Steamboat House is located at

Sam Houston State University Sam Houston State University (Sam Houston, SHSU or Sam) is a public research university in Huntsville, Texas, United States. Founded in 1879, it is the third-oldest public college or university in Texas. It is one of the first normal schools wes ...

, in the city of

Huntsville Huntsville is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population of the city is estimated to be 241,114 in 2024, making it the 100th-most populous city in the U.S. The Huntsville metropolitan area had an estimated 525,465 ...

, county of

Walker Walker or The Walker may refer to: People *Walker (given name) *Walker (surname) *Walker (Brazilian footballer) (born 1982), Brazilian footballer Places In the United States *Walker, Arizona, in Yavapai County *Walker, Mono County, California * ...

, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. Dr. Rufus W. Bailey built the house in 1858 as a wedding gift for his son, but the couple refused to live in it because of its unusual architecture, which caused the locals to give it the nickname "steamboat". It is the house where

Sam Houston Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two indi ...

died July 26, 1863. Houston's funeral was held in the upstairs parlor. The house is part of the Sam Houston Memorial Museum complex. Bailey died shortly before Houston, and the house was inherited by his son Frank. The house was sold to A. C. McKeen, who sold it to Pleasant Kittrell in 1866. Kittrell died in 1867 as the result of the same yellow fever epidemic that claimed the life of

Margaret Lea Houston Margaret Lea Houston (April 11, 1819 – December 3, 1867) was First Lady of the Republic of Texas during her husband Sam Houston's second term as President of the Republic of Texas. They met following the first of his two non-consecutive terms ...

. The house had numerous owners, until it was purchased in 1933 by businessman J. E. Josey, who deeded it to the

Texas Historical Commission The Texas Historical Commission is an agency dedicated to historic preservation within the U.S. state of Texas. It administers the National Register of Historic Places for sites in Texas. The commission also identifies Recorded Texas Histor ...

. The house was moved to the grounds of the university in 1936. It was designated a

Recorded Texas Historic Landmark Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL) is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the U.S. state of Texas. RTHL is a legal designation and the highest honor the st ...

in 1964.

References

External links

Sam Houston Memorial Museum, Huntsville, Texas
- Steamboat House in grounds of this museum {{DEFAULTSORT:Steamboat House Buildings and structures in Walker County, Texas Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks Sam Houston State University Sam Houston Historic house museums in Texas Houses completed in 1858