The Texas Historian, Volume 44, Number 2, November 1983 Page: 9
30 p. : ill. ; 25 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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were used monthly by a local theatre group.
One early production was "Damon and
Pythias." Today, the auditorium continues to
serve the community. Once a year a profes-
sional director comes to Cleburne to work with
Cleburne citizens in presenting a play. Presently
this auditorium seats 133 people due to the
present-day fire code. In earlier years, however,
400 were seated in the auditorium.
Although the library always operated with
an inadequate maintenance fund, it became one
of the most valuable assets of the community.
In January, 1956, the Cleburne Carnegie
Library's name was changed to the Cleburne
Public Library, and in 1959 the city of Cleburne
assumed its operation. Here the stories of a
plumber's collection and the creation of a
museum become interwoven with that of the
library.
William Layland was a local plumber who
had enjoyed collecting things all of his life. He
proudly displayed his priceless treasures in his
plumbing shop. Layland was known throughoutthe area more as the collector who ran a
plumbing supply shop than as the successful
businessman that he was. Every summer he
would choose two of his seven children, load
up his Model T, and travel to far-away places
in search of Indian artifacts, fossils, guns,
books, saddles, coins, etc. He and his children
never ate in restaurants or slept in motels.
Bologna sandwiches and a breakfast over an
open fire were on their menu. A blanket on
a grassy knoll or the seats of the car on rainy
nights were their accommodations. Neither he
nor the children knew their destination. They
wandered from Indian reservations and burial
grounds, to antique shows and estate sales, all
over the United States and as far away as Europe
and Egypt. Every summer vacation was an
adventure for him and the two lucky children
who went that particular year. The treasures
found along the way were shipped home to
Cleburne and were waiting for Layland when
he returned the day before school opened.
Collectors and curators from all over soughtLayland collected many items pertaining to the American Indian.
November 1983
V
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Texas State Historical Association. The Texas Historian, Volume 44, Number 2, November 1983, periodical, November 1983; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth391554/m1/11/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.