WOODVILLE – The namesake museum of one of Texas’s most beloved governors will celebrate 60 years since it first opened on Saturday, Oct. 3.
The Allan Shivers Museum is hosting a 60th birthday celebration and the public is invited to come and help take part, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The museum, which is part of a complex that includes a library and reading room, began its life as a two-story Victorian style home built in 1881 by Robert A. Cruse. In 1963 Gov. Shivers purchased the home, which was in danger of being demolished, and had it moved a few blocks away to where it currently resides, and had extensive remodeling done to it.
With the assistance of an interior designer, Marialice Shary Shivers was able to convert the home into a museum to house the Shivers’ historical records and memorabilia from their personal and public lives. Those renovations were completed in 1966, and a formal dedication and ribbon cutting was held on Oct. 1 of that year with then Gov. John Connally on hand to preside.
The structure is also designated as a historic site with a Texas State Historical Marker. Its namesake was born in Lufkin in 1907 and grew up at the family home at Magnolia Hills. He attended Woodville schools until his family moved to Port Arthur when he was 13. After serving in the state senate from 1934 to 1946, as its youngest member, he enlisted to serve in the Army from 1943 to 1945. After his service, in 1946, he was elected Lieutenant Governor and was reelected in 1948. He was then appointed as Governor in 1949 after the death of Gov. Beauford Jester, and to date, is the only Governor in Texas history to attain the office in that fashion.
Shivers won reelection to the office in 1950 and was reelected two more times. During his time in office, he took charge of the Democratic Party and expanded and modernized services, ranging from education and prisons to mental health facilities. In 1957, he declined to run for a fourth term and returned to private life.
The home that became the museum bearing his name was the Shivers’ gift to the people of Woodville and to Tyler County. It features a replica of Shivers’ office, a display of Marialice’s gowns and exhibits with information about her contributions to philanthropy and educational institutions, among the displays.
Museum manager Roschelle Springfield, who painstakingly renovated the museum’s exhibits leading up to a grand re-opening in January of 2023, said she has invited some of Shivers’ relatives, and the public is welcomed to take part in the celebration.
The museum is located at 302 North Charlton Street in downtown Woodville, and is available to the public for tours, from Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Group tours can be arranged in advance of a visit by calling 409-283-3709.
