A HOME FOR THE SPEAKER

The Sam Rayburn House State Historic Site, a Texas Historical Commission property, features Rayburn’s two-story home on a 125-acre farm just west of Bonham. Rayburn, one of the most powerful and influential politicians of the 20th century, was in his second of 24 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives when he built the home in 1916. The 12-room farm house cost $2,800 to build and accommodated Rayburn’s parents and two siblings once it was completed.

Throughout his congressional tenure, Rayburn traveled from Washington to the Fannin County home to relax with family and enjoy the simple pleasures of farm and ranch work. In 1934, the home was remodeled and enlarged, and a few years later a kitchen was added. Rayburn died in 1961 but his sister continued to live in the house until her own death in 1969.

Rayburn’s home, land, and possessions were left to the Sam Rayburn Foundation who deeded it to the state in 1972. Three years later, the home opened as a museum under the care of the Texas Historical Commission. The home contains all original Rayburn family furnishings, creating a time capsule of the mid-20th century. It has earned National Historic Landmark status and is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark.