W.L. Moody, Jr. purchased this 30,000-square-foot home shortly after the disastrous hurricane that devastated Galveston in 1900, and he and his wife, Libbie, raised their four children here. Listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, the Richardsonian Romanesque mansion was designed by English-born architect William H. Tyndall and completed in 1895, with interiors by the prominent New York design firm of Pottier & Stymus.

W.L. Moody, Jr. was among America’s wealthiest individuals at the time of his death in 1954, having built wide-ranging of enterprises based on insurance, banking, cotton trading, ranching, publishing, hotels, and railroads. His eldest child, Mary Moody Northen, inherited the house and businesses, and was hailed as a pioneer among women in business. Northen lived in the house from 1954 to 1983, when damage from Hurricane Alicia dictated a major renovation effort. She was dedicated to preserving her family home and heritage, and she established the Mary Moody Northen Endowment to protect the property, as well as to fund educational and charitable projects benefiting the people of Texas and Virginia.

Following a meticulous restoration, the house opened for tours in 1991, interpreting 20th-century architecture, furnishings, and society, and Galveston and Texas history. Collections include hundreds of thousands of family furnishings and personal effects. Self-paced audio tours include segments recorded by members of the Moody family, and behind-the-scenes docent-guided tours are available as well.