The place is a really fun to visit. It is small so it won’t demand an hour of your time but rest assured you can engage the staff for as much information as you want. It is also weirdly close to the rest of downtown Austin. I would also recommend checking out the Susanna Dickinson museum next door. Afterwards you can hop to other museums around Austin. I would suggest reading a few short stories by O. Henry before you go. I didn’t and regret it.
Coffee A.
Place rating: 4 Austin, TX
O. Henry was an old drunk who did some time in the joint and had the DTs before noon every goddamn day. He died alone. He had a bunch of weird hats he liked to leave at parties. His little house is sad, rustic, American West old school: a reminder of the struggles of what was basically impoverished frontier life. Well water. Open stoves. Freezing temperatures. His wife died of tuberculosis on that mattress in the bedroom. Are you a self-identified lit nerd? Good; go pay homage, go worship at mecca, go quote«The Gift of the Magi» to anyone who will listen. Go and breathe the hallowed air of the little wooden house, Instagram it, Facebook it, meet me here on Unilocal.We can compare notes on the dead man’s house.
Mindy H.
Place rating: 4 Austin, TX
One of three free historic museums located at Brush Square(one of Austin’s four original parks). Definitely a mecca for us historic literacy nerds. This museum is located in the original home of William Sydney Porter. It was relocated to it’s current location from a couple of blocks away, restored, and opened as a museum in 1934. William Porter is better known as O. Henry, an author of short stories. William Porter lived in Texas for a total of 16 years, the majority of that time in Austin, and almost three of those years in this house with his wife Athol Estes and daughter Margaret. This was his early years prior to his life as an author. This museum houses a unique collection of William Sidney Porter artifacts; not only complete first edition works, but also a majority of his original furniture. The house is also thought to be haunted as William Porter’s wife died here in the exact same bed. The museum is small, but very interesting. The volunteer on staff the day I visited was very friendly and gave me a very informative brief tour of each room. I loved hearing the rare recording they had of William Porter’s voice, and reading the unpublished dark tale written under a different pen name. You can take pictures of anywhere in the house except for the room housing the unpublished story.
Amy N.
Place rating: 5 Los Angeles, CA
My friend Fernando and I stopped into the museum during SXSW and it was the highlight of our week. Grant gives amazing tours and can recite several O. Henry stories from memory. Ask him to tell you the one about the girl who gets whipped for eating strawberries, and to show you the weird definitions in O. Henry’s dictionary. Look out for the talking O. Henry in the room with his wife’s piano.
R V.
Place rating: 4 Monroeville, PA
When I confirmed I was headed to Austin, the O. Henry Museum was #1 on my list of fun things to do. As a frequent visitor to historic homes, and author homes in particular, I admit that my first observation of this one is that it’s small, both in size, in collection, and in connection to the author in question. Still, I had a great time and it was more than worth the free admission. When I went, they had a display of an unpublished manuscript from O. Henry(«As Others See Us») and I took the time to read it — it’s absolutely one of his best. Those that intend on visiting really should make sure to read(or re-read) a few O. Henry stories first to really get something out of the experience of visiting his former home. I’d recommend«The Gift of the Magi» and ‘The Ransom of Red Chief.“ It’s a cute little house, and a visit can probably be done in 10 minutes if that’s all you have. William Sidney Porter’s time in Austin really made him become O. Henry(yes, in a sort of negative way) so this really is a gem and it’s fantastic the city has preserved it. Incidentally, our guide was very low-key and not over the top or obsessive as other reviews here indicate. Also, the place is literally next door to the Susannah Dickinson House, so you can easily squeeze both in on one trip.
Jennifer E.
Place rating: 4 Austin, TX
We stopped by this cute little home on free museum Sunday in Austin. They had three guides in the home willing to answer any questions and give a brief back ground on William Sydney Porter. It is free any time. If in the downtown area I would stop by and soak in a bit of history.
Laura R.
Place rating: 4 San Diego, CA
The thing about O. Henry is, he got his start writing in Austin, Texas. Or so Austin, Texas really REALLY wants you to believe. Everybody’s gotta have a hometown hero, even if he was an embezzler! Okay, so the embezzlement is perhaps suspect(he was apparently tried twice for the same crime — how illegal is that?!), but whatever the case, I would suspect that living in Austin, Texas was probably not the highlight of Sidney Porter(aka O. Henry)‘s life, as he was sentenced to prison for a crime he may or may not have actually committed. Not a great way to remember the city, am I right? But if you are into O. Henry’s infamous twist-ending stories(who isn’t?) or looking for a local literary pilgrimage, you will definitely want to check this place out. You will find some very enthusiastic docents giving tours of this small home that Porter once rented, along with a few unique O. Henry artifacts like his hat and the wicker chairs that inspired his best-known piece, «The Gift of the Magi.» The museum also hosts discussions of O. Henry’s stories on a monthly basis, offers a children’s reading program, and holds an annual Pun-Off in May for modern-day wordsmiths to bust out their best neologisms in hopes of taking home the coveted«Punster of the Year» crown. The museum tour is brief, free, and definitely an «only in Austin» experience.
Dave F.
Place rating: 3 Medford, MA
Are you a huge fan of O. Henry like so many kids these days are? Oh man, if you are, this place is going to blow your freaking mind. I don’t care how much you like the guy, the dude working here the day I walked in loves him more than you will ever understand and would be so happy if you walked in. Are you less of an O. Henry fanatic and more just a fan of writing and historical buildings like me? Then you’ll probably find this place interesting, but may find the quiet excitement of the caretakers a tiny bit much. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like you’re going to be accosted by the equivalent of a screaming Bieber fan. However, when they ask you, «Are you a fan of O. Henry’s writing?» you can tell that deep down, they really really hope you’re going to say yes so they can share a moment with you. If you are a huge O. Henry fan, then absolutely make the trek out to this house, find a kindred spirit here, and have the best afternoon of your life. Otherwise, if you’re in the area and walking past and want to check out a neat old house and learn about an interesting man and have a fun but a little bit awkward twenty minutes or so, check out the O. Henry Home. It’s still worth your time.
Scottie J.
Place rating: 2 Lago Vista, TX
10 min tour. 10 Lessons learned from the tour. 1. O’Henry is the best writer EVER. 2. He invented the term Banana Republic and many other words but you probably need to come back to get more words as we were not given them on this tour. 3. The Saturday Evening Post paid DEARLY for not recognizing his amazing talent sooner. They felt pretty stupid. See lesson 1. 4. Everything in the parlor is period to the time O’Henry lived in the house which means he must have been able to travel into the future to get 1906 magazines and paintings of himself as an older man. 5. The previous curator screwed everything up but you MUST look at the swatches of wall paper she framed before we will continue the tour. 6. Margaret had no room of her own but she did have cool toys(doll furniture and kitchen). They are nothing like any toys kids play with today. Because you have never seen anything like them be sure reference lesson 5. 7. The whole family was very artistic, so artistic that Athol, a great seamstress, sewed her own remembrance sampler after she died. Look at the sampler. See lesson 5. 8. O’Henry stole a hat and that means he probably stole the bank money too. You must look at the hat. See lesson 5. 9. Waffle irons really have not changed much but still must be pointed out. Same with tea kettle. See lesson 5 10. At the O’Henry house lithographs are called paintings. Zoë’s kid’s view review«When you go there you will see another house/museum next door about Susannah Dickinson, survivor of the Alamo. That gets three stars.»
Michelle W.
Place rating: 3 Reston, VA
Moderately interesting. The docents are totally insane and committed to the notion that O’Henry was a saint, which is kind of charming, if a bit creepy.
Susie G.
Place rating: 3 Austin, TX
This is the former residence of a writer who wrote stories under the O’Henry name. Before he moved to New York he lived here with his wife. It is a small home filled with period furniture and includes docent led tours around the house and garden. Once a year they have an O’Henry festival with the famous«pun-off contest.» I haven’t seen it, but Ive heard its good for a laugh. Verdict: Place for tourists?
