Sam Houston Park facts for kids
Sam Houston Park is a special park in downtown Houston, Texas, USA. It's like a living museum, showing off old buildings and the history of Houston. This park was the very first one in the city. It was started in 1900 by Mayor Sam Brashear.
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Park History
In 1899, Mayor Brashear created Houston's first park committee. Their job was to plan a city park. They chose a piece of land about 20 acres (81,000 m2) big. This land was turned into a beautiful park that looked like a Victorian village. It had walking paths, an old mill, and a bridge over a small stream. There was even a 52-year-old house that had been used as a school.
Mayor Brashear bought the park land from three different owners. The city engineer, John Maxey, designed the first park. It included the Kellum-Noble House. The plan also had a road, a bridge over Buffalo Bayou, a bandstand, and a pavilion. There was also a pond and a pretty covered walkway.
The Heritage Society
The Heritage Society was started in 1954 by three Houstonians: Faith Bybee, Harvin Moore, and Marie Phelps. Sam Houston Park has been their home ever since.
The main goal of the Society is to save the history of Houston and the area around it. They do this by fixing up old buildings, showing historical items, and teaching people about the past of Houston and Harris County. They also show how the past connects to today and the future.
Inside Sam Houston Park, at Bagby and Lamar Streets, there's a small place called the Heritage Society Museum. It's all about keeping Houston's history alive.
Historic Buildings
Many old and important houses are located in Sam Houston Park. These buildings show different times in history. They range from a very old cabin built before the Texas Revolution to a church built in 1891 by German and Swiss people who moved here. The Kellum-Noble House is Houston's oldest brick house, built in 1847. You can take guided tours of these fixed-up buildings with the Heritage Society.
The Old Place is a log cabin likely built around 1823. It's thought to be the oldest building still standing in Harris County. It was moved to the park in 1973. In 2003, it was moved again to higher ground because floods from Buffalo Bayou had reached its roof many times.
While the Old Place is the oldest building in Sam Houston Park, the Kellum-Noble House is the oldest building still standing in Houston itself. Nathaniel Kellum built it in 1847 next to his brickyard. The house has two main rooms separated by an open hallway, and a porch goes all the way around it. The City of Houston bought the house in 1899 as part of the park land. The Harris County Heritage Society saved it in 1954. They fixed it up and opened it as a museum four years later.
The Nichols-Rice-Cherry House was built around 1850. It was first owned by Houston merchant Ebeneezer Nichols, who then sold it to William Marsh Rice. Later, a Houston artist named Emma Richardson Cherry bought it, fixed it up, and moved it. The Heritage Society later moved this Greek Revival style house to Sam Houston Park. They made it look like it did when Rice owned it, but also added a room like Cherry's art studio.
The Fourth Ward Cottage was a home for a German family in the mid-1800s. It was originally in the Fourth Ward, a neighborhood now known as Freedman's Town. After the Civil War, African Americans moved into this area. The house today is a mix of styles. It has an old-fashioned cottage in the front and a two-room cottage in the back, like the "shotgun houses" common in that old neighborhood. The Heritage Society moved it to the park in 2002.
The Pillot House is named after its owner, Eugene Pillot, a Houston businessman. His family came to Texas in 1837 and ran a lumber business. They also built the Pillot Building in 1858. The Pillot House was built in 1868 for Eugene and Zeolide Pillot, where they raised six children. The family owned the house until they gave it to the Heritage Society in 1965. The Pillot House was very modern for its time. It had new things like an attached kitchen, gas lighting, and closets. It also had features to help keep it cool in the hot summer.
The Yates House is another house in Sam Houston Park that was originally in Freedmen's Town. John Henry Yates, who was formerly enslaved, built this house in 1870. He was a minister and a teacher in Houston. The house has a simple double porch on the front, which is typical of the Greek Revival style. Yates's family later gave the house to the Heritage Society, and it was moved to the park in 1994.
St. John Church was built in 1891 in northwest Harris County. It was moved to Sam Houston Park in 1968. Even though it was built for German Lutherans, its style was common for churches in the American South. It has a rectangular shape with a pointed roof and a bell tower.
The Baker Family Playhouse is located behind the Nichols-Rice-Cherry House. James A. Baker built this small playhouse for his daughter Alice around 1893.
The Staiti House was built in 1905 by Henry Staiti as an investment. It was originally in the Westmoreland Place neighborhood. It was updated in 1915 and had modern features like electric lights and a built-in refrigerator. The Heritage Society moved it to Sam Houston Park in 1986.
Monuments
- World War I Monument
- Confederate monument (moved)
Gallery: Postcard scenes in Sam Houston Park
(c. means "around" a certain year.)
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Band concert (c. 1910)
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Wading pond (c. 1900-1924)
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Children's playground (c. 1909)
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House and bell (c. 1900-1924)
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Lake (c. 1907)
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Lake scene (c. 1911)
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Confederacy monument (c. 1912-1924)
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South Entrance (c. 1912-1924)
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Scene (c. 1907)
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Play grounds and band stand (c. 1912-1924)
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Images for kids
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St. John Church, Sam Houston Park, Houston, Texas
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