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Guided tours of the Gibbs-Powell House are available for groups by appointment . To arrange a tour , call ( 936 ) 435-2497 or ( 936 291-9726 , or send an email to tours @ walkercountyhistory . org .
In many cases tours can be arranged on the same day . So don ’ t hesitate to call to see if a tour guide or host is available when you are in town . Find hours and more at www . walkercountyhistory . org / museum . php
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The Gibbs-Powell Home , also known as the Walker County Historical Museum , was built in 1862 by Thomas Gibbs , an early Huntsville businessman . It is built in the Greek revival style , popular in Huntsville and in the South at that time . The Gibbs family was often visited at the home by personal friend Sam Houston . The house has been |
the home to several generations of Gibbs and Powell families . Female boarders attending Sam Houston Normal Institute in the Nineteenth Century roomed upstairs . Through the interest of Judge and Mrs . Ben H . Powell III , this home has remained unchanged , and the interior as well as the furniture and furnishings were preserved to be |
used as a museum . The house is both a Texas Archaeological Landmark and a recorded Texas Historical Landmark and is operated by the Walker County Historical Commission as a county museum . Furniture , furnishings , books , newspapers , and documents have also been donated by other local families to help accentuate the atmosphere of a gracious family home . In 1984 Walker County entered a lease contract with the Powell family to operate their former family home ( Gibbs- Powell House ) as a county museum . Responsibility for operating the new Walker County Historical Museum was assigned to the Commission . The House is furnished in late 19th Century fashions , and visitors can step back in time and discover how life was lived over a century ago . |