National Ranching Heritage Center

The National Ranching Heritage Center is a museum and historical park in Lubbock, Texas, established to preserve the history of ranching, pioneer life and the development of the livestock industry in North America. Forty-five authentic, furnished ranch buildings and structures have been relocated to the NRHC and show the evolution of ranch life from the late 1780s through the 1930s.

The Center had received requests from visitors and ranching aficionados alike for something unique and memorable to have as a “take-home” from their visit. Visitors to the Center are struck by the beauty, charm and history of each of these structures and the exhibits and wanted to capture a piece of it for themselves. From this need, the ornament program was born.

The first ornament was offered in 2002 and depicted Barton House, a two-story, Queen Anne-style house built in 1909. This structure was chosen to be the first ornament due to its popularity with visitors. The Center supplied photographs from multiple angles of each structure and had ChemArt’s graphics department design the ornament. Whitney Barron, Business Manager for the Ranching Heritage Association, says “the art department is able to work their magic and create an ornament that closely resembles the structure. The quality is superb and long-lasting.”

The results of this first campaign were promising. Visitors would purchase the ornament at Cogdell’s General store - the on-site gift shop - or purchase from their web site. Sales continued to grow and more ornaments were made. The second ornament was Four Sixes Barn. Swinging barn doors are featured on this ornament. The next ornament was the Santa Fe Depot, once located in Ropesville, Texas. The 2006 ornament was Las Escarbadas, one of seven divisional headquarters for the three-million-acre XIT Ranch once located in West Texas.

The NRHC markets each new ornament to their mailing list, and displays the ornaments on their web site and in their gift shop. In just a few short years the popularity of the ornaments has grown. Visitors often return to purchase the remainder of the ornaments in the series. The Center receives calls in the Fall of each year from collectors wanting to know what ornament is coming next. Barron says that they intend to continue the project with new ornaments each year in order to replicate all 45 structures. “I have the ornaments on our Christmas tree at home”, says Barron. “Every person who comes in instantly comments on the ornaments in the series. They definitely catch one’s eye. I am very glad that we chose ChemArt to help us with this important representation of our past.”

 Download a PDF of the National Ranching Heritage Center case study