Saturday the West History Museum opened a gallery dedicated to April 2013 fertilizer plant explosion.
The group started off with a small display at the museum. Houston's Czech History Center approached the museum and the board about developing the display. Board President Georgia Hutyra, said the two groups worked together on ideas for the gallery expansion. After seven months, the gallery opened for the first time to the public.
Mayor Tommy Muska admits that it’s a difficult but pivotal part of the city’s past. "Every city has great events in their history and some not so great and unfortunately 04-17-13 is going to be the history of the explosion. It's part of our history," Muska said.
Board members want the gallery to reflect the damage the community felt.
“The nursing home, the school - three of our four schools were totally destroyed, so that's what we want them to learn,” Hutyra said.
Despite the severity of the gallery, Hutrya is hoping visitors take from the exhibit the city’s sense of resilience.
“We did suffer a big loss but we’re coming back stronger than ever,” Hutyra said.
