Sam Houston Park

Why go

The contrast is unusually direct: a pre-Texas Revolution cabin, nineteenth-century houses and an immigrant-built church sit within sight of modern downtown. The Kellum-Noble House and Nichols-Rice-Cherry House make the park more than a collection of old facades, connecting domestic buildings with Houston’s early commerce, education and civic life.

What to look for

• Kellum-Noble House is an 1847 brick dwelling on its original site.
• Nichols-Rice-Cherry House displays Greek Revival architecture.
• Historic buildings stand in sharp contrast to the downtown skyline.

The full story

Established on land purchased by the city in 1900, Sam Houston Park became Houston’s first public park. Its buildings reveal several different strands of the city’s past. Nathaniel Kellum built the brick Kellum-Noble House in 1847 and operated a brick kiln, tannery and sawmill on the property. During the following decade, Zerviah Noble ran one of Houston’s early private schools there. The house later served as a Parks Department office, adding another use to a building that still stands on its original site. Nearby, the Greek Revival Nichols-Rice-Cherry House was moved from San Jacinto Street. William Marsh Rice owned it between 1856 and 1873; his estate later helped establish Rice Institute, now Rice University. The two houses reward comparison because their histories connect a small domestic setting to much larger changes in Houston.

Useful to know

• Explore the grounds independently; historic building interiors require a docent-guided tour.
• Allow about two hours if joining a Heritage Society visit that includes the buildings.

Your next visit

Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.