Kitchen Without Power Exhibit
The Kitchen Without Power exhibit opened in September 2007, and will soon be expanded to include other rooms of a typical home before electricity reached the isolated population of the Hill Country.

On display is a farmhouse kitchen from the period just prior to rural electrification of Central Texas.  Using artifacts from the museum’s collection, gifts from individuals, and some items on loan from persons in the community, the exhibit showcases an authentic array of early utensils and equipment needed to run a household before electricity spawned the “push-button world”.

Soon after its founding, Marble Falls was provided with limited electrical power by way of a small powerhouse built to harness the energy of the falls.  It is unfortunate, but this service did not go beyond the town itself so the inhabitants of the surrounding country-side continued to function as they had for centuries without the labor saving devices made available by electricity.

Not until Buchanan Dam in 1937 and Mansfield Dam in 1941 were completed was there ever any means by which the outlying districts could be supplied with electricity.  The electrical grid which would extend from these two dams was to reach the rural areas as soon as poles were set and lines strung.  For economic and political reasons, however, this undertaking got off to a frustratingly slow start.  Then World War II abruptly halted the whole process and it was not until 1948 that all the remote regions of Central Texas were finally hooked up to power.

For those who grew up during that time, the Kitchen Exhibit will bring back many memories.  For others it will, we hope, offer an eye-opening glimpse into the harsh realities and challenges of life without electricity.
 
Our Mission is to preserve our history, to further our heritage, to protect artifacts, and to provide an ongoing history of Marble Falls and the surrounding communities.