George Washington Carver Museum
The George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center in Austin has continued to honor the famed inventor and scientist, George Washington Carver, who most notably developed 105 food recipes and roughly 100 home product uses for peanuts. The museum is full of collections, preserved artifacts, stories, and programs dedicated to educating the public on this important individual who helped change the face of modern agriculture and advance Civil Rights in the 19th century.
George Washington Carver was an interesting man with a bright and varied career. Though he was born in Missouri as a slave, George Washington Carver attended college in Kansas and even obtained his master's degree at the Iowa State Agricultural College. His mission was to research and promote alternative crops to cotton and he succeeded, most specifically in his advances in peanuts. The product of his work includes cosmetics, nitroglycerin, gasoline, plastics, paints, and dyes among others, all made from peanuts and other crops. George Washington Carver's work in agriculture helped advance not only the areas of nutrition and economics but also the wider scope of technology.
The George Washington Carver Museum not only exhibits the life of this amazing man but also the lives of other notable African Americans from Texas. The Families Gallery, in particular, highlights the lives of ten Texas-based African American families from the first black settlements to leaders still remembered today. Also explore the Children's Gallery, a hands-on interactive area where visitors can learn about African American inventors like George Washington Carver through their inventions.
There's so much to see and do, from the exhibits to the wonderful and interesting events, that it might take your group several hours to see everything at the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center. Tours are available upon request but must be booked in advance.
