Mission Statement

The Houston Memorial Public Library/Museum Board is an organization dedicated to the preservation and stewardship of the historic Houston Home and its collections of archival documents, genealogical records, photographs, furnishings, as well as current library books.  Significant to the State of Alabama as the residence of two-term governor and Congressman George Smith Houston, the 19th century home and certain furnishings were bequeathed to the City of Athens, Alabama by his heirs for use as a public library/museum.  The Houston Memorial Public Library/Museum promotes full and equal access to information and ideas; the love of reading; and engagement with the arts, sciences, and humanities for all members of our community with a keen awareness of the presence of our local multicultural diversity.  It offers a unique opportunity for visitors to connect the past to the present by providing them a period museum and the use of a well-stocked traditional lending library set in a charming historic home that gives a fleeting glimpse of a bygone era.