For most of her life Miss Ima was known for her commitment to the arts, education and other philanthropic causes, a devotion that didn't stop at her front door. In 1957, this daughter of former Texas Governor James Hogg donated Bayou Bend and the thousands of antiques and furnishings she had collected there through the decades to the Museum of Fine Arts. But the “First Lady of Texas” continued to live at Bayou Bend for the next eight years, overseeing the home's transformation into a museum. Today, 28 of the mansion’s rooms depict specific periods in early American life between the early 1600s and the post-Civil War era.

Bayou Bend recently opened the Lora Jean Kilroy Visitor and Education Center. The two-story center houses a library, retail shop, offices and more. Several rooms within Bayou Bend itself that were undergoing restoration were also reopened to the public showcasing new acquisitions and other objects not previously displayed.

Hogg once said that her dream for Bayou Bend was that it “serve as a bridge to bring us closer to the heart of an American heritage which unites us.” Amen, Miss Ima.