It’s day four, sadly, our last full day at Huntsville State Park. So for our last sightseeing trip, we are off to see the Samuel Houston Homestead and Museum in Huntsville Texas. To Read more about our experience at the Huntsville State Park, click here.
Samuel Houston
So, who was Samuel Houston? Well here is a very brief synopsis:
He was a soldier during the war of 1812, and he quickly rose through the ranks. In 1817 he was assigned the task of removing the Cherokee Indians from Tennessee. Although it may seem strange, he had a bond with the Cherokee tribe; and in 1929 would be considered a member of their tribe after leaving the Governorship of Tennessee. Due to his connections in Washington the Cherokee asked Houston to mediate many of their disputes with the Jackson Administration.
In 1932, a few of Houston’s friends convinced him to come to Texas where unrest was brewing with Americans who did not want to be under Mexican rule. In October of 1835 the Mexican Revolution broke out and the Alamo fell shortly thereafter. However, by 1836 under the leadership of Houston, his army overpowered the Mexican Forces at the battle of San Jacinto. The result was Santa Anna having to sign the Treaty of San Velasco, which granted Texas its independence.
On May 9, 1840, Houston, aged 47, married for a third time. His bride was 21-year-old Margaret Moffette Lea of Marion, Alabama, the daughter of planters. Samuel and Margaret had eight children. Margaret acted as a tempering influence on her much older husband and convinced him to stop drinking. One of the homes that they lived in during this period was the homestead in Huntsville. The house sits on their enormous parcel of land which also had a law office building as well as a separate kitchen and barn buildings.
Samuel Houston’s Huntsville Home
Houston’s Kitchen in the Foreground and Law Office in the Background.
Samuel Houston would go on to serve as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas. During this time he always wanted the United States to annex Texas, and this finally happened in 1846 after a lot of back and forth in both houses in Washington DC.
Houston would go on to represent the State of Texas as a Senator in 1846. Later in Life he would become the Governor of Texas.
He later settled in back in Huntsville, renting the “Steamboat” house with his wife Margaret. You might be asking yourself, why didn’t they just move back into the homestead in Huntsville? Well, apparently that property had been sold to cover his campaign debts.
In 1863 after suffering from poor health for a while, Samuel Houston passed away in the Steamboat House. His funeral was held in the second floor Parlor of the steamboat house. The house at that point was directly across from the cemetery. It is now on the homestead property.
The Steamboat House
The Upper Parlor of the Steamboat House
The Actual Museum is located on the back of the property, directly behind and to the right of the law office. It is a large exhibit, and you could easily spend a few hours here. The Museum is separated into different sections that represent different periods of his life. The Woman that was manning the front desk, gave us at least a ten minute overview of the museum plus interesting historical facts. She really should give tours there, her knowledge was really quite impressive.
To learn more about the The Samuel Houston Homestead and Museum click here. This is a must see if you are ever near Huntsville, Texas.
One Last Photo of Samuel Houston. This is a statue of Houston that happens to be the worlds tallest statue of an American Hero. It is the most photographed statue in Texas. It stands 67 feet tall on a 10-foot sunset granite base, and was dedicated in 1994. It is located on Highway 45 near Huntsville, Texas; you can’t miss it!
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