Steamboat House (Huntsville, Texas) facts for kids
 |
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Location | Huntsville |
|---|---|
| Type | House museum |
The Steamboat House is a special historic home located in Huntsville, Texas. It is found on the grounds of Sam Houston State University. This unique house got its nickname "Steamboat" because of its unusual design. People thought it looked like a steamboat!
The house was built in 1858 by Dr. Rufus W. Bailey. He built it as a wedding gift for his son. However, his son and his new wife did not want to live in it because of its strange look. The Steamboat House is famous because it is where Sam Houston passed away on July 26, 1863. His funeral was also held there, in the room upstairs. Today, the house is part of the Sam Houston Memorial Museum complex.
Who Owned the Steamboat House?
After Dr. Rufus W. Bailey passed away, his son Frank inherited the house. Later, the house was sold to A. C. McKeen. In 1866, Pleasant Kittrell bought the house. Sadly, Kittrell died in 1867 from a serious illness called yellow fever. This was the same illness that took the life of Margaret Lea Houston, Sam Houston's wife.
Moving the Steamboat House
Over the years, many different people owned the Steamboat House. Then, in 1933, a businessman named J. E. Josey bought it. He then gave the house to the Texas Historical Commission. This group works to protect important historical places in Texas.
To keep it safe and make it part of the museum, the house was moved in 1936. It was carefully moved to the grounds of Sam Houston State University. In 1964, the Steamboat House was officially recognized as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. This means it is a very important historical site in Texas.
