In 1965, when Gus Mutscher was a state representative from Washington County, he introduced a bill appropriating $800,000 for construction of a “Worthy Museum, at the Birthplace of Texas that would be a Star upon a Star.”
In 1969, Speaker of the House Mutscher sponsored HB 634 of the 61st Texas Legislature, transferring ownership of the museum to Blinn College and appropriating an annual operating budget. The museum was dedicated and formally opened on March 1, 1970.
It is the only museum in the state created by the Legislature for the exclusive purpose of interpreting the republic period of Texas history and its material culture.
Since 1972, the Star of the Republic Museum at Washington-on-the-Brazos has held the highest honor a museum can receive: accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), being one of the first museums in the state and nation to be so designated.
Accreditation certifies that a museum operates according to standards set forth by the museum profession, manages its collections responsibly, and provides quality service to the public.
Of the nearly 8,500 museums nationwide, approximately 800 are accredited. AAM is based in Washington, D.C. and has served the museum profession since 1906. The museum was re-accredited in 2010.