Woodland (Huntsville, Texas) facts for kids
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Woodland
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Sam Houston House in 2012
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 Sam Houston House
Location in Texas
Sam Houston House
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1402 19th St. on Sam Houston State University campus, Huntsville, Texas |
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| Area | 15 acres (6.1 ha) |
| Built | 1847 |
| Architectural style | Dog-trot |
| NRHP reference No. | 74002097 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | May 30, 1974 |
| Designated NHL | May 30, 1974 |
Woodland is a special old house located in Huntsville, Texas. It sits right on the campus of Sam Houston State University. This house is famous because it was once the home of Sam Houston, a very important person in Texas history. He lived here from 1847 to 1859. Today, Woodland is part of the Sam Houston Memorial Museum and is recognized as a National Historic Landmark. This means it's a really important place in American history.
What is Woodland?
Woodland is the main building on a 15-acre property that belongs to the Sam Houston Memorial Museum. This museum is located at the southeast corner of the Sam Houston State University Campus.
How Was Woodland Built?
Woodland is a one-and-a-half-story house made of logs. Its outside is covered with wooden boards called clapboards. The roof has two sloping sides that meet at the top, which is called a gabled roof.
The house is a classic example of a dogtrot house. This means it has a central open hallway, or "breezeway," that goes right through the middle of the house. On each side of this breezeway are rectangular log rooms. There are brick chimneys at each end of the house.
A porch with a shed-style roof stretches across the front of the breezeway. It is held up by square posts. Inside the breezeway, there's a winding staircase. This staircase leads up to loft spaces that were used as bedrooms.
Woodland's History
When Sam Houston first started working on Woodland in 1847, it was just a small, single-room log cabin. He began making it bigger that same year. He added the central breezeway and a second log structure.
Later, more changes were made to improve the upper level of the house. This included building the staircase. It also seems that the front and back of the house were switched around at some point.
Sam Houston and his family lived in Woodland until 1859. During this time, he served as a United States senator for Texas. He also became the Governor of Texas. It's important to know that some of Houston's biggest achievements happened before he moved into Woodland. These include Texas gaining its independence and later joining the United States.
Today, Woodland is not alone. There's also a rebuilt kitchen building nearby. Plus, you can see the restored cabin that Sam Houston used as his law office.
See also
