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downtown Huntsville has been decorated with a brilliant use of paint (paint in
talented hands). The courthouse has recently undergone a restoration down to the
sidewalks. The city has left a vintage brick façade in place on the SW corner
of the NW corner of the square. Either that, or else they've constructed an instant
stabilized ruin. Either way it works. It draws attention away from a parking lot
and calls attention to the bricklayer's art. |
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inexpensive idea for scores of Texas towns with gaps in their downtown area. Even
the air conditioners look real. TE Photo, 2002 |
Huntsville
LandmarksWalker
County CourthouseGibbs-Powell
House Museum: 1228 11th StreetOakwood
Cemetery: 9th St.
and Ave "I" Includes Sam Houston's graveSam
Houston's Statue:
I-45 S, (exit 112) I-45 N (exit 109)
The lifesize model of the 67-foot statue
can be seen at the library at Sam Houston State UniversitySam
Houston Memorial Museum Complex:
1836 Sam Houston Avenue Sam
Houston State University - If
you are visiting Huntsville, especially if you will be stopping at the Sam Houston
Museum complex, do yourself a favor; walk across Sam Houston Avenue and visit
the campus of Sam Houston State University. Not only gets my vote as one of the
prettiest college campuses in the state of Texas, if not in the entire country,
but also the site of several interesting things to see. (As a graduate of SHSU
I will readily admit that I am somewhat biased!) Nevertheless, in very close proximity
to the museum, and to each other, on the north end of the SHSU quadrangle are;
Austin Hall (1851) – If I remember correctly, it is the oldest educational building
in continuous use west of the Mississippi River, Old Main Memorial – preserved
footprint and basement area of this 1890 beauty, which was lost to fire in 1982,
the Peabody Memorial Library – Built in 1902 to recognize the philanthropic contributions
of the Peabody Foundation to Sam Houston (Normal Institute) and to public education
in the state of Texas, and the bronze statue of General Sam Houston. This statue,
110% of life size, was dedicated in 1979 to commemorate the 100th anniversary
of the founding of SHSU. It was said to be the most accurate representation of
Sam Houston in existence at that time. I hope you enjoy your visit to Huntsville
and Sam Houston State University. - Stephen Rogers, Bellville, Texas, November
11, 2004The
Texas Prison Museum: On the southside of the squareHuntsville
Hotels |
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Masonic
Lodge and Signs
TE photos |
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The Town
Theatre in Huntsville
TE photo |
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The statue of Sam
Houston in Huntsville
Photo courtesy Todd Marshall |
Huntsville
Nearby Destinations East
Texas Sunday Drives: Huntsville by Bob Bowman
Old Sam,
prisons and pine trees, Oakhurst, Point Blank, Coldspring, Sam Houston National
Forest, and Huntsville State ParkHuntsville
State ParkSam
Houston National Forest
- including Sam Houston State ParkLake
LivingstonRaven
Hill
The location of the site of Raven Hill is south of Oakhurst about
2.5 miles off the main road. Take Raven Hill Rd. S.W. until it ends. Take a left
(dirt road) go another 100 yds. or so. The marker is in a cow pasture on the right.
- Robert Surguy, June 08, 2004
Huntsville
Hotels - Book
Your Hotel Here & Save
Huntsville
Tourist Information
Huntsville
Chamber of Commerce: 1327 11th Street 1-800-289-0389
Website: http://www.chamber.huntsville.tx.us/
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| The
Huntsville park bridge. TE photo |
History
in a Pecan shell
A timeline of
significant events in Huntsville's history:
1836: founded by Pleasant and Ephraim Gray as an Indian trading post. The Grays
were from Huntsville, Alabama.
1837: Montgomery County organized - Huntsville
was within its boundaries. First post office granted.
1844: The Huntsville
Male and Female Academy opened.
1845: Stovall's Male and Female Academy opened.
1846: Walker County organized - Huntsville designated county seat.
1847: Huntsville
becomes home of the Texas State Penitentiary. The prison received its first inmate
in 1849. During the 1840s and 1850s prosperous families from the southern states
arrive.
1850: Huntsville loses its chance to become state capital when it
is defeated by Austin in an election.
1861 - 1865: During the Civil War, uniforms for Confederate soldiers were made
at the pentitentiary. During reconstruction - Huntsville was placed under martial
law for a brief period.
1867: a yellow fever epidemic reportedly killed 10
percent of the town's population.
1872: The Houston and Great Northern Railroad
bypasses Huntsville to the east.
1875: Huntsville was a stop on four stage
lines - including one running from Nacogdoches
to Brenham, and one from Huntsville
to Waxahachie.
1879: Sam
Houston Normal Institute opens - later becomes Sam Houston State University.
1933: Emancipation Park is established
1936: Marker is erected for Steamboat
House - where Sam Houston died. Also authorized were the construction of the James
Gillaspie Monument and the Sam
Houston Memorial Museum.
Huntsville
Old News
The
Huntsville Humdinger and the Texas Prison Rodeo by Mike Cox 10-1-09
When
the Huntsville Humdinger hit the streets that Monday, the feisty four-column competitor
of the long-established Huntsville Item carried on page one a humdinger of a local
scoop: The prison system would be starting a rodeo that fall. On Sept. 4, 1931... |
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