Reopening Celebration at the Sam Rayburn House Museum

By Anne Ruppert, Sam Rayburn House Museum

After one year of closure and nine months of extensive exterior restoration, the Sam Rayburn House Museum reopened to the public during an event on Saturday, March 17. Site Manager Carole Stanton served as the master of ceremonies during the celebration, which was held on the home’s restored front porch. Dignitaries who spoke during the event included Bonham Mayor Roy Floyd, Friends of Sam Rayburn President Allen Sanderson, Rep. Larry Phillips, Sen. Bob Deuell, Texas Historical Commission (THC) Executive Director Mark Wolfe, and Rayburn family members.

Several Rayburn family members who made the trek to Bonham to attend the festivities received a special preview tour of the house with Carole Stanton. Rayburn relatives who attended included great niece Linda Cormack, great nephew Robert Bartley, Jr., and great, great nephew Eric Langford.

The free event included tours of the house, the display of Sam Rayburn’s 1947 Cadillac Fleetwood, and admission to the museum’s exhibit gallery featuring a new exhibit, “Bringing Order to the House: The Restoration of the Sam Rayburn House Museum,” a detailed interpretation of the recent restoration. Refreshments were provided by Brookshire’s and the Friends of Sam Rayburn. Other groups who assisted with the event included the CAP Texoma Composite Squadron TX-262, Fannin County 4-H, and staff from the THC and local THC historic sites, including Eisenhower Birthplace in Denison and Sam Bell Maxey House in Paris.

Restoration work at the site began in June 2011, though the site closed to the public in March 2011 to allow staff time to pack and move the many artifacts that make up the furnishings and personal belongings in the house. The home, originally constructed by Rayburn and members of his family in 1916, became a historic house museum in 1975. Time, use, and gradual deterioration necessitated the restoration.

The purpose of the restoration was twofold: to restore the home’s historic appearance and preserve the structure. THC architects worked alongside preservation architecture firm Quimby-McCoy and contractor Phoenix I Restoration Construction to complete the project.

Specific structural preservation aspects of the project included replacing deteriorated wood siding and framing, stabilizing the foundation, restoring windows, roofing, and painting. The home now resembles its 1961 appearance (the year Rayburn died) because of the restoration of several historic elements. The construction crew restored the former concrete porch to its wood and brick appearance during Rayburn’s lifetime. They also demolished concrete sidewalks on the north side of the home and installed a paving stone walkway extending from the porch. A rear porch, enclosed as an office for site staff, was returned to its original function as a screened porch enjoyed by the Rayburn family after its addition to the home in 1934.

The museum has several activities planned for the spring and summer. On Saturday, May 19, Rayburn’s Cadillac will be on display during the Bonham Veteran’s Administration car show. On Saturday, July 28, the museum will feature a display of Rayburn’s historic quilts and quilts from Sam Bell Maxey House’s collection during Bonham’s annual Quilt Hop. Mark your calendars now for these upcoming events!

The Sam Rayburn House Museum is located at 890 W. State Hwy. 56, two miles west of Bonham, in the Texas Lakes Trail Region. The home is open for tours Tuesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Visit Texas Historic Sites for Free Sunday

Texas Travel & Tourism Week and Preservation Month are currently underway, and the Texas Historical Commission (THC) encourages you to celebrate by visiting our state historic sites for free during the annual THC Historic Sites Day on Sunday, May 13.

Many of the THC’s historic sites—including Starr Family Home, Sam Bell Maxey House, Casa Navarro, Sam Rayburn House Museum, and Levi Jordan Plantation—completed major restoration projects over the past year and recently reopened their doors to the public. For a full list of sites offering free admission on May 13, visit our Historic Sites Free Day web page.

Restored exterior of Sam Bell Maxey House

New interactive exhibit at Casa Navarro

Levi Jordan Plantation post renovation

Newly restored interior of Starr Family Home

Texas Travel and Tourism Week, May 5–13, recognizes the Texas travel industry and its significant contribution to the state economy. Preservation Month, sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, encourages community members to celebrate and become involved in local preservation projects and historic sites. This year’s theme is “Discover America's Hidden Gems.”

Also this week, join us for a special celebration in El Paso on Saturday, May 12 for the reopening of the Magoffin Home State Historic Site. The circa-1875 adobe home has undergone significant restoration for more than a year and will commemorate the reopening with a day-long event featuring special speakers, interactive booths, community vendors, and more. For more information, visit the Magoffin Home website.

Magoffin Home reopening May 12

Eating Like a Soldier in the 1870s

By Mitch Baird, Fort Griffin Site Manager

At Fort McKavett’s annual West Texas Heritage Days living history event this spring, Fort Griffin State Historic Site staff demonstrated how the military fed horses and mules at Fort Griffin during the 1870s. We also included the subject of feeding soldiers and what food products were available at the sutler store operated by Conrad and Rath. Many folks don’t know that, in 1971, the military at Fort Griffin contracted with local farmers to plant more than 1,000 acres of corn to feed the horses, mules, and soldiers at Fort Griffin for the upcoming year.

Part of our demonstration was to trick kids into learning. We asked them: “Who helps make cornbread at home?” After someone answered that question, we handed them an ear of dried dent corn and told them to “show me how!” This was usually met with a blank stare or a confused look. After a few moments, we took the kids from the goat cart full of dried corn to the corn sheller, and let them crank the handle and get the corn off the cob. Next, we showed them the food mill and let them grind corn meal.

After that, we talked about milking cows and making butter, getting eggs from the chickens, mixing the cornbread, splitting wood, building a fire, and how only now we can bake our cornbread. Most kids comment, “That’s a lot of work!” And we reply, “but wait, we don’t just want cornbread for supper! Do you want pork or chicken with your cornbread?” When someone answers we tell them, “then go catch it and get it ready to cook!”

We also talked about green coffee beans and hard tack crackers, or worm castles as we call them, which were commonly infested with weevils (as shown below). Yum!

We showed the children other food items that soldiers could purchase at the sutler store: canned oysters or lobster costing .45 cents for one pound or .80 cents for two pounds; sardines costing .30 cents for a quarter-can or .50 cents for half a can; and different types of processed meats, such as wild game sausage, which were also available at various prices. Canned corn could be purchased for .35 cents, and fresh ears of corn in the summer were only .05 cents an ear. We introduced the history subject of the U.S. Reconstruction Period by explaining that soldiers used Tabasco sauce to eat the sardines or oysters. Did you know that Tabasco is a product of Reconstruction in Louisiana?

While the kids cranked the handles and grinded the corn, they didn’t realize it until it was too late—they learned something and had fun at the same time. And we had fun, too. Next, we take this demonstration to Fort Chadbourne on May 4–5, and then to Fort Lancaster on May 18–19. Come make corn meal with us and see our weevil-infested hard tack!

Fort Griffin State Historic Site is located 15 miles north of Albany on U.S. Hwy 283, in the Texas Forts Trail Region.

Levi Jordan Plantation Preservation Celebration

By Amanda McVay, Site Educator

In March, Levi Jordan Plantation State Historic Site hosted a Preservation Celebration, held in conjunction with the annual Brazoria Heritage Festival. Transportation to the site was provided for festival attendees, and the Texas Historical Commission (THC) received recognition from the Brazoria Heritage Foundation for preservation work on the plantation house. The celebration offered a chance for community residents and stakeholders to get an up-close look at the recently completed foundation stabilization and exterior restoration of the house. Several of the project partners were in attendance.

Before restoration

Before restoration

After restoration

After restoration

Guests to the Preservation Celebration were treated to a musical performance by the Brazosport Choral Union, under the direction of Rodney Mason, just prior to the ceremony. Speakers at the ceremony included THC Executive Director Mark Wolfe, State Rep. Dennis Bonnen, Precinct 4 Brazoria County Commissioner Larry Stanley, and Levi Jordan descendant Ginny McNeil Raska, who transcribed and edited The Uncompromising Diary of Sallie McNeill 1858-1867 (this diary provides a compelling view of 19th-century Southern society from the perspective of Sallie McNeill, Levi Jordan’s granddaughter). You can read Raska's full speech here. Elder Roland K. Hendricks of Mt. Zion Church in Brazoria offered an invocation to the crowd of 125 attendees.

Brazosport Choral Union

State Rep. Dennis Bonnen speaking

Levi Jordan descendant Ginny McNeil Raska speaking

Following the ceremony, guests were treated to tours of the site by Site Manager Bryan McAuley and of the slave quarters area by University of Houston’s Dr. Ken Brown. Dr. Brown supervised the archeological field work conducted at the Levi Jordan Plantation in the 1980s and 1990s. This archeological investigation produced significant information and artifacts that offer unique insight into the African American experience in 19th century Texas.

Dr. Ken Brown giving a tour of the slave quarters area

This carved shell cameo was one of thousands of artifacts found at Levi Jordan Plantation that offer unique insight into the lives of African Americans in 19th century Texas.

The sankofa is a West African tribal symbol (seen added to the spoon handle) that acknowledges the importance of looking to the past for guidance in everyday life.

Throughout the day, more than 200 guests visited the site and were encouraged to leave their fingerprints on a community thumbprint tree, drawn by Maintenance Technician Dusty Fritts to reflect the large oak trees at Levi Jordan Plantation. The art piece was meant to show how community participation and support can lead to impressive collective results. In addition, during the restoration of the house, contractors discovered many fingerprints embedded into the plantation bricks from the chimneys; these fingerprints are a lasting mark of the enslaved workers that built this house more than 150 years ago.

Community tree thumbprints

Slave-made brick with thumbprint

The event was co-sponsored by the Levi Jordan Plantation Historical Society with staff assistance from nearby Varner-Hogg Plantation State Historic Site. Numerous volunteers, community supporters, and Austin-based THC staff also helped make this a successful celebration. The Levi Jordan Plantation Historical Society sponsored refreshments for guests, including cookies featuring images of the house and a sankofa, an image from West African cultures that encourages valuing the past. A sankofa was discovered by the University of Houston archeological team affixed to a spoon.

Complimentary commemorative buttons featuring images of the house, sankofa, and cameo—one of the amazing artifacts recovered from the quarters excavation—were available to guests as a memento of the special day.

Levi Jordan descendants

Brazoria Heritage Foundation award

Preservation project team

Event buttons for attendees

Special thanks to Confederate Reunion Grounds for their support and loaned resources! Levi Jordan Plantation State Historic Site is located in Brazoria, in the Texas Independence Trail Region.

Preserving the Frontier Women’s Way of Life

By Mitch Baird, Fort Griffin Site Manager

The 8th Annual Frontier Women’s Living History Conference concluded last month, after three days of educational workshops and networking. Like last year, the conference was held at Fort Concho, in San Angelo, and hosted by Fort Griffin State Historic Site and the Frontier Women’s Living History Association. Friday’s activities included bunk set-up for those staying in the barracks and a Tunisian crochet workshop presented by Angela Grabowski.

Saturday was a full day of activities, starting off with registration and breakfast. The participants had the opportunity to participate in either an advanced seamstress workshop with Robin Gilliam, site manager at Eisenhower Birthplace, or a beginner seamstress workshop with Jane Lenoir, office manager at Fort Griffin. Many ladies brought dresses and other projects they needed help completing. Robin’s expertise in period dresses was greatly appreciated. Jane helped the ladies make an apron, which most finished over the course of the weekend. Afterward, Ann Dixon hosted a workshop on reticules—small, decorative, cloth purses.

As with past events, an 1870s-themed meal was served for lunch and was kept as period-correct as possible. This year, ham and sweet potatoes with salad and spring mix were served along with mixed vegetables, cold pea salad, and a gelatin desert. Period-correct gelatin deserts were researched, planned for, and almost implemented; however, cold and rainy weather caused a last-minute menu change, which included more hot dishes instead. Most participants appreciated the hot food, especially since we had more than an inch and a half of rain and mud!

After lunch, Rusty Garner showed the ladies how to prepare their hair in period-correct fashions. Rusty’s presentation even included the scientific explanation for why curly hair curls and other interesting facts about styling hair. Afterward, Angela Grabowski presented a Tunisian crochet trim workshop, and Sara Reeves concluded the day with a tea and fashion show. Most of the attendees stayed until well past 6 p.m., and by 7 p.m., Officer’s Quarters 8 was locked up for the night.

Sunday started bright and early with crazy quilts with Judy Moore. Next, Sharon Baird showed the ladies the art of quilling, which was so popular the ladies from Fort McKavett State Historic Site took quilling needles, paper, glue, and their new knowledge back to Fort McKavett to use at their West Texas Heritage Days event at the end of March. Joan Garrett finished the workshop off with a cross stitch design workshop.

More than 40 women participated this year, traveling from as far away as Kansas, Louisiana, and the distant corners of Texas. Next year’s conference will be held again at Fort Concho on March 7–9, 2013, and is tentatively titled “Who, What, Where and How do I Dress for an Event: Ladies, Gents, and Children Properly Clothed.” The general idea is to help people dress properly for their time period, fort, or event. This section of the conference will include lectures by historic preservation professionals and workshops to help people with their dresses, uniforms, and children’s clothing. If you are interested in learning more, contact Fort Griffin staff at 325.762.3592.

Fort Griffin State Historic Site is located 15 miles north of Albany on U.S. Hwy 283, in the Texas Forts Trail Region.

Celebrating 100 Years of Girl Scouting: 1912–2012

By Jose Zapata, Landmark Inn Site Manager

On March 12, 1912, Juliette Gordon Low held the first Girl Scout meeting in Savannah, Georgia. Girl Scouts of the USA now has more than 3 million members and more than 50 million alumnae. In commemoration of the 100th anniversary, the Landmark Inn State Historic Site hosted the opening for the Girl Scout exhibit on Sunday, March 11.

On this beautiful, sunny day, everyone gathered outside the Landmark Inn as long-time Girl Scout Estella Reyna Kierce welcomed visitors and thanked everyone who collaborated in her efforts to put together this exhibit. She introduced City Councilman Jeff Gardner who, on behalf of Mayor Robert Lee and the City of Castroville, read the Girl Scout Centennial Proclamation. The festivities continued with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Close to 100 guests were treated to cake and lemonade as they made their way into the Landmark Inn lobby. With over 60 years of girl scouting behind her, Kierce has collected an assortment of Girl Scout and Brownie uniforms from the 1920s through the 1980s. She also has several pieces of jewelry, pins, badges, and cookie sale prizes, as well as a large collection of books. Local Girl Scout and Brownie troops put together some very colorful photo boards featuring their activities.

Among the guests were several current and former Girl Scouts and troop leaders. The Castroville Chamber of Commerce had several members of the Red Vest Committee on-hand to help with the celebration. The exhibit was open to the public March 12-31.

Landmark Inn State Historic Site is located in Castroville, approximately 20 miles west of San Antonio, in the Texas Hill Country Trail Region.

Learn About Longhorns on the Great Western Trail

By Will Cradduck, Herd Manager, Fort Griffin State Historic Site

As the grass greens and the wildflowers bloom along the Great Western Trail, the Official State of Texas Longhorn Herd and herd manager Will Cradduck are on the trail again, traveling to a number of events. Meet us on the trail for an opportunity to see steers from the state herd at Fort Griffin, hear about historic frontier and ranching life and trailing Texas cattle in 1870, and be a part of historic reenactments and events.

We’ve already participated in several events so far, including Pioneer Days in Paducah on March 12 and Fort McKavett’s West Texas Heritage Days on March 23-24. Upcoming events include Hardin-Simmons University’s Western Heritage Day in Abilene on April 12 and Fort Richardson’s Living History Event in Jacksboro on April 13-14.

Check out the Fort Griffin event calendar for more events this summer, and come see us on the Great Western Trail at Fort Griffin! If you’d like to schedule a group guided tour of the longhorn herd and Fort Griffin, please call 325.762.2356 at least two weeks in advance. 

Fort Griffin State Historic Site is located 15 miles north of Albany on U.S. Hwy 283, in the Texas Forts Trail Region.