Texas Rangers Heritage Center opens in Fredericksburg

The Texas Rangers Heritage Center held its grand opening Saturday morning in
celebration of the completion of ‘Phase One’ of the center.
Phase one, which has been in the process for 14 years, includes the pavilion,
outdoor auditorium, and two memorials.
One of the memorials on site is The Ranger Ring of Honor, a large circular stone
memorial with names of over 500 rangers who were killed in the line of duty. The second
memorial, the bell tower, is lit up blue at night to honor those in law enforcement.
Joe Davis, retired Texas Ranger and president of the Former Texas Ranger
Foundation, said the center was built to honor the Rangers and to shed light on their true
history.
“We want to educate our youth to become better citizens,” Davis said, “The more
history you know, the better citizen you become."
Davis said the rangers became the ears and eyes for Texas citizens, and they have
been protecting Texans for almost 200 years.
Davis said a Texas Ranger’s badge mostly stands for the hearts of dedicated men
and women.
“They’re out there 24 hours a day, and if they weren’t out there we wouldn’t be
here,” Davis said “They are the reason we have the state we have today.”
Davis said phase two of the Heritage Center will include an indoor where visitors
can learn the history through holographic videos. This last phase is scheduled for
completion in April 2017.