Sam Houston died of pneumonia on July 26, 1863, at the age of 70. His funeral was held on July 27, 1863, in the upstairs parlor of his home, the Steamboat House, then located one-fourth mile to the east. At the service the minister read a poem that had been written during the night by Mrs. Houston. The wood coffin was made at the Huntsville Penitentiary by Union prisoners of war, for whom General Houston had shown concern. Masonic rites were conducted at the burial site, which was chosen because of its proximity to that of Houston's close friend and attorney, Henderson Yoakum. Joshua Houston, the General's trusted body servant, built a picket fence to enclose the grave. The original simple white marble tombstone is now at the Sam Houston Memorial Museum.
Placed by the Citizens of Huntsville in recognition of the Sam Houston Bicentennial
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