Goodman-LeGrand adds shade, gardens, and house-museum history to Tyler

Not every historic site in Smith County is a courthouse or a battlefield. The Goodman-LeGrand Museum, at 624 N. Broadway Avenue in Tyler, is an 1859 home left to the City of Tyler by the family and kept open as a public museum, still furnished with their belongings.

Out front, LeGrand Park stretches across almost a full city block. The city describes large shade trees, azaleas, roses, benches, and picnic space — a quiet green block in the middle of town, free to walk through. Larger tour groups are asked to schedule ahead.

Together the house and gardens add a lived-in layer to Tyler's history: an old family home, period furnishings, and grounds that residents still use for a shaded afternoon.