AUSTIN, Texas —
The Bush Family Home—home to a remarkable American political family that produced two presidents and governors for some of the largest U.S. states—is now a Texas Historical Commission (THC) State Historic Site.
Formerly known as the George W. Bush Childhood Home, the home opened as a museum in 2006 after a ribbon cutting attended by former President George H.W. Bush and First Ladies Barbara Bush and Laura Bush. The home is known for its Third Thursday Reading program, which allows children to hear stories and take home a free book.
“We are thrilled to include the Bush Family Home as a state historic site that will highlight the significance of the Bush family not just to Texas history, but to that of the nation and world,” said Joseph Bell, THC deputy executive director. “It is a unique opportunity to provide visitors a snapshot of home life in the 1950s and ‘60s.”
The Bush Family Home, built in 1940, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as the residence of an exceptional political family who shaped state and national politics in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. This place was home to two U.S. presidents, a first lady, vice president, second lady, and two state governors.
The Bush Family Home was accepted as a Texas State Historic Site at the April 28, 2022, meeting of the THC, making it the 36th state historic site in the agency’s portfolio of key Texas historic sites that includes the San Jacinto Battleground and Monument (La Porte), the National Museum of the Pacific War (Fredericksburg) and the Port Isabel Lighthouse (Port Isabel).
The existing board of the Bush Family Home will transition to the newly created Bush Family Home Foundation. Interim Director Jaclyn Woolf was named the foundation board director.
“We are so excited about the future of the home with the Texas Historical Commission,” said Jaclyn Woolf, Bush Family Home Foundation director. “We look forward working with them to create a place for people to enjoy.”
Troy Gray is the new site manager for the Bush Family Home, joining the THC after seven years as the director of Spindletop Gladys City Boomtown Museum.
The Bush Family Home State Historic Site is located at 1412 West Ohio St. in Midland. New hours for the home are: Thursday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday 2 p.m.-5 p.m.; open by appointment only on Tuesday-Wednesday; closed on Mondays. The last tour of the day will begin at 4:30 p.m. Learn more: visitbushfamilyhome.com.
