The Heritage Society offers historic homes and bus tours from 3- 6 PM on August 26
On Saturday, August 26, grab your party hats and venture out to downtown, because Houston is celebrating its 187th birthday with Mayor Sylvester Turner! Mister McKinney, the chairperson of the annual City’s Happy Birthday Houston, invites Houstonians and tourists for a late afternoon of free and fun quality time, from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., at 1100 Bagby Street.
“Our city was founded on August 30, 1836, by the Allen brothers who paid approximately $1.40 per acre for more than 6,000 acres near Buffalo Bayou,” The Heritage Society’s executive director, Alison Bell said. “This year, to commemorate Houston turning 187 years young, we will co-host with Mister McKinney of Mister McKinney’s Historic Houston and the League of Women Voters Houston since August 26 is also Women’s Equality Day.”
The free Hounique activities for all ages include the following: Happy Birthday Houston bus tours of Downtown by Mister McKinney of Mister McKinney’s Historic Houston, two free historic house tours, cake cutting with Mayor Sylvester Turner, a book signing with author and historian Sandra Lord, free gallery entrance to The New Red Book exhibit: 50 of Houston’ s Historical and Cultural Sites, and a chance to win a weekend stay at the C Baldwin Hotel that is named after the Mother of Houston, Charlotte Baldwin Allen. No reservations are needed, just show up with a smile and follow the party host at @MisterMcKinneysHistoricHouston.
Parking is free for guests at 212 Dallas St., and our gift shop will feature Houston and Texas proud gifts. For more information, please see https://www.heritagesociety.org/happy-birthday-houston.
If you cannot make the free late afternoon events, The Heritage Society Museum is offering docent-led historic home private tours of three homes. Tickets are $15 and include a celebratory dessert and souvenirs for the children. Discounted prices are $12 for seniors (65+ years old); $6 for students (6 to 12 years old); and free for children who are 5 years old and younger.
More about The Heritage Society: The Heritage Society, a 501 (c)(3) organization, tells the stories of the diverse history of Houston and Texas through collections, exhibits, the arts, educational programs, film, video, and other content. Founded in 1954 by a number of public-spirited Houstonians to rescue the 1847 Kellum-Noble House from demolition, The Heritage Society has since saved an additional nine historic buildings, moved them from various locations to join the Kellum-Noble House in Sam Houston Park, and restored them to reflect their respective eras. These ten buildings, along with the museum gallery, serve as historic reference points and exhibition spaces for more than 23,000 artifacts that document life in Houston from the early 1800s to the mid-1900s. For more information, please contact info@heritagesociety.org or see www.heritagesociety.org.
