O. Henry House Museum (San Antonio) facts for kids
The O. Henry House Museum in San Antonio
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| Established | 1959 (reopened May 1999) |
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| Location | 601 Dolorosa St., San Antonio, Texas |
| Type | Historic house museum |
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O. Henry House
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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| Built | 1855 |
| Built by | John Kush |
| Part of | Main and Military Plazas Historic District (ID79002914) |
| Significant dates | |
| Designated CP | June 11, 1979 |
The O. Henry House Museum is a historic house museum located in San Antonio, Texas. It is named after the famous American writer, William Sydney Porter, who is better known by his pen name, O. Henry. He lived in this very house in 1885.
Contents
A Home with History
The building that is now the O. Henry House Museum was first built in 1855. A German settler named John Kush constructed the house. It was made from adobe bricks. The house was originally located at 904 South Presa Street in San Antonio.
O. Henry's Time in San Antonio
William Sydney Porter, or O. Henry, lived in San Antonio from 1883 to 1885. He moved there after some problems at his job at a bank in Austin. While in San Antonio, he started a funny magazine called Rolling Stone. Porter rented this small two-room house for only $6 a month.
Saving the House
In 1959, the San Antonio Conservation Society worked with the Lone Star Brewing Company and the family of John Kush. They bought the house for just one dollar. This deal meant they had to move the house within 60 days to save it from being torn down.
The house was moved to the Lone Star Brewing Company's property. It became part of the Buckhorn Museum collection there. This lasted until the brewery closed in 1997. In 1998, the house was moved again by David Carter and the MLP partnership. Its new and current home is at the corner of Dolorosa and Laredo Street in Downtown San Antonio.
After being carefully fixed up, the house opened as a museum in 1999. Inside, you can see furniture from that time period. There are also items connected to O. Henry's life and his famous stories.
Stories from San Antonio
While O. Henry lived in this house, he wrote several short stories. These stories were set right there in San Antonio. Some of them include "Fog in Santone," "The Higher Abdication," and "Hygeia at the Solito."
See also
