HUNTSVILLE, Texas — This year marks the 160th anniversary of former Texas governor and general Sam Houston's death.
In honor of the milestone, the Sam Houston Memorial Museum and republic of Texas Presidential Library will host a special event to honor his memory on Wednesday.
“My goal is to make sure that your grandchildren can come see what you get to see which means in some fashion we have limit access to protect the building so 15 or 20 years ago the museum stopped having the steamboat house open on a daily basis and it would only be open on a special occasions,” said Museum Director, Derrick Birdsall.
The public will gain access to a part of history that has not always been available.
“The day is gonna run from 10 to 2 p.m. We’ll start the event off with a Masonic rights funeral which will take place upstairs in our main museum and after that’s completed, we’ll make our way from the museum to the steamboat house and we’ll have historically clothed interpreters throughout the house,” the museum director said.
These guides are essential to make the past come to life and will give the public an interactive portrayal of who Sam Houston was.
“if you learn anything about history you know its not black and white," Birdsall said. "There's not good guys and bad guys. Houston did some things that modern people can find morally reprehensible and if you’re being objective about it he did a lot of good things too.”
Admission will be waived on July 26. For more information about this event visit samhoustonmemorialmuseum.com, follow the museum on Facebook, or contact the museum at 936-294-1832.
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