If you’ve lived in Houston very long, you’ve probably heard some grumbling about the city’s tendency to bulldoze anything remotely historic and build high-rises and strip malls on the land. Preservation Houston is an organization that strives to keep as much as possible of Houston’s historic sites from meeting such a fate and educate residents and visitors alike about Houston’s history. Preservation Houston offers walking tours of some of Houston’s most fascinating and iconic remaining landmarks, and on August 24 will be hosting a walking tour of Glenwood Cemetery, visiting the graves and discussing the lives of several notable women from Houston’s past. Stops on the route include the graves of Charlotte Allen, wife of Houston co-founder Augustus Allen, suffragettes Annette Finnigan and Florence Sterling, movie star Gene Tierney, newspaper publisher and stateswoman Oveta Culp Hobby (who also led the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps during World War II), and Alice Graham Baker, a leader in the local settlement house movement.
If you’ve never heard of some of these ladies, as many young Houstonians likely haven’t, there’s no time like the present to learn. The 90-minute tour covers approximately one mile of semi-hilly terrain, so wear comfortable walking shoes. Preservation Houston tours are by reservation only and cost $10 per visitor, with discounted rates available for Preservation Houston members and students. To book, visit http://www.preservationhouston.org/tours/glenwood.html. All proceeds benefit Preservation Houston.
For more information, please visit: http://www.preservationhouston.org/tours/glenwood.html