Take a trip back to the Wild West at The Bryan Museum

GALVESTON, TX (KTRK) -- The Bryan Museum houses one of the world's largest collections of historical artifacts, documents, and artwork relating to Texas and the American West.

The man behind the museum is J. P. Bryan, a self-proclaimed history buff. Bryan's interest in Texas history was always strong, given his family's connection to the Texas Revolution -- Emily Austin Bryan Perry, Stephen F. Austin's sister, is Bryan's great-great-great-great-grandmother.

In October 2013, Bryan purchased the 1895 Orphans Home in Galveston. Today, the restored building contains over 70,000 rare artifacts, documents, maps and works of art relating to the history of Texas and the American West. The collection spans more than 12,000 years, with pieces ranging from ancient Native American cultural artifacts to modern twenty-first century objects.

In his pursuit of the finest pieces, Bryan also purchased a number of existing collections, including the Galveston Collection, adding over 3,500 documents related to Galveston's unique history. Bryan hopes that his collection will aid in the education of both the local community and the five million visitors Galveston welcomes each year.

Because of Bryan's significant contributions to the history of Galveston, The Executive Board of the Knights of Momus honors him as the Grand Marshall of the largest of all Galveston Mardi Gras parades. The Knights of Momus Grand Night Parade is Saturday, Feb. 25 and will feature over 20 colossal floats, dozens of marching bands and thousands of coveted beads and doubloons.

"I am thrilled and honored to be part of the Momus Parade with its rich history and connection to Galveston, dating back to 1871," says Bryan.