His contributions to the Bell County Museum, the Bell County Historical Commission and the Texas Early Day Tractor Association have added a more profound sense of history to those organizations.
Services for Limmer, who died Thursday morning, will be 11 a.m. Saturday at Christ Episcopal Church in Temple with the Rev. David Alwine officiating. Burial will follow at Bellwood Memorial Park.
He will be long remembered as editor-in-chief on the seminal two-volume, 1,110-page “The Story of Bell County,” published by the Bell County Historical Commission in 1988.
“He is probably the most important preservationist of our past since George W. Tyler,” said Dr. David Yeilding, a retired Central Texas College history professor and longtime friend who served as co-editor on “The Story of Bell County.”
“He poured his heart and soul into those two volumes.”
“He wrote a vast amount of history of Bartlett area, as well as historical markers in this county especially in southeastern part. He was at one time the most prolific applicant for Texas historical markers in the county. When it came to the history of that area, he was the person to go to.
“He was enormously social and a social historian,” Yeilding added. “He could tell you families and their connections. He had a fantastic memory.”
For Limmer, history was about sharing stories so that the younger generations could learn and improve their communities.
“One of Mr. Limmer’s greatest joys was visiting the museum when schoolchildren were here. It delighted him to know that he was able to share the remarkable history of the county with so many bright youngsters,” said Stephanie Turnham, executive director of the Bell County Museum.
In later years, he donated his extensive collection of early Texana artifacts, which have become a centerpiece of the museum’s exhibits.
“With over 1,800 objects, the E.A. Limmer Jr. Collection is a benchmark collection for the Bell County Museum due to the high quality, sheer range, and remarkable provenance of the objects,” Ms. Turnham said.
The Alligator Creek Collection is important documentation of a vanishing way of life of pioneer settlers of this county, she added.
“Mr. Limmer’s vision for the museum was to build a comprehensive collection of objects and histories from throughout the county that would reflect the area’s diversity and that would be educational and enjoyed by all people – from all walks of life,” she said.
During his life, Limmer collected fine art pieces by local and statewide artists to more homespun items such as butter molds and quilts. His collection expanded into the garage, the historic Messer-Limmer farmhouse in the rural Bell County community of Alligator and into his Temple home.
With the museum’s restoration completed in 1991, Limmer donated the first of many, many objects to the museum. “Because I didn’t have any children to give them to, and my wife isn’t that thrilled about old things; I was just delighted to give them away so they could be seen by everyone,” he once said.
Born on Feb. 6, 1920, in Alligator, five miles east of Bartlett, he was the son of Early Alva and Annie Mae Messer Limmer Sr. He graduated from Bartlett High School in 1937 and from Texas State University in San Marcos in 1941. He married Italia Theresa Del Cont in Welch, W.Va., on June 9, 1954. After working for Shell Oil for 38 years, as a financial assistant in Houston for 30 years, and for eight years in the oilfields of West Texas and New Mexico, he retired to his home in Bell County in 1983. However, whatever professional and financial success he attained, he
never forgot his heritage. “He was a man who identified with his roots,” Yeilding added. “He didn’t want to be anything else but a Bell County native.”
He was instrumental in the renovation of the 1904 Belton Carnegie Library building, helping to raise $400,000 to restore the building, now home to the Bell County Museum.
He served on the boards of Tablerock, the Salado Historical Society, Bartlett Activity Center Inc., the Central Texas Orchestral Society, and the Bell County Museum. He restored the 1895 Messer-Limmer farmhouse, a recorded Texas Historical Landmark, which he donated to the Texas Early Day Tractor and Engine Association. He was president of the Heart of Texas Chapter Sons of the American Revolution, the Edward Kellum Chapter of the Society of the War of
1812 and of the George W. Tyler Chapter of the Sons of the Republic of Texas. He also held membership in the Jamestown Society, Order of the Crown of Charlemagne, Magna Carta Barons, Plantangenet Society, Texas Society of Colonial Wars, Knights of the Garter, and Friends of St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, England.
Numerous organizations recognized his preservation efforts. In 1991 the Texas House of Representatives designated him “a living cultural and historical resource because of his time and talents to advance the cultural and historical enrichment of Bell County and his contribution to the heritage of Texas.”
Among his many awards were the the Texas Society Sons of the American Revolution Silver Service Medal and Betty Martin Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution Community Service Award.
He is survived by his wife and numerous nieces and nephews.
Memorial contributions may be made to Christ Episcopal Church Endowment Fund. Scanio-Harper Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
