LCHC Map

The Cultural Center was named after its major benefactor, Geraldine Davis Humphreys (1876-1961), who established the Humphreys Foundation to benefit historical, educational, and cultural purposes. The Cultural Center is located on Mrs. Humphreys’ home place, known as Seven Pines, which was also the home site of her grandparents, Frank and Cynthia (O'Brien) Hardin.

The 153-seat Humphreys-Burson Theatre is the home of the Valley Players, Liberty's outstanding community theatrical group. The theater was named for Kalita Humphreys Burson and her husband Joe Burson, daughter and son-in-law of Mrs. Humphreys. Kalita and Joe were active in theatrical productions on Broadway before settling in Liberty, and were instrumental in organizing the Valley Players in 1953. Their untimely deaths in a 1954 plane crash cut short their participation in the little theater group. The Valley Players present several outstanding productions during the year, which are very well attended by the public.

Both the library and the theater received substantial renovations in 2010 doubling the size of the library and adding 3400 square feet of storage and workspace to the theater.

The first exact replica of the original Philadelphia Liberty Bell hung in a special bell tower on the grounds of the Humphreys Cultural Center in Liberty. The 2,016 pound bell was cast by White Chapel Bell Foundry in London to serve as a symbol of the Liberty Muscular Dystrophy Foundation. Founded by sisters Nadine and Sallie Woods, Liberty natives and victims of the disease, the bell was dedicated on the Courthouse Square in 1960 and rung sixteen times by the late actor John Wayne. The Bell Tower was erected in 1976 to celebrate America’s Bicentennial. Due to damage from Hurricane Ike in 2008, the tower had to be dismantled in early 2009. The bell is currently on display in the lobby of the Humphreys Cultural Center.

This block was designated as the Plaza Iglesia Parroquial (Parish church square) in 1831, by Madero, who laid out the town of Liberty. It is now the site of Immaculate Conception Church. The Catholic Church in the form of four buildings, has stood on this corner since 1853. The Methodist church, built on the northeast corner in 1846, was destroyed by a storm in the early 1850’s and was rebuilt northeast of this site.

In 1859 Bishop John Mary Odin sent a group of Ursulines from Galveston to Liberty to establish a convent and girls' school. Under the leadership of an energetic French nun, Mother Ambroise, the Sisters bought land at this site and erected two frame buildings. Many prominent Liberty families enrolled their daughters in the convent school, as boarders or day students. The turmoil of the Civil War (1861-1865) caused attendance to decline, and the institution closed in 1866. Occupied by a day school for men and then Trinity College in the late 1860s, the Ursuline buildings were dismantled in the 1880s. The E.B. Pickett home which now stands on the site was built in 1925.

Built in 1911, by E.W. Pickett, a partner in the Pickett-Winfree Oil Well, the first oil strike in Liberty County. The house was added to and bricked around 1925 and the original tile roof was replaced in 2005.

Built by Dr. Bailey prior to 1880. The house was inhabited by Greens and later the Chambers family.

Built in the 1880’s, this building housed The Liberty Vindicator, a local newspaper that started in 1887. The upstairs, which was removed later, served as the “city hall” and was the place where most public events were held. At times it was called Bailey's Hall or Woodman of the World meeting place. Many attorneys started their practices here.

Built in 1903, this was the first bank in Liberty. It later housed the post office before becoming offices.

Marker gives a brief history of the establishment of Liberty County.

Designated as the block set aside by Madero as the Plaza de Casa Consistorial, the last of seven courthouses built on this present site, the Liberty County Courthouse was ready for occupancy in October 1931, and officially christened as the seventh structure in February 1932. The building has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the Texas Historical Commission regards it as “among Texas’ most well-kept historic courthouses”. In the photo is the courthouse replaced by the current building.

This block was designated by Madero as the Plaza Constitutional in 1831. It is now the site of the City of Liberty City Hall.

Built by The Trivium Club shortly after 1902 to utilize the block as Madero had intended it to be used as Plaza Constitutional. This was the original bandstand for the park later replaced by the Vara Martin Daniel Pavillion.

Organized and commanded 3rd Co., 2nd Regiment Texas Volunteers, Battle of San Jacinto and First sheriff of Liberty County.

Site of Sam Houston’s law office in Liberty. The marker tells of Houston’s life in the Liberty area.

Designated by Madero in 1831 to be Plaza de Carcel y Casas de Correccion. When a jail was built, this block was already occupied by businesses, so the block east of this one became the location of the first jail.

This building was built after the earlier Lodge Hall was destroyed in the 1909 fire. The building not only housed the Liberty Masonic Lodge No. 48, but also contained three stores downstairs and several offices upstairs. The present Lodge Hall and marker are located one block northeast on the site of the J.F. Richardson home, one of the early members of the Lodge.

Site of the Episcopal congregation that started in 1898. The original structure has been moved to the Sam Houston Regional Library when the congregation built a new structure in 1995.

The house built in 1905 is a two-story of ten rooms, following the colonial style of architecture, and was described as the best residence in Liberty. The dwelling, constructed from cypress wood, has classic columns supporting the wraparound gallery, an offset front entry with sidelights, dentil molding, and a pediment with the tympanum having a decorative crest relief.

In 1840, a Methodist Society was formed in Liberty, with the first services held in the log courthouse. A church was built in 1846 on Church Square which was destroyed by a storm. The second church was built in 1854, on the same site as the present Methodist Church. The bell was salvaged from the steamboat Black Cloud, after it sank in the Trinity River in 1873.

Organized in 1898, The First Baptist Church met for a time in the Methodist Church before their church was built in 1906. There have been three church buildings built on this spot.

Built about 1841 by W.C. Abbott, a prominent Liberty attorney, who represented this district in the Texas Legislature. This Greek Revival, 1 1/2 story frame house is possibly the oldest home in existence in Liberty.

The Partlow House was built in 1860 by Judge C.L. Cleveland, a Kentucky native. It combines both unusual architectural style and a rich family history. It became a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1963. For the century that they owned the house, the Partlow family members were influential citizens in Liberty and in Texas. W.S. Partlow was a native of Greenwood, SC, and held many offices in local civic organizations. He was county treasurer. The Partlows’ daughter, Nannie Partlow Daniel, was the mother of Texas Governor, Price Daniel, and Guam Governor, Bill Daniel. Miss Miriam Partlow, another daughter and the last owner of the house, was not only active in the NSDAR and civic affairs, but was also a lifelong music teacher and active historian of Liberty County. Miss Partlow, known affectionately as “Mim,” bequeathed the house to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission in 1981. In 1984, the Libertad Chapter, NSDAR, assumed administration of the house.

The octagonal residence was built in 1861 by Thomas Jefferson Chambers, nephew and namesake of Texas colonial leader T.J. Chambers. Chambers was the editor of the Liberty Vindicator and a Confederate veteran. The central fireplace was used to heat each of the rooms. The house is still occupied by the Chambers family.

This “raised” Victorian cottage was built by J.A. Lovett in 1902, when he moved to Liberty from Galveston. This home features a wrap-around porch and gabled front bay with fish-scale shingles. The cypress used in construction has been carefully restored.

This block was purchased by the Catholic Church for a cemetery by the City in 1853. There is some indication that it may have been used prior to this. Veterans of the War of 1812 are buried here.

The City gave this land for a city cemetery in 1848. Many members of the early families are buried in this cemetery, as are veterans of San Jacinto and Civil War.

Opened in 1928, the Ott Hotel was erected to accommodate the overflow of passengers from the T. & N. O.Railroad who were unable to obtain reservations at other nearby facilities. The interior has been restored to its original appearance, and the outside appears much as it did in 1928. In 2006, the Ott Hotel was designated a historical site, and is the last original functioning train depot hotel in the state of Texas.

The Texas and New Orleans Railroad (later the Southern Pacific) from Houston via Liberty and Beaumont to Orange was in place by 1860. The east end of the building was devoted to passenger train service and the west end of the building, with a floor about 3-1/2 feet above street level, was devoted to freight. This building was built before the era of freight being delivered by truck and is a time capsule of the era of segregation.