Today@Sam Article

Memorial Museum Receives Grant

July 6, 2017
SHSU Media Contact: Lane Fortenberry

Texas Historical Foundation Director Beverly Hansen presented a check to the Sam Houston Memorial Museum on June 27. Staff members present for the presentation were (left to right) Casey Roon, Megan Buro, Peter Grivich, Michael Sproat, Museum Director Mac Woodward, Hansen, and Rebecca Lewis.

Texas Historical Foundation Director Beverly Hansen presented a check to the Sam Houston Memorial Museum on June 27.

The funds will be used to replace the cedar shake shingles on the roof of Sam Houston’s Law Office, located on the historic grounds of the Museum.  

“We have a few roof leaks,” said Michael Sproat, curator of collections at the Sam Houston Memorial Museum.

After assessing several roof leaks over the course of the past year in Sam Houston’s Woodland Home, Steamboat House and Law Office, the Museum came to the decision that the roofs needed more than just repairs.

Keeping in mind that these structures have both state and nationally historical significance, there are certain methods and specifications to repair or replace the roofs.

“We plan on replacing them with ‘in-kind’ materials, which means we need to use cedar shingles, the way roofs were built over 150 years ago,” Sproat said.

The drawback is that cedar shingles are much more expensive than composite or modern roofing material. The Texas Historical Foundation assists with the preservation of historic locations, and provides funding for these purposes.

“The Woodland Home, Law Office and Steamboat House are a vital part of our Museum’s mission to tell the story of Sam Houston’s life,” Sproat said. “These structures are possibly the most important artifacts the Museum has and are certainly the best educational tools to attain our mission to promote Texas history by showcasing a historically accurate life in Sam Houston’s time.”

The re-roofing project, starting with the Law Office thanks to THF support, will carry through the summertime, and should be completed by the end of 2017.

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