The historic Magnolia Ballroom nestled
in downtown Houston at 715 Franklin
features a “stout” museum of Magnolia
Brewery artifacts. The museum collection
artifacts have been donated by fans of the
1893 building, purchased from collectors
across the U.S., found in small Texas towns,
or given to the owner of the Magnolia
Brewery Building by strangers who felt the
items belonged “back home” at the former
brewery location.
The museum featurs artifacts related to
the Magnolia Brewery and the signature
Magnolia beers, including Magnolia,
Richlieu, Southern Select, Hiawatha and
Grand Prize, such as large tin advertising
signs, beer bottles, beer cans, metal cone
beer cans and poster prints. The museum
also displays souvenir items, such as:
dishware, tape measure, spinning top, salt
shakers, logo bottle openers and matchbook
covers.
The collection at the Magnolia Brewery
museum began in 1980 with items provided
by John Moraida, Tim Womble, Marilyn
Myers and Joe Baker. Each contribution
arrived back at the brewery building with
its own story.
John Moraida gave a wooden Magnolia
beer box, a large metal Magnolia beer sign
and Magnolia beer bottle with cap.
Moraida, owner of John’s Flowers and
Magnolia Ballroom Showcases
Brewery Museum
Antiques in the Houston Heights historic
area, came across the Magnolia Brewery
items while frequenting antique sales
around the state of Texas.
Tim Womble contributed a large colorful
Magnolia Beer tray showing a seated
German couple with a pitcher of beer and
glass in his hands, the Magnolia flower in
her hand and the Magnolia emblem in the
upper left hand corner. Womble had this
item for many years in his kitchen and
decided to give it back to the Magnolia
Brewery building because he felt it was
“coming home” and that it was a part of the
Magnolia history.
The beer tray reads: Houston Ice &
Brewring Co. Magnolia Brewery.
Joe Baker gave a Southern Select old tin
beer can with the bottle-type top. The can
was found in a field on Baker’s family ranch
near Somerville, Texas.
Marjorie Smith, of Bellville, Texas,
called Marilyn Meyers, an associate of Bart
Truxillo (current owner of the Magnolia
Brewery building) to proved a framed
Magnolia Brewery poster printed in 1908;
the print hung in Smith’s grandfather’s store
in Bellville, Texas.
Premium beer produced by the Magnolia
Brewery around 1900 could only be
explained by comparison to German beer,
considered then as the world’s finest. The
image on the print is a German Bismarck
seated at a pastoral table and chair in a
wooded glen with his loyal dogs in the
background.
Housed in the Magnolia Brewery
Ballroom, the Magnolia Brewery museum
displays have grown tremendously as people
from all over have continued to provide
items that they have stumbled upon.
Truxillo says the museum is forever seeking
Magnolia Brewing related objects to be
included in the historic collection. The
Magnolia Ballroom is used today as a
facility for weddings, parties and special
events, and is unique in that it is one of
Houston’s oldest buildings in use.
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