Samuel May Williams House
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Samuel May Williams House
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 Samuel May Williams House
Samuel May Williams House
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| Location | 3601 Ave. P, Galveston, Texas |
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| Coordinates | 29°17′16″N 94°48′15″W / 29.28778°N 94.80417°WCoordinates: 29°17′16″N 94°48′15″W / 29.28778°N 94.80417°W |
| Area | 0.7 acres (0.28 ha) |
| Built | 1837 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP Reference # | |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | July 14, 1971 |
| Designated RTHL | 1964 |
The Samuel May Williams House is a former museum in Galveston, Texas. The second-oldest surviving residence in Galveston, it is now on the National Register of Historic Places. It was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1964.
The home was built in 1839 for Samuel May Williams, one of the founders of Galveston. The prefabricated house was shipped from Maine and constructed on 7 feet (2.1 m) off the ground, raised on ten piers. The 1.5-story house was topped with a cupola, where Williams installed a telescope so that he could be one of the first to learn when interesting cargo arrived by ship. After Williams' death in 1858, the house was sold to his friend, Phillip C. Tucker, and became known as the Tucker House. The Tucker family retained possession of the house until 1953.
The house was purchased by, and became the first project of, the newly organized Galveston Historic Foundation. Restoration was partially funded by a grant from the Moody Foundation. In 2007, the executive director of the GHF, stated "I can hardly overemphasize the importance of this house, not only to Galveston and Texas history, but to the history and affections of our organization." The house was opened to the public in 1959, restored to its original look in the late 1970s, and opened to regular tours in 1984. Attendance dropped from 25,000 to 1,000 visitors per year, and the museum was closed in 2007. The interiors were redesigned as part of an interior design showcase, and the house was offered for rent in 2008. It survived 2008's Hurricane Ike unscathed.
Samuel May Williams moved to Mexican Texas in 1822 and soon began working as the secretary to Stephen F. Austin, the first empresario in Texas. During the Texas Revolution (1835–1836), Williams and his business partner Thomas F. McKinney used $99,000 of their own funds to purchase supplies for the Texian Army; Williams also purchased the first ship in the Texas Navy, the schooner Invincible.
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