By Larry Tucker
Governor Jim Hogg City Park in Quitman is the home of The Honeymoon Cottage and Ima Hogg Museum. These two facilities seek to serve as a bridge to another time, linking the history of Wood County and the City of Quitman with items from the past. Together, the two facilities represent not only the Hogg family, but give us a glimpse of the historic past of the local area.
The historic Governor Jim Hogg City Park was actually first opened by the Wood County Old Settlers Association in 1941. In 1946, the group turned over 17 acres to the State of Texas, and an additional 4.74 acres were added by the Hogg Foundation in 1970. In a series of cutbacks by the state, Jim Hogg Park was taken over by the City of Quitman in the early 2000s under the leadership of then Mayor Larry Robertson.
A Little History
The original Honeymoon Cottage was built at the beginning of the American Civil War in the early 1860s. It was purchased by James Stephen Hogg in 1873. In 1874, Hogg married Sarah Ann “Sallie” Stinson. That wedding was held at the Stinson House, which is now also located in the park.
The cottage was Hogg’s first home. It was originally located just east of the courthouse on Gilmer Highway (Goode Street). During that time, Hogg was the editor/publisher of the Quitman News, which he had moved to Quitman from Longview. His political career began when Hogg was elected Justice of the Peace for Wood County. It was the start of a career which included being elected the first native-born Texan to serve as governor from 1891-1895. Hogg was actually born in Rusk.
In 1946, local clubs purchased the cottage and moved it to the park. It was then restored in 1952 by Ima Hogg. Ima was named after a character in an epic Civil War poem. Many of Governor Hogg’s personal items are on display, including period photographs and handmade quilts.
In the cottage there are several pieces of original furniture, including a beautiful rolltop desk and a fine dinner table with an ornate example of dinnerware from the late 1800s. There is a bed and many fine quilts in the bedroom area of the cottage. Included in the cottage is a favorite rocking chair of Governor Hogg and a beautiful and ornate $35,000 grand piano that belonged to Ima.
The Ima Hogg Museum is named for the only daughter of James and Sallie Hogg. Built in 1969, the museum reflects the varied history of Wood County and the Northeast Texas area. There are plans to share exhibits with other museums in the future.
The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Elizabeth Denton Chapter has been instrumental in both the cottage and the museum coming to life. The hearty band of museum warriors (DAR) spent two hours every Wednesday putting in more than 500 volunteer hours—covering 34 weeks—and gave birth to the resurrection of the cottage and the Ima Hogg Museum.
More on the Museum
The museum currently shares the building with the Quitman Chamber of Commerce. The first thing you see walking into the museum is information and photographs of George Wood and James Stephen Hogg. The county is named after Texas’ second governor, George T. Wood. Wood came to Texas from Georgia where he had served in state government there.
From there, you can see exhibits featuring pottery by the Caddo Indians which was found in the Lake Quitman area. The Caddos were agricultural people who practiced maize agriculture. They raised platform mounds and operated extensive trade routes through East Texas.
There are exhibits with old-time farm utensils, a 100-plus-year-old pipe organ, newspapers from the 1930s, and an exhibit honoring the DAR organization. There is one section dedicated to actress Sissy Spacek, which includes books, photos, a record, and many other things about the Quitman native. There is even an autographed script from the movie, Coal Miner’s Daughter. Spacek won an Oscar for her role as Loretta Lynn in that movie. There is also a photo of a famous scene from the horror flick, Carrie.
There are period dresses from the early 20th century donated by Miss Ima and Ona Wood. The western swing hall of fame band known as the “Lightcrust Doughboys” at one time were going to have a museum, but those plans never evolved. They did leave items for display in the museum, including a guitar, several posters, and a small keyboard.
A section dedicated to early African-Americans with photos of early Jarvis Christian College (now Jarvis Christian University)—and of students educated in the Fouke Community west of Hawkins—is also on display. In addition, there are large placards throughout the museum filled with history for the upcoming 250th celebration about the history of Texas’ role in the growth of the United States. The program is sponsored by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and is known as “Texas-America 250.”
Ima Hogg was known as one of the great ladies of Texas. After her mother’s death, Ima became Governor Hogg’s hostess for certain events at the capitol. She became legendary for her generosity and dedication to certain causes. She established the Houston Symphony Orchestra and founded the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health. Ima passed away in London in 1975 at the age of 93, a week after suffering a fall getting into a taxi in London on her way to the symphony.
Miss Ima made a special visit to Quitman and the Honeymoon Cottage in June 1967 to visit the park named for her father. She was there to visit the cottage and to take a look at the plans for the museum. After several years of being closed, the DAR ladies got to work archiving and building exhibits and other projects in an effort to get the museum up and running again. The museum opened back up in October of 2025 during the Old Settlers’ Reunion.
Into the Future
Delene Allen is not only the director of the award-winning Quitman Public Library, she also is the city Civic Services Director, which includes being the administrator for parks and the museums. “We are so excited about the potential we have with the Honeymoon Cottage and the Ima Hogg Museum. We started the museum project with the Elizabeth Denton Chapter of the DAR. Those ladies worked really hard to get things done. They deserve much of the credit for getting the museum in such a good place,” Allen noted. “We also were able to get a new logo for The Honeymoon Cottage and Ima Hogg Museum, which was designed by Lamar University artist and Hainesville resident, Angela de la Rosa. We are excited about getting a new floor put in the Ima Hogg Museum, and it should be comleted before this month is over. We are happy to use Bird’s Restoration and Cleaning for this project.”
Allen spoke more about the project. “I was fortunate to meet Linda Haddock, and she was responsible for getting the DAR ladies involved. We came together and started cleaning. Linda and some of the ladies were the ones who would get on their knees and scrape up paint dots on the floor. I would get the supplies together, and Linda would get a team together, and it worked out well. The DAR won a national award for work they have done at the Honeymoon Cottage. And we also keep getting things delivered here at the library for use at the museum.”
The cottage and museum now have two docents working and keeping the facilities open and available for visitors. “Through a grant from AARP’s Senior Community Service Employment Program, they get to work 18 hours a week under the program guidelines.”
Larry Tucker is the docent at the museum, and Lorna McVey-Tucker is at the Honeymoon Cottage. Tucker said the museum wants to add new exhibits or add to existing ones when possible. He informed that he would like to see the possibility of having more in the African-American section to include a history and items from the Clark School, the all-black school which was located where the present-day appraisal district is today. There also is hope to add to the Native American area of the museum to include more about the Caddos and other tribes in the area.
The cottage and museum hours are the same: Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and Saturday from 12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m.
For more information or a tour, contact Allen at 903-952-8305 or Tucker at 903-504-9645.