Upstairs Hall

The Upstairs Hall has been used primarily as a sitting room for the Governors’ families. With its original east-west cross ventilation, this room was a comfortable sitting area with easy access to the front balcony.

This area was used for large wardrobes in the late 1880’s when voluminous dresses were in style, and the house had only one or two small closets for storage. In 1915, Governor James Ferguson screened in part of the balcony as his sleeping porch so the balcony porch was used daily. Molly O’Daniel’s wedding gifts were displayed here in 1940.

The most significant change in this area came in the 1950’s during the Shivers Administration when a wall of louvered doors was installed to create an office. This partition came almost to the door of what is today the Pease Bedroom, allowing tours to pass through what was then the Sam Houston Bedroom. This office remained until the Briscoe Administration.