The ship that almost rewrote Texas history

BAY CITY, Texas (KTRK) -- The Matagorda County Museum in Bay City is open to visitors interested in learning more about an unexpected discovery that gave the museum international recognition.

The La Belle was a French ship that crashed in 1685.

It was discovered in Matagorda Bay in 1995 and excavated with the help of volunteers.

Today, you can find the preserved artifacts at the museum.

"Matagorda County is a very important county as far as Texas history goes," said Museum Director Barbara Smith. "If the French had been successful, Texas would have been a whole other state at this point. This story has literally re-written some of our history books."

COVID-19 restrictions are still in place at the small museum.

If you'd like to visit, you can check out their website www.thestoryoftexas.com for more information: