income to South Texas ranchers and laborers who sold their rattlesnakes and rat snakes to the museums for $0.10-$0.15 per pound. The two log cabins on the property were constructed by participants in President Roosevelt's National Youth Administration program and are frequently used to teach students about pioneer life. 1940s: Two historic San Antonio houses were moved from their original locations to the Witte Museum campus; the limestone home of banker John Twohig, an Irish born pioneer San Antonio merchant, and the plastered stone home of José Francisco Ruiz, who was the city's first schoolmaster and one of two native Texans to sign the Texas Declaration of Independence. 1960s: Several new historic exhibits and improved art galleries were added, including the McFarlin Jewel Room and the Piper Memorial Wing, which houses temporary exhibits. 1970s: Thanks to the dedicated efforts of William A. Burns, museum Director from 1962 to 1970, The Lone Star Hall of Wildlife and Ecology opened to the public in March 1971 with dioramas of Texas wildlife. 1980s: Several major exhibits were added, including the Texas Wild and Ancient Texans. 1990s: The H-E-B Science Treehouse opened overlooking the San Antonio River, offering interactive science and physics exhibits to a growing number of students visiting the Witte. 2000s: In 2003, The Hertzberg Circus Collection was transferred from the San Antonio Public Library to the Witte Museum, fulfilling the wishes of owner Harry Hertzberg as expressed in his will. The oldest and one of the largest public circus collections, it includes artifacts, programs, prints and photographs, as well as sheet music, videotapes, professional journals and published manuscripts. Current President and CEO Marise McDermott has overseen a number of expansion projects since assuming the leadership role in 2004: The H-E-B Science Treehouse was transformed into the H-E-B Body Adventure, providing youth with the first interactive health experience in the US; The B. Naylor Morton Research and Collections Center opened, displaying more than 300,000 artifacts and providing space for scholars, archivists and students to view the growing collection; The 19,000 square-foot Mays Family Center opened as a multi-purpose exhibition and special events center. In 2012, the Robert J. and Helen C. Kleberg South Texas Heritage Center opened to the public as a permanent home for the museum's South Texas collections, exhibitions and public programs, combined with the latest museum technology. The collections are links to the area's heritage and include saddles, spurs,