Texas Heritage · Historic Architecture

Texas Museum
Houses

Discover the Texas homes that preserve our state's remarkable history, including two museum houses with a special connection to Betty Saenz's own family heritage.

Historic Valentine Hoch Stagecoach Inn in Hochheim Texas
The Stagecoach Inn in Hochheim, Texas, part of Betty Saenz's family history
A Personal Connection to Texas History

Preserving the homes and stories of Texas.

I love to visit Texas Museum Houses. I am blessed to have two Texas Museum Houses that once belonged to family members.

One of the family Texas Museum Houses is the Valentine Hoch House in Hochheim Texas. The other home that is a Museum House is the Museum of Texas Handmade Furniture. I visit both as often as I can.

Dan Moody Historic Home and Museum in Taylor Texas
Dan Moody Historic Home and Museum, Taylor, Texas
01 Taylor · Texas

Dan Moody House Museum

Vibrant and growing Taylor Texas has a great house museum that was the childhood home of Dan Moody.

Dan Moody was a Texas Governor and also fought the Ku Klux Klan in court and won.

The Moody Museum is located at 114 W. 9th Street in Taylor Texas .

Location

114 W. 9th Street, Taylor, TX

Read More About the Moody Museum
Valentine Hoch House and historic Stagecoach Inn in Hochheim Texas
Valentine Hoch Stagecoach Inn, Hochheim, Texas
Betty's Family Heritage 02 Hochheim · Texas

The Stagecoach Inn

One Museum House that has been in my family is The Stagecoach Inn in Hochheim Texas.

The Stagecoach Inn did not start out as an inn but as a personal home built by Valentine Hoch, a German immigrant and forefather of mine.

After coming to the Republic of Texas from Germany, he built his home out of limestone he obtained from the banks of the Guadalupe River nearby.

Over time, immigrants on the stagecoach run from the seaport of Indianola Texas to Austin Texas began stopping there and it became a stagecoach stop and inn.

Those times are long gone and now Indianola Texas is a ghost town and the stagecoaches no longer run.

The Valentine Hoch home is now a Museum House maintained by the Hochheim Prairie Insurance Company.

Explore Betty's Texas Family History
Museum of Texas Handmade Furniture Breustedt House in New Braunfels Texas
Historic Breustedt House, now the Museum of Texas Handmade Furniture
Betty's Family Heritage 03 New Braunfels · Texas

The Museum of Texas Handmade Furniture

The second Texas Museum House that was once owned and inhabited by my family is the Museum of Texas Handmade Furniture at 1370 Church Hill Drive in New Braunfels, Texas 78130 in Heritage Village.

My grandmother was a Breustedt and this was her grandmother's grandparents', Johann Andreas Breustedt (1825 - 1911) and Caroline Dauer Breustedt's (1831-1901) 1858 farm house.

The Breustedts had 9 children that included sons and daughters.

The Breustedt House in New Braunfels TX is open regularly throughout the year for tours.

Check the Museum of Texas Handmade Furniture website for current hours of operation.

Location

1370 Church Hill Drive, New Braunfels, TX 78130

Read the Full Museum History
Historic German stone Kreische House in La Grange Texas
Kreische House. Photo: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0.
04 La Grange · Texas

The Kreische House

I love the 1850's German Kreische House because it is truly amazing! Built into the earth, it is earth sheltered and has fachwerk as well.

The Monument Hill and Kreische Brewery State Historic Site is one of my favorite state parks because there is so much to see and do: the trails, the Kreische House, the Kreische Brewery and Monument Hill.

At Christmas, the Friends of Monument Hill and Kreische Brewery have sponsored a Trail of Lights complete with Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus. The Kreische House has been decorated for Christmas in all its splendor.

Historic house tours and seasonal events are offered at the site. Please check current times before visiting.

Location

414 TX-92 Spur, La Grange, TX 78945

Phone

979-968-5658

Visit the Historic Site
Historic French Legation Museum house in Austin Texas
French Legation, Austin. Photo: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0.
05 Austin · Texas

The French Legation

The French Legation is located on the East Side of IH 35 in Austin Texas.

The French Legation dates back from when Texas was a republic and is the oldest wood framed house in Austin Texas that is still in place on its original site.

I have visited this Texas Museum House many times.

Location

802 San Marcos Street, Austin, TX 78702

Learn More About the French Legation
Texas Governor's Mansion in Austin Texas
Texas Governor's Mansion. Photo: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0.
06 Austin · Texas

The Texas Governor's Mansion

The Texas Governor's Mansion is located just south of the Texas State Capitol grounds at 1010 Colorado Avenue, just off Congress Avenue.

Abner Cook, an Austin Texas architect, was the designer and builder who was awarded the contract for the house.

Completed in 1856, the mansion remains a celebrated landmark of Texas architecture and history.

Location

1010 Colorado Street, Austin, TX 78701

View Mansion Tour Information
Neill-Cochran House Museum Greek Revival home in Austin Texas
Neill-Cochran House Museum. Photo: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0.
07 Austin · Texas

The Neill-Cochran House Museum

The Neill-Cochran House Museum is a 1855 Greek Revival style Museum House located at 2310 San Gabriel Street in Austin Texas 78705 and owned by the National Society of Colonial Dames of America in the State of Texas.

I love to go see the actual bluebonnet painting hanging on the wall there that is the reason why the bluebonnet is our official Texas State Flower today.

Location

2310 San Gabriel Street, Austin, TX 78705

Visit the Neill-Cochran Museum

Neill-Cochran House Museum video

Fulton Mansion historic French Second Empire house in Rockport Fulton Texas
Fulton Mansion, Rockport-Fulton. Photo: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0.
08 Rockport-Fulton · Texas

Fulton Mansion

I have visited this Texas Museum House for many, many years and never tire of seeing it.

This 1877 French Second Empire styled Fulton Mansion is located at 317 S. Fulton Beach Road in Rockport, Texas on the Aransas Bay on the Gulf Coast of Texas.

The Fulton Mansion is amazing and was such a trendsetter in its day because of the advanced systems it employed including gas lighting, central heating and indoor plumbing.

You could call it the Biltmore of South Texas!

Location

317 S. Fulton Beach Road, Rockport, Texas

Visitor Information

Texas Historical Commission

Explore Fulton Mansion
Betty Saenz Texas Historic House Specialist REALTOR
Buy or Sell a Texas Historic Home

Betty Saenz
Historic House Specialist REALTOR®

Contact Betty Saenz Historic House Specialist REALTOR® at 512-785-5050 to buy or sell your Texas historic home. Betty is a Certified Historic House Specialist and loves Texas Historic Homes.

Betty will treasure your Texas Historic Home as she expertly markets it. Texas Historic Home Buyers can expect an expert guide to help locate and purchase your very own Texas Historic Home.