Fernland Historical Park

Evolution of Fernland Historical Park:

Many of the buildings that are present in Fernland Historical Park were acquired by Carroll and Mae Tharp. Mr. & Mrs. Tharp spent 20 years painstakingly relocating, and restoring these buildings. Mr. Tharp, a trained preservation architect and a former board member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, took great care to ensure the authenticity of their restoration.

These buildings include:

The Hulon
The Crane
The Jardine
In 1991, the Tharps donated the buildings listed above, and their original location to Sam Houston State University. Due to the remote location of the buildings, it was decided that these buildings should be moved to a more visitor-friendly site. A site which would allow easier access for the public to enjoy and view. Hence, through a joint effort between Fernland Inc., The City of Montgomery, and Sam Houston State University, a new location was established within the downtown area of the City of Montgomery.

In addition to the above buildings, the Arnold-Simonton home, the oldest home built in Montgomery,Texas was moved to Fernland in 2011. This home is on The National Historic Registry of homes in America.

In 2013 The City of Montgomery took over the management of Fernland and it became one of four city parks within Montgomery, Texas. The city opened the park 6 days a week and hired docents who work for the City of Montgomery, Tx.

Fernland Inc, which is the volunteer park board for Fernland and a 501(c)(3) organization, along with Sam Houston State University continue to work in collaboration with the city to help preserve and maintain our beautiful park.

For general park questions or if interested in tours, please message us here on Facebook, email us, or call us at 936-597-7764 or call the City of Montgomery at 936-597-6434.

To make a donation or volunteer, please contact Fernland, Inc. The link to their website is Fernland.org.