Margaret Lea Houston Home
Independence, Washington County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Gen. Sam Houston's widow, lived here with their 8 children, 1863-1867. House built in 1830s.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This Independence house, built in the 1830s, became the home of Margaret Lea Houston — widow of Sam Houston — who lived here with their eight children from 1863 to 1867 after the general's death. Margaret had long made Independence a family anchor, near her mother and her Baptist community. The modest dwelling reflects the quieter domestic side of one of Texas's most famous families.
Why it matters
Preserving the home of Margaret Lea Houston honors the woman behind a founding figure of Texas and the family life that sustained the Houston legacy after Sam's death.
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Related people
- · Margaret Lea Houston
- · Sam Houston
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Houston-Lea Family Cemetery
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When Margaret Lea Houston, widow of Sam Houston, died in the yellow fever epidemic of 1867, fear of contagion made it impossible to carry her body to Huntsville to lie beside her famous husband. She was buried here instead, near her mother Nancy Lea and the church and homes both women loved. The little family cemetery preserves the resting place of a woman who quietly shaped one of Texas's towering figures.
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