William Sydney Porter House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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William Sydney Porter House
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The O. Henry Museum in 2007
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| Location | 409 East Fifth Street Austin, Texas, US |
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| Built | 1886 |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001979 |
| Added to NRHP | June 18, 1973 |
The William Sydney Porter House is a special old house in downtown Austin, Texas. A famous writer named William Sydney Porter, who you might know as O. Henry, lived here a long time ago, from 1893 to 1895. Today, this house is called the O. Henry Museum, and it's a place where you can learn all about his life and stories. It was added to a list of important places, the National Register of Historic Places, on June 18, 1973.
Contents
A Look Back at the House's Story
The House and Its Famous Resident
This charming house was built in 1886. It has a simple design, like many homes from that time. William Sydney Porter, also known as O. Henry, rented this house with his wife, Athol, and their daughter, Margaret. They lived here for about two years before moving to Houston. In Houston, Porter started writing full-time for a newspaper called the Houston Post. Even though he is often linked to North Carolina, O. Henry wrote 42 of his stories about Texas.
Saving and Moving the House
The house was rented out for many years. By 1930, it was going to be torn down to make space for a new building. But in 1934, several women's groups in Austin had a great idea. They suggested to the Austin City Council that if the city would accept the house as a gift and move it, they would help fix it up. They wanted to open it as a "shrine" to O. Henry.
So, the City of Austin moved the house from its first spot at 307 East 4th Street. It was moved around the block to its current home at Brush Square Park, 409 East 5th Street. After the move, the house was carefully restored. It opened as a museum in 1934. Inside, you can see many old items from that time, including some of the Porter family's own furniture and personal things. The house was fixed up again in 1994 and 1995. It got a new roof and four brick chimneys that had been lost during the 1934 move.
A Place of Importance
The William Sydney Porter House was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 18, 1973. It was recognized for its importance in literature and its interesting architecture. In 1999, it became the very first National Literary Landmark in Texas. This special title was given by the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress. It honors the house's connection to the famous author O. Henry.
Today, the museum is also the place where the annual O. Henry Pun-Off is held. This is a fun competition where people tell jokes using "puns," which are words that have two meanings. This event usually happens on the first weekend in May.
See also
- List of museums in Central Texas
- O. Henry Pun-Off
