Collecting a variety of literal pieces of history that helped to define the region, Sam Houston Park is a cultural oasis in downtown Houston, Texas. Surrounded by the skyscrapers and freeways of the modern metropolis, the park provides audiences with an especially unique sense of the history of the city that will remain connected to the past no matter what changes in the future.
Houston’s First Park Becomes the Most Historic
Plans for the creation of what would be the city’s first park began to take shape in 1899. Landscaped into a Victorian-styled village, what would be called Sam Houston Park featured footpaths laid out to pass by an old mill and cross a rustic bridge over a stream. The Kellum-Noble House, which is Houston’s oldest brick dwelling, defined the original site.
As the city changed over the decades, some wanted to see the park eliminated to utilize the space for modern developments. This led to the founding of the Heritage Society in 1954, which focused on saving the park and seeing the history it contained preserved. The Heritage Society would cultivate further connections to this history, leading to the installation of eight historic structures that define the park.
The Old Place, the Nichols-Rice-Cherry House, the Yates Houses and St. John Church are some of the more notable buildings in Sam Houston Park, all of which were moved to Sam Houston Park by the Heritage Society. Tours of the historic buildings can be arranged through the Heritage Society. Sam Houston Park also features a small pond, wetland garden, gazebo and numerous trails. The Houston Armillary Sphere Sculpture as well as the USS Houston Memorial Sculpture are also located in the park, providing people with a variety of activities and elements they can interact with.
The efforts to preserve the history of the city have given Sam Houston Park a defined role in the present and future of the city, further cultivating connections with audiences. These connections allow them to do anything from tour a historic building to relax on a park bench to take part in an organized event, highlighting what an effort to preserve history can mean for audiences across the eras.
An Urban Oasis
Historic buildings are sometimes lost to changes in the landscape but Sam Houston Park has provided these literal pieces of Houston and Texas history with a new home. Collected in an urban oasis that remains in existence partly because of this original effort, the park has something for everyone. This variety has enabled it to become an essential element of the area that’s featured in maps and guides, highlighting what it can mean to both celebrate and preserve essential pieces of history.
