Thursday, June 15, 2017 - 7:39am
By Anne Ruppert, Sam Rayburn House State Historic Site
On April 1, staff and visitors of the Sam Rayburn House State Historic Site had two great reasons to celebrate.
The date marked the 42nd anniversary of the site, which originally opened to the public on April 1, 1975. Lady Bird Johnson and former Speaker of the House John McCormack, who were both friends with Sam Rayburn,...
Wednesday, April 26, 2017 - 8:00am
By Anne Ruppert, Sam Rayburn House State Historic Site
2017 marks the centennial of the U.S. entry into World War I. Like many other historic sites, museums, and organizations across Texas, Sam Rayburn House State Historic Site will honor those who served in the war over the next two years.
The Rayburn family is intrinsically linked to World War I through Sam Rayburn, who was...
Friday, January 20, 2017 - 8:00am
By Anne Ruppert, Curator, Sam Rayburn House State Historic Site
On “Mr. Sam’s” ranch, the cattle weren’t just cattle, they were “Pride and Joy,” “Pretty Boy,” “Miss Agnes,” and “Mr. Boots.” These names identified some of Sam Rayburn’s registered Polled Hereford cattle.
Raising Herefords wasn’t initially part of Rayburn’s 1916 farm. He and his family actually raised Jersey...
Friday, December 23, 2016 - 8:00am
By Anne Ruppert, Curator, Sam Rayburn House State Historic Site
The year was 1916. Woodrow Wilson was president and World War I raged overseas, though the U.S. had not yet entered the fray. Women could not vote in Texas. A progressive movement in matters of labor, immigration, and welfare was changing the American landscape. President Wilson signed legislation establishing both the Boy...
Thursday, December 8, 2016 - 8:00am
By Anne Ruppert, Curator, Sam Rayburn House State Historic Site
What do you do if you have an important meeting coming up, but all your clothes are dirty? What if the electricity is out and you have no running water in your home?
In 2016, your response is probably, “Well, obviously I’d take a load of laundry to the local laundromat.” If you have the money to spare (but no time...
Tuesday, November 1, 2016 - 7:30am
By Anne Ruppert, Curator, Sam Rayburn House State Historic Site
Known for his poor driving skills, either due to limited vision in his later years or his general inability to maintain a steady course on the road, “Mr. Sam” wasn’t the best driver in the county. Good constituents on the sidewalks in his hometown of Bonham may have needed to clear a path when Rayburn came to town....
Tuesday, August 30, 2016 - 8:00am
By Anne Ruppert, Curator, Sam Rayburn House State Historic Site
Our Sam Rayburn House Artifact of the Month is a page from The Literary Digest, dated August 31, 1918.
The Literary Digest was a general interest magazine published between 1890 and 1938. It contained news stories, poetry, and opinion pieces.
This page from The Literary Digest was at some point torn from...
Thursday, July 28, 2016 - 8:00am
By Finley FitzGerald, Intern, Sam Rayburn House State Historic Site
Originally found in a storage chest amongst other Rayburn possessions, the Prairie Rose trapunto-style quilt is likely one of the most precious of the family’s quilt collection. The dating of the quilt goes back to 1850—likely making it a possession that Mr. Sam and his siblings inherited from their parents. Hand-...
Thursday, June 30, 2016 - 8:00am
By Finley FitzGerald, Intern, Sam Rayburn House State Historic Site
The souvenir cup that rests on a bureau in the room that housed Medibel Bartley, Mr. Sam’s sister and the last of the Rayburn residents in the house, is rather inconspicuously placed atop the right-hand drawer amongst other miscellaneous items. It’s a modest piece, a small ceramic cup no bigger than a stout shot glass...
Tuesday, May 31, 2016 - 8:00am
By Anne Rupert, Sam Rayburn House Curator
Did you know that Sam Rayburn wasn’t the only member of his family to work in the federal government? “Mr. Sam’s” nephew, Robert Taylor Bartley, worked in Washington D.C. for many years. He retired from federal service in 1972 after 41 years on the job.
When constructed in 1916, the occupants of Sam Rayburn’s home in Bonham included...
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