The Cuero Heritage Museum held a ribbon- cutting ceremony on May 21 to celebrate the opening of the new Genealogy Room and a permanent exhibit featuring The Patti Giles Collection of English Tea Pots and Biscuit Jars. This collection was donated by Mr. Giles in honor of his wife, Patti.
Inspired by the beautiful Giles teapot collection, Amber Fitts, the museum manager, decided to create a genealogy room.
'Our gift shop wasn’t doing well, so I considered using this area to attract more customers. I realized that adding these stunning teapots would appeal to those interested in genealogy and encourage them to explore the collection. Thus, the Genealogy Room was established,' Fitts explained.
Angie Cuellar, the Executive Director of the Cuero Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture, spoke about the history of tea parties during the ceremony.
'It was an honor to sit down and share tea with someone as a way to show hospitality, which is what Cuero represents—rich history and hospitality. We truly appreciate this generous donation,' she said.
Fitts also shared some insights into tea etiquette. 'Holding your little pinky finger up while drinking tea is not proper. The number of sugar cubes you use in your cup can indicate social status. Wealthier individuals would typically use more,' she explained.
The attendees admired the tea settings used for refreshments, which featured ornate paper teacups and plates.
The Cuero Heritage Museum at 124 E. Church Street now has a searchable genealogy database with 480 books. Check it out at https://chmgenealogy. libib.com/. If you are interested in donating to this collection, call 361-4858090.
