Monday, September 19, 2022 - 8:27am
By Kirby McLeod, Intern at the Sam Rayburn House
Biographers D.B. Hardeman and Donald Bacon recall a meeting with Sam “Mr. Sam” Rayburn in December of 1956. On the day in question, the biographers note the lunch prepared by Medibel Bartley and Martha Rayburn Thomas (longtime cook Bobbie Erskine Phillips had passed away earlier in the year) consisted of fried pork shoulder, pork sausage...
Thursday, August 25, 2022 - 1:03pm
By Margo McCutcheon, Site Educator at the Sam Rayburn House
Whether they have researched him on their own time or have traveled to his historic home site for a tour, most people agree there was a lot to respect about Sam “Mr. Sam” Rayburn. He was a professional politician who supported his political party’s decisions whether he personally agreed with those decisions or not.
He...
Monday, August 8, 2022 - 9:53am
Before it was the site where Texas won its independence, the San Jacinto Battleground was a cattle ranch owned by Peggy McCormick.
Peggy was born in Ireland, likely around 1788. Along with her husband, Arthur, and two sons, John and Michael, Peggy immigrated first to New Orleans in 1818 and then to Texas in 1823 or 1824, making the McCormicks part of Austin’s Old Three Hundred...
Friday, July 22, 2022 - 11:41am
Lots of places in Texas fly six flags, but the six flags flying in front of the San Jacinto Monument are unique. Instead of the traditional six flags of Texas, we fly six flags that represent key sites from Texas’ struggle for independence.
Texas won its independence at San Jacinto, but the battle didn’t happen in a vacuum. These six flags represent events and locations that...
Thursday, June 2, 2022 - 10:03am
On June 19, 1865, Union troops in Texas began to enforce the end of slavery following the Civil War. Approximately 250,000 enslaved Black Texans had new legal status.
Among these were people who had been enslaved at Varner-Hogg Plantation in West Columbia and Levi Jordan Plantation in Brazoria, both of which are now THC state historic sites. In this...
Monday, May 16, 2022 - 8:46am
On Thursday, February 17, the Sam Rayburn House State Historic Site and the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History’s Sam Rayburn Museum in Bonham teamed up for an in-depth webinar exploring the life and career of one of the most influential Americans in the 20th Century.
Quite possibly the most formidable political duo of the 20th Century, Sam Rayburn and Lyndon Johnson were a...
Friday, April 22, 2022 - 8:16am
By Margo McCutcheon
At least eight people called the Sam Rayburn House State Historic Site their home from 1916 to 1969. These people ate here, slept here, listened to the radio, and eventually watched TV here. We know the most about Sam Rayburn since he’s the family member that has had the most written about him.
These writings have told us about the food he likes (onion...
Wednesday, April 20, 2022 - 6:05pm
Check out the newest way to experience the San Jacinto Battleground and San Jacinto Museum: Top 25 Things to Do at San Jacinto mobile tour (in English y en español).
The San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site is 1,300 acres and the San Jacinto Museum is home to thousands of artifacts. It could take all day to see everything we have to offer! In case you don’t have that long, or...
Monday, March 7, 2022 - 9:33am
Railroads played a complicated role in the Jim Crow South. On the one hand, railroads were a poster child for Jim Crow. Segregated cars and waiting rooms were iconic symbols of the system. On the other hand, Black Americans used the railroad to challenge the system. The rail lines that crisscrossed the country provided economic growth, political resistance, and social movement opportunities...
Wednesday, December 15, 2021 - 4:27pm
On Thursday, November 18, 2021, the Sam Rayburn House State Historic Site and the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History’s Sam Rayburn Museum in Bonham brought together a panel of Sam Rayburn experts to discuss the impact Sam Rayburn’s death had on his community, his district, and the nation as a whole.
Part of our ongoing series on the life and career of one of the most...
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