Sam Rayburn House State Historic Site
1916/ 1935
Bonham, Texas
National Historic Landmark, National Register of Historic Places, Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
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Key Project Issues
• Develop a Master Interpretive Plan for the house and its site
• Specify modifications to the existing interiors to more accurately return them to their historic appearance during the proposed interpretive period, 1935- 61
• Recommend interpretive tools to bring the Rayburn story to life in the house, including audio, visitor “touch” materials, and appropriate scents
• Provide suggestions for reproduction items to acquire to replace deteriorating original furnishings
As the long-time residence of one of America’s most influential politicians, Sam Rayburn’s home opened in 1975 as a museum administered by the Texas Historical Commission. Sam Rayburn first won a seat in the Texas House of Representatives in 1906, when he was 24 years old. In 1912, he became a US Representative, serving there for 48 years and as Speaker of the House for 17 years. He is perhaps best remembered as a mentor to LBJ, who was a frequent visitor at the Rayburn home. The Rayburn house is very much as it was in 1961, when Rayburn died, and is furnished almost completely with original Rayburn family objects.
Candace Volz, working with History Behind the Scenes, prepared the interiors component of an Interpretive Plan to meet the Texas Historical Commission’s goal of bringing the Rayburn story to life in the house.