In 1976 the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame opened to the public as a State memorial to the 150th anniversary of the Texas Rangers. Part of the addition was a small 15' x 18' library and reading room which was furnished by a grant from the Moody Foundation of Galveston. Over the years the collection grew to include service records of Rangers, photographs, correspondence, books and documents going back to the 1830s.
As the collections expanded, and thousands of research inquiries were received, a small professional staff was added by the City of Waco. In 1997, the Texas Legislature recognized this service and designated the Armstrong Center as official repository for memorabilia related to the Texas Rangers service. It functions as a specialized auxiliary to the Texas State Records Center and Archives in Austin, collaborating and augmenting its collections.
Each year the Center staff assists thousands of students, teachers, genealogists, authors, and film producers on a myriad of projects. The professional staff has assisted law enforcement agencies in providing historical context for cases researching decades-old "cold cases."
After more than 30 years of service, the small Research Center was in need of renovation and additional space. In just two years, from 2003 to 2005, more than 105,000 items were added to the archives.
Responding to this need, the family of the late rancher and businessman Tobin Armstrong and wife US Ambassador Anne Armstrong, sponsored a fund drive to improve and remodel the Research Center. In appreciation the Center was renamed for Mr. and Ambassador Armstrong and their ancestor, famed Texas Ranger John B. Armstrong.