The El Paso Museum of History offers visitors a bilingual, multi-cultural experience through exhibitions that focus on the history of El Paso del Norte (The Pass of the North). The permanent and rotating exhibitions in the museum’s six galleries feature history beginning from pre-Spanish contact to present.
The Diamond Lil Club: Queer Nightlife & Community, 1960s - 1980s
Jun 7, 2025 - Jul 31, 2025
1st Floor, Juan and Linda Uribe Community Gallery
In 1967, Don Ward opened the Diamond Lil Club, one of El Paso’s early gay bars. The space offered a lively refuge for the LGBTQ+ community when few others existed. Known for its charm and unapologetic authenticity, the Diamond Lil was more than a dive bar—it was a sanctuary, a place to dance, connect, and truly be yourself. In the pop-up exhibition, The Diamond Lil Club: Queer Nightlife and Community, 1960s-1980s, photographs of nights at the Diamond Lil, ranging from drag shows to community events, are paired with historical documents to showcase the beauty and belonging patrons found at the bar. Though it closed in 1986, the Diamond Lil’s legacy lives on as a trailblazer in El Paso’s Queer history.
Photographs taken by Don Ward, from the private collection of David Wilton.
Neighborhoods and Shared Memories: Hacienda Heights to Ranchland
Apr 10, 2025 - Jan 11, 2026
"Neighborhoods and Shared Memories: Hacienda Heights to Ranchland," 1950 – 1990. Once dairy farms and desert, the Lower Valley area boomed post-World War II as families were able to build or purchase their first homes. The tightly-knit community of Black, Mexican, and white families represented a diverse working and middle class neighborhood in the wake of desegregation. The exhibit showcases how schools, businesses, and the changing socio-economic landscape influenced the area's identity and the people who made their homes there.
This exhibit is part of an ongoing series that features historic neighborhoods throughout El Paso. Previously exhibited neighborhoods included Chihuahuita, Segundo Barrio, Sunset Heights, Manhattan Heights, South Central, Rio Grande, and Franklin Heights.
El Paso’s Homegrown: The Korean War
Jul 27, 2024 - Jul 26, 2025
2nd Floor, Gallery C
“El Paso’s Homegrown: The Korean War” is an original exhibition dedicated to exploring El Pasoans and the Korean War (1950 - 1953). Opening on the anniversary of the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement, this exhibit will showcase the many facets of El Pasoans' experiences, from their service abroad in Korea to their lives as Korean and Korean-American citizens. In addition to artifacts from the conflict itself, the exhibit will also feature Korean history, culture, and the ongoing relationship between the United States and Korea. This exhibit is the latest in the ongoing series El Paso’s Homegrown, which began in 2022 with an exhibit about El Pasoans and World War II.
“El Paso’s Homegrown: The Korean War” opens to the public at 1pm on Saturday, July 27 and will be on display through July 2025!
