Entry No. 14 — the San Antonio file — filed under: literary
O. Henry House Museum
A tiny 1855 adobe house — moved twice, once through the old Lone Star Brewery grounds and once for demolition rescue — where William Sydney Porter rented two rooms for $6 a month in 1885, founded a failed humor magazine called Rolling Stone, and wrote the San Antonio stories he later published as O. Henry.
The story
Long before William Sydney Porter took the pen name O. Henry—and well before he fled to Honduras to dodge federal bank-embezzlement charges—he was a 20-something clerk renting two rooms in an 1855 adobe cottage for $6 a month. Inside these thick mud walls in 1885, he launched a short-lived humor weekly called Rolling Stone that collapsed almost immediately. He also absorbed the local street grit that fueled his earliest fiction, setting stories like "Fog in Santone" right on the surrounding pavement.
The house itself didn't stay put, either. Threatened by urban expansion, the tiny two-room structure was uprooted and relocated twice to rescue it from the wrecking ball. During one of those moves, the entire historic adobe was hauled straight through the grounds of the old Lone Star Brewery before settling at its current spot on Dolorosa Street.
Tucked right behind the structure is another unexpected detail: a massive wall mural painted by John Murphy, a young probationer whose artistic talent was recognized by the local chief probation officer. It forms a stark, quiet backdrop for a house that survived demolition purely by stubborn luck.
What it's like
Don't just stroll up assuming the door will swing open. The museum runs on an ultra-narrow 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. weekday window, and because staffing depends entirely on volunteer docents, you'll want to call ahead to confirm someone is actually inside. Walking the two small rooms lined with period furniture takes maybe ten minutes. The real trick is pulling up a copy of "Fog in Santone" on your phone while standing inside, matching Porter's 19th-century prose to the exact streets outside.
The move: Catch it during its narrow 10am-2pm weekday window (docent-dependent, so call ahead), walk the two small rooms of period furniture where a bank-fraud fugitive turned into America's twist-ending short-story writer, and read the passage from 'Fog in Santone' he set steps away.
- 📍 Downtown San Antonio
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 601 Dolorosa St, San Antonio, TX 78207
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Milam Park (built over El Campo Santo cemetery) — Walk two blocks west to stand in a public park built directly over San Antonio's paved-over 1848 cemetery.
- Pink Shark / The Shark Side — Trade quiet 19th-century literary history for hidden speakeasy cocktails and $.99 oysters five minutes east.
- San Antonio Scottish Rite Library and Museum — Contrast Porter's modest $6-a-month adobe with the grand Masonic library and 2,500-pound bronze doors down the street.
- Southtown House of Spirits — Keep the secretive, fugitive vibe going by climbing the outdoor staircase into this gothic candlelit parlor in Southtown.
Good to know
What are the museum's operating hours?
It targets a 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. window on weekdays, but opening is strictly docent-dependent, so you should always call ahead to verify before going.
How much did O. Henry pay to live here?
William Sydney Porter rented two rooms in the adobe house for $6 a month in 1885.
Why was the house moved twice?
The 1855 adobe building was moved twice to save it from demolition, including one relocation effort that rolled it through the old Lone Star Brewery grounds.
Who painted the large mural behind the house?
The mural on the exterior wall directly behind the house was painted by John Murphy, a young probationer whose artistic talent was spotted by the chief probation officer.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Wikipedia · saconservation.org · Official site
last checked: 2026-07-20