Holy Airships, Pittsburg!

Every small town has one story its locals love to tell visitors, and Pittsburg's involves a Baptist preacher and a flying machine. Reverend Burrell Cannon found his inspiration in the Book of Ezekiel. His airship reportedly took flight in 1901, just a block from the old train depot and ahead of the Wright brothers' famous flight. Today, that tale is the star attraction at the Northeast Texas Rural Heritage Museum, where a full replica of the Ezekiel Airship hovers overhead.

The airship lives inside the Depot Museum, housed in a Texas & St. Louis Railway Company depot built between 1880 and 1885. Its exhibits stretch back more than 1,000 years to the Caddo people who first called this area home. Visitors can check out a working telegraph station and an 1894 telephone switchboard. Gearheads usually drift toward Carroll Shelby's last Mustang, a gleaming Cobra GT 350. Hometown success stories get their due, too, with exhibits celebrating Cavender's and Pilgrim's. Just outside, the Farmstead Museum showcases the oldest home in the county, which was moved to the site and rebuilt on its original foundation materials. Inside, the table is set as if company from the 1800s is due any minute. Both museums share one admission, which makes it easy to follow the invitation to “Discover the Past of Rural Northeast Texas.”

None of it would exist without the community's devotion. The City of Pittsburg rescued the depot from demolition in 1988, and local volunteers transformed it into a treasure trove of regional history. That hometown effort helped earn the Northeast Texas Rural Heritage Museum their 2026 Best of Texas Award. Somewhere in the Depot Museum today, a visitor is gazing up at that airship and grinning.

Contact Information

Company Name: Northeast Texas Rural Heritage Museum

Phone: 903-946-3243

Email: museum@pittsburgtexasmuseum.org

Address: 204 West Marshall Street, Pittsburg, TX 75686

Website: pittsburgtexasmuseum.org