This final stop on my mini tour of Beaumont speaks to the fact that any group of organizations and individuals with enough of money and a goal in mind are able to create a museum. The Texas Energy Museum highlights the wonders of the oil industry in southeast Texas in a set of well-designed, interactive, and informative exhibits. The exhibit space is highly accessible, with plenty of space to move around and decent lighting, although is one display with a strobing light and one partially lit hallway. A spacious elevator moves between the first and second floor. No photographs are permitted inside the museum, so all of the photographs are of the signage, seismograph, and Texas-shaped pavers outside of the sturdy building.
The entrance of the museum is a beautifully designed, if extremely wordy, explanation of the history of energy, from the beginning of the universe to the formation of the solar system and the layers of the earth. With this textbook-like exhibit out of the way, the visitor moves on to the real purpose of the museum: highlighting the importance of the oil industry to the history of Texas and the rest of the United States.
The next exhibit displays the life of H.E. "Eddie" Chiles and his business, The Western Co. (He was also an owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team.) A gray oil truck from the 1930s, bright neon lights, and memorabilia set the mood. Besides perusing through an enlarged set of photos, some of which feature Chiles besides former presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, you can also watch a short reel of old Western Co. commercials, reminding the viewer that "If you don't have an oil well, get one!"
Down a hallway is an explanation of uses for petroleum, along with information about oil refining. The best part of this section was a scale model of an oil refinery. Pressing a button prompted a narrated tour where multicolored, strobing lights highlighted different machines and storage tanks at the refinery. The simple terms used in the narration made it easy for anyone to understand the basic process. A small model of an oil tanker cockpit would also be a hit with kids.
Another feature of the museum, with similar exhibits on both the first and second floor, was the use of "Ciné Robot". Standing on life-sized oil rigs, these uncanny dummies had projected faces and portray real historical figures involved in the Texas oil industry. While the exhibits were of high quality, the vibe was more Westworld than Disney World, and this definitely could scare some people.
In addition to the unease surrounding the robots, the history-based section of the museum emphasized certain undertones I had felt throughout the museum. A timeline across the back wall highlighted triumphs of "American Free Enterprise System" throughout United States history, particularly focusing on the character of men like the Founding Fathers, factory owners Samuel Slater and Francis Cabot Lowell during the early American Industrial Revolution, and Confederate leaders Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis. People on the wrong side of "Manifest Destiny" were described less kindly, with Apache leader Geronimo noted to be "sullen, rancorous, vindictive" and in part responsible for "savage Indian war". This section of the exhibit also featured a tall, wooden carving of a bald eagle surrounded by plexiglass with pro-monopoly, anti-legislation quotes from various political figures and business magnates.
In conclusion, this museum is perfectly suited for families, school groups, and Beaumont visitors who would like to know more about the oil industry in Texas. However, the information is told with a strong slant to a specific ideology, particularly if you read the fine print on the seemingly endless signage.