MIDLAND, Texas — When you walk into the Petroleum Museum, you get a little taste of American history.
"The museum technically opened in 1975, President Ford came to the opening and so since 1975, for 47 years, we've telling the history of the industry," said Kathy Shannon, the Executive Director for The Petroleum Museum.
History isn't the only aspect of the museum: science, technology and culture also play a big role in educating museum goers.
"Our petroleum exhibits were completely renovated in 2016, they talk about the science of the industry, they have a little bit of the history of the industry, we also have a beautiful Mineral Gallery that opened in 2012 that features minerals from across the globe. We have our cultural history here in the Lovell Gallery and of course the Chaparral race cars are a real draw for a lot of people," said Shannon.
The museum highlights the importance of petroleum and how it plays a big role in our everyday lives.
"We're going to need medical supplies, those are all plastics and a lot of pharmaceuticals come from the industry so the industry is here to stay, we're going to need oil and gas for a very long time," said Shannon.
Especially here in West Texas, thanks to the people that helped grow the industry, economy and cities within it.
"We love to preserve our cultural history here of all the people that have been here before us so we have a lot of things we do here," Shannon said.
You can find other non-profits that are part of Permian Basin Gives on their website.