Unlike many other museums, our exhibits consist of several buildings, each a historical significance in itself. The Whitehead Memorial Museum is dedicated to the preservation of Del Rio's heritage as well as Val Verde County's.

The museum came to life in 1962 when the Whiteheads, a noted local ranching family, purchased the old Perry Mercantile building (shown above) and donated it to the City of Del Rio and Val Verde County, to be utilized as a museum. Since that time, the museum has grown to include 20 exhibit sites, which occupy 2.5 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds.

This is an open-air museum with a portion of the San Felipe Irrigation Canal flowing through the middle of its property, which is part of the original irrigation system built in 1871 - it insured sufficient water for crops.