Sam Houston's early achievements alone would have earned him a place in the American history books. After a successful stint as a military commander in the War of 1812, he served as a U.S. congressman from Tennessee and as governor of the state. But his greatest accomplishments came after he moved to Texas in the 1830s and fought for the republic's independence from Mexico. After his victory over Mexican Gen. Santa Anna at San Jacinto, Houston was named the first president of the new Lone Star Republic in 1836.
He settled near Huntsville, Texas, on a spread he named Woodland. The modest four-room cabin with a central breezeway was a typical home in Texas in the late 1800s.
Figure A--Houston's wife, Margaret, decorated their modest home with some simple yet elegant pieces, such as a marble-topped Empire-style table, a sofa that was purchased in New Orleans, and a square grand piano.
Figure B--Houston's private office was another log cabin, separate from the main house, where he could retreat to read his law books by candlelight. He made some of the most difficult decisions of his political career in this office, including the decision to support the Union on the eve of the Civil War.
That support cost him his job and later his home, when in 1857 he lost in the race for governor and was forced to sell Woodland to pay campaign debts.
Resources Sam Houston Memorial Museum
The historic home of the first president of the Republic of Texas is preserved in Huntsville.
Sam Houston Memorial Museum
Box 2057 SHSU
1402 19th St.
Huntsville, TX 77341-2057
USA
Phone: 409-294-1832
URL:
www.shsu.edu/~smm_www/
The Raven: A Biography of Sam Houston
by Marquis James (ISBN: 0292770405)
University of Texas Press, 1988
Order this
title.
University of Texas Press
PO Box 7819
Austin, TX 78713-7819
USA
Phone: 512-471-7233
Fax: 512-232-7178
Email:
utpress@uts.cc.utexas.edu
URL:
www.utexas.edu/utpress/index.html
Guests Derrick Birdsall
Employee, Sam Houston Memorial Museum
Box 2057 SHSU (mailing address)
1402 19th St. (shipping address)
Huntsville, TX 77341-2057
Phone: 409-294-1832
URL:
www.shsu.edu/~smm_www/
Patrick B. Nolan
Director, Sam Houston Memorial Museum
Box 2057 SHSU (mailing address)
1402 19th St. (shipping address)
Huntsville, TX 77341-2057
Phone: 409-294-1832
Email:
smm_pbn@shsu.edu
URL:
www.shsu.edu/~smm_www/
Mac Woodward
Director of Interpretation, Sam Houston Memorial Museum
Box 2057 SHSU (mailing address)
1402 19th St. (shipping address)
Huntsville, TX 77341
Phone: 409-294-1832
Email:
smm_wmw@shsu.edu
URL:
www.shsu.edu/~smm_www/
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