Sam Bell Maxey House State Historic Site

10/12/2026

Step into a Halloween from the past at the Sam Bell Maxey House!

Join us for "Tricks, Treats, and Timeless Traditions" on Saturday, October 17, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. and discover how families celebrated Halloween in the early twentieth century!

🕯️ Play historic Halloween games
🎭 Create ghost drawings and spooky crafts
👃 Test your senses in our "Guess the Smell" challenge
📸 Try a spirit photography photo op
📻 Listen to a 1930s-style radio ghost story
🎬 Watch clips from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
🎣 Enjoy fishing for prizes, cauldron fortunes, and more!

Perfect for families and Halloween lovers of all ages. Costumes are encouraged, but not required!

📅 Saturday, October 17
⏰ 5:00-8:00 p.m. (come-and-go)
💲 Admission: $10

Come experience spooky fun, historic traditions, and Halloween memories that never go out of style!

10/09/2026

For years, the mark on the underside was recorded as “Made in Italy / B. Mondetti,” but a closer look suggests it may actually read “Simondetti.” While we've found similar ceramics attributed to Simondetti, little is known about the maker. The vase is dated between 1900 and 1940, matching both comparable examples and the years the Long family lived here.

10/07/2026

Teachers and educators, the newest Teach Texas History bulletin is here! Discover educational resources, lesson ideas, and updates from Texas Historical Commission State Historic Sites designed to bring Texas history to life in your classroom.

Read this month's bulletin: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/TXTHC/bulletins/42907a7

10/05/2026

Did you know? The first jack-o'-lanterns weren't carved from pumpkins. Irish and Scottish families originally hollowed out turnips and potatoes, creating lanterns inspired by folklore.

Discover the stories behind Halloween's most beloved traditions during Tricks, Treats, and Timeless Traditions at the Sam Bell Maxey House!

📅 October 17
⏰ 5:00-8:00 p.m.
💲 Admission: $10

Join us for an evening of history, hands-on activities, and Halloween fun for all ages!

Image courtesy of the National Museum of Ireland, NMI Collections F1943.350 (Ghost Turnip)

10/02/2026

Victorian and early twentieth-century families often decorated with birds because they symbolized beauty and offered a way to bring the natural world indoors during a period of rapid modernization.

Today, we begin a new series highlighting bird-themed artifacts, starting with this Mexican water carafe, recorded in our collection as dating to around 1845. Its bird motif reflects how nature-inspired designs found their way into everyday household objects.

10/01/2026

Discover the fascinating history behind the spices we use every day! Learn how spices journeyed across oceans and along global trade routes before becoming common ingredients in our homes. Then put your sense of smell to the test by identifying a variety of spices.

Date: Saturday, October 3
Time: 2:00 pm
Admission: $3 per person

This program is open to all ages!

09/29/2026

One of our favorite architectural features at the Sam Bell Maxey House is the impressive front porch columns. Designed in the Corinthian order, they are one of the three principal classical styles of Ancient Greek and Roman architecture, alongside the Doric and Ionic orders. Recognizable by their ornate capitals decorated with acanthus leaves, Corinthian columns were often associated with elegance and grandeur.

Popular during the 19th-century revival of classical architecture in the United States, these columns reflect the sophisticated design influences of the era. More than 150 years later, they remain a striking feature of the Maxey House, connecting the home to architectural traditions that have endured for centuries.

09/26/2026

Come out for the fun at Farming Heritage Day at the Sam Rayburn House State Historic Site! We're here from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. And it's FREE!!

09/25/2026

This , we're reflecting on Sam Bell Maxey's time in Indian Territory during the Civil War and the relationships he built with Native Nations while serving as Superintendent of Indian Affairs.

When Sam Bell Maxey arrived in Indian Territory in December 1863 as Confederate Superintendent of Indian Affairs and military commander, he faced a crisis. Thousands of Native Confederate soldiers, their families, and other civilians were hungry, displaced, and suffering from years of warfare, while shortages of food, weapons, and supplies continued to threaten the region. Maxey believed holding Indian Territory was essential, both to protect Texas, including his hometown of Paris, and because he feared Native communities would lose their homelands permanently if the territory fell to Union control.

During his fourteen months in command, Maxey worked to maintain alliances with the Five Tribes despite broken treaty promises, limited resources, and constant military pressure. Although he achieved no decisive victories and was unable to secure key forts and supplies, he earned a reputation as a strong administrator. Native and white soldiers alike respected his leadership, and Native Confederate troops followed him beyond the obligations of their treaties. Through small raids and collaboration with Native forces, his command disrupted Union operations and prolonged the war in Indian Territory.

The aftermath of the Civil War brought significant changes for the Five Tribes, whose alliance with the Confederacy resulted in new treaties and the loss of large portions of their land. Yet Maxey's relationship with Native Nations endured. The Maxey House collection includes an ebony cane presented to him by delegates of the Chickasaw Nation as a token of their esteem. Later, as a U.S. Senator, Maxey served on the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and advocated for Native American rights.

To learn more about this complex chapter of history, watch our webinar presented by the Sam Bell Maxey House and Fort Towson Historic Site, where we explore Maxey's time in Indian Territory during the Civil War. https://www.facebook.com/reel/1643583350271287

Map courtesy of the David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
Photo of Maxey courtesy of the Texas State Library and Archives (TSLAC)

09/24/2026

Our friends at the Fort Towson Historic Site are hosting their annual Doaksville Candlelight Tours in a few weeks!

This annual event is a unique opportunity to experience the past through reenactor-led tours of the area’s history, which this year will delve into Dr. Eli S. Penwell’s legacy. This walking tour moves through lantern-lit vignette scenes with several interpreters providing historical context along the way.

Event info:
Doaksville Candlelight Tours
Friday, October 9
Saturday, October 10th
Tours every 30 minutes starting at 7 p.m.
Last tour at 9:30 p.m.
Tours last 45 mins. to an hour
*Terrain is rugged*
First come, first served!
Reserve your spot today by calling 580-873-2634 or emailing [email protected]
Admission: $12 per person
Kids 6 and under Free!
For more information call 580-873-2634
email [email protected]
or visit okhistory.org/forttowson

Doaksville Candlelight Tours

Friday, October 9
Saturday, October 10th

Tours every 30 minutes starting at 7 p.m.
Last tour at 9:30 p.m.
Tours last 45 mins. to an hour
*Terrain is rugged*

First come, first served!
Reserve your spot today by calling 580-873-2634 or emailing [email protected]

Admission: $12 per person
Kids 6 and under Free!

For more information call 580-873-2634
email [email protected]
or visit okhistory.org/forttowson