Sam Houston Memorial Museum:

The Sam Houston Memorial Museum is situated on eighteen acres of the original 200-plus acre farm owned by Sam Houston from 1847 until 1858. The Woodland Home was built in 1848 as the family home of lawyer and politician Sam Houston, Texas Senator and former president of the Republic of Texas. The family lived there for eight years with their several enslaved people, including Joshua Houston, who was highly respected by the family and community.

Between 1853 and 1878 the house had various owners before being sold to S. Smedes. In 1899, it opened as "Smedes' Boarding House for Girls," with several large additions. In 1905, Sam Houston Normal Institute (SHNI) (now Sam Houston State University) students and Bertha Kirkley of the history department decided to restore the site. They raised money to purchase the original property and the house, and returned the Woodland Home to the land. The Woodland Home first opened as a museum in 1929. It has undergone extensive restoration efforts in the years since then.

In 1936, the museum’s rotunda, seen on this postcard, was constructed. It displays permanent collections and exhibits about General Sam Houston's life. 1958 saw a first addition to the north and west wings and a second addition to the south wing in 1962. In 1974, the Museum was designated as a National Historic Landmark and put on the National Register of Historic Places. It is a part of Sam Houston State University.



Main Building:

The Main Building, later called Old Main, began construction on September 23, 1889, with a cornerstone ceremony. The Main Building was designed in a Victorian Gothic style consisting of two stories by the architect Alfred Mueller. The first story contained classrooms, administrative offices, and SHNI's first library- the Peabody Memorial Library- while the second story contained classrooms and the Memorial Auditorium.

The dedication ceremony for the building was on September 22, 1890. Attendees included SHNI President Joseph Baldwin, Andrew Todd McKinney, the chairman of the SHNI Local Board of Directors, Oscar H. Cooper, the state school superintendent and a member of the first faculty of SHNI, Governor Lawrence S. Ross, and Oran Roberts, the governor when SHNI was chartered in 1879.

In 1966, the Main Building underwent renovations due to cracks in the walls from ivy growing outside and problems with wiring that were said to cause minor fires in the recital hall. In 1970, the Main Building became a Historical Marker.

On Friday, February 12, 1982, the Main Building caught fire and burned to the ground. Authorities were alerted at 1:00 am, but the building could not be saved. The cause of the fire was never found. The fire had spread to Austin Hall, damaging the roof severely. Among the materials lost in the Main fire were academic records, teaching materials, ROTC materials, around $400,000 in broadcasting equipment, and recently bought musical instruments.

In 1983, the 1889 time capsule sealed within the Main Building's cornerstone was opened. The capsule contained campus documents from that time period.

During the memorial dedication ceremony in 1987, a new time capsuled was buried in a granite vault at the center of the refurbished memorial park or The Pit. Inside this capsule are news stories and photographs of the Main Building before and after the fire, a student catalog, and a letter from President Elliot Bowers reflecting on the uniqueness of the building. This time capsule will be open in 2087.

In 2002, President James Gaertner mentioned a proposal for rebuilding the Main Building, but four years later explained the cost for a replica or near replica would be too high.