collection became the property of the Lubbock County Commissioner’s Court, known as the Lubbock County Historical Collection. Part of the collection was housed on five acres in Shallowater, known as the Shallowater Park. Another part of the collection was stored in a warehouse in downtown Lubbock.

In August 2001, a group of agriculture industry leaders from the South Plains gathered at the first meeting of the non-profit organization the American Museum of Agriculture in Lubbock. In 2002, the Lubbock County Historical Collection permanently loaned the exhibits to the American Museum of Agriculture. The museum, which is located at 1501 Canyon Lake Drive, opened its doors to the public in May 2002. The museum strives to preserve the history and tell the story of American agriculture.

Today, the collection ranges from household items to Moldboard plows and tractors. The American Museum of Agriculture currently houses restored tractors, a threshing machine, broadcast binder, combine, 71 pedal tractors, 300 die-cast toy tractors, and approximately 300 other artifacts and pieces of smaller equipment. In storage, the museum has horse-drawn equipment, field condition tractors, threshing machines, combines, grain binders, mowing machines, grain drills, hay rakes, hay balers, cotton strippers and cotton trailers.

The American Museum of Agriculture is open from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Volunteers staff the museum and keep it open to the public. Staff manages the daily operations and fundraising
efforts for the museum.