The Texas Historical Commission, in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution, is set to bring the Museum on Main Street program to Brenham from December 7 to January 19. This event marks Brenham as the third of seven locations for the traveling exhibit. Before arriving in Brenham, the program will conclude its visit in Clifton on December 1.

The featured exhibit, “Crossroads: Change in Rural America,” along with a local display titled “Century of Simon,” will be showcased at the Barnhill Center at the Historic Simon Theater, located at 111 W. Main St., Brenham. The exhibits are open to the public without charge and will operate Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., excluding holidays.

“Crossroads” is designed for small-town museums and aims to stimulate discussions about changes in rural America over time. It examines how rural communities have evolved since the early 20th century when only 3.5% of U.S. land was urban, compared to today’s landscape where just 17% of Americans live in rural areas.

Brenham is among seven towns chosen by the Texas Historical Commission to host this traveling exhibition and its programs that cater to rural cultural organizations.

On December 7, Brenham will also celebrate its culture and heritage with two ribbon-cutting events alongside the "Crossroads" exhibit opening. At 9 a.m., there will be an inauguration of the Washington County and Camptown Soundwalk Experience—a yearlong immersive historical activity—and at 9:30 a.m., another ceremony will unveil the Freedom Colonies of Washington County exhibit in Belle’s Alley, featuring a scavenger hunt focused on sites where enslaved people gathered before emancipation.

Finally, at 10 a.m., there will be an official ribbon-cutting for both the national “Crossroads” Smithsonian exhibit and the local “Century of Simon” exhibit.