William Sidney Porter House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
William Sydney Porter House
|
|
The O. Henry Museum in 2007
|
|
| Location | 409 East Fifth Street Austin, Texas, USA |
|---|---|
| Built | 1886 |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001979 |
| Added to NRHP | June 18, 1973 |
The William Sydney Porter House, also known as the O. Henry House, is a special old building in Downtown Austin, Texas. A famous writer named O. Henry (whose real name was William Sydney Porter) lived here between 1893 and 1895. Today, this house is a museum called the O. Henry Museum. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 18, 1973, because of its important history.
A Writer's Home in Austin
This charming house was built in 1886. It has a simple design, similar to the Eastlake Style of architecture. William Sydney Porter, who later became famous as the author O. Henry, rented this house. He lived here with his wife, Athol, and their daughter, Margaret.
The Porter family lived in this house from 1893 to 1895. After that, they moved to Houston. In Houston, O. Henry started writing full-time for the Houston Post newspaper. Even though he is often linked to North Carolina, O. Henry wrote 42 stories that were set in Texas.
Saving the House
The house was rented out for many years. By 1930, it was planned to be torn down to make space for a warehouse. But in 1934, several women's groups in Austin stepped in to save it. These groups included the Colonial Dames and the Daughters of the American Revolution.
They suggested to the Austin City Council that if the city would accept the house as a gift, they would help restore it. The Austin Rotary Club donated the house. The City of Austin then moved the house from its first spot at 307 East 4th Street. It was moved around the block to its current location at Brush Square, 409 East 5th Street.
The house was carefully restored and opened as a museum in 1934. Inside, you can see many items from that time period. Some of these items even belonged to the Porter family. The house was restored again in 1994 and 1995. During this time, the roof was fixed, and four brick chimneys that were lost in 1934 were replaced.
Fun Events at the Museum
Today, the O. Henry Museum is also famous for a fun event. It is the home of the annual O. Henry Pun-Off. This is a competition where people tell jokes using puns. A pun is a funny play on words. This event usually happens on the first weekend in May.
