Visit the old West in the Murphey Heritage wing

Take a trip back in time to the old west and experience Native American culture, cattle drive cooking, Colt-toting town sheriffs, and early life on the prairie. Maybe experience cabin life or learn to tan a hide.

You can end your adventure wandering through exciting western fiction and folklore.

You won’t need a time machine. All it takes is a book from the Murphey Western Institute wing of the Weatherford College library.

Hitch your wagon in the north parking lot off East Park Avenue in Weatherford, mosey between the Doss Student Building and Administration Building, then past the historic plaza featuring the giant bell from Old Main and you will find the Speaker Jim Wright Library.

The decor and presentation of the Murphey wing was selected from Weatherford area antique galleries, so curling up on a couch with one of the 1,600 significant or historical books is cozy as scooting up to a night campfire. Library director Valorie Starr intended it that way. Decorations include western art, artifacts, and a display of wood Hopi kachina dolls. The Hopi tribe is a sovereign nation located in northeastern Arizona.

“Pioneer Trail, Oregon Trail, Santa Fe Trail, cattle ranching, these are all categorized in various genres,” Starr explained. “Rodeo is its own genre, and gunfighters as well. This is all growing, so you see there is a lot of room for growth.”

Western novel fans can enjoy searching through hundreds of paperback novels from popular authors. Research encyclopedias and coffee table books are also available for study. Most books are available for checkout, with a few rare books intended for in-library enjoyment.

An 1860 Cherokee translated New Testament is displayed with other collectable books.

Starr explained patrons do not need to be Weatherford College students to access the Murphey Western Institute collection, but can obtain a library account if a resident of Parker, Palo Pinto, Wise, Jack or Hood Counties.

The majority of the titles come from the collection of music artist and history enthusiast Michael Martin Murphey, who has six gold albums, multiple Grammy Award nominations, TV and film honors, and induction into the Western Music Hall of Fame. According to his manager, Tim Payne, Murphey averages 75 shows a year.

Other book donations come from  the collections of Dr. Stephen Brotherton, the Carl Steiger family, and John and Margaret Runion.

A guitar donated by Jamie and Michael Brinkley is on display in the library. The “Wildfire” guitar is signed by Murphey and has the hand-written lyrics to the song “Wildfire” around the edges. Purchase of the collectable guitars from Murphey go toward the building of the Murphey Western Institute in collaboration with the Doss Heritage and Culture Center west of Weatherford College.