Lives of the Rich and Infamous
Welcome to our tours of old wealth people and socialites and famous murders and suicides. Remember that people often live in several houses over many years. Thus, they have multiple addresses. These tours’ intention is to call attention to the houses and sites of select individuals and events, not everyone who has occupied each home throughout time. Please feel free to contribute ideas or information. You help make the tour a success.
The tours begin at the Houston Visitors Center in downtown. Please click here to be connected to the address and parking information.
We still have so much more to share with and captivate you.
Lives of the Rich and Infamous Tour A
This tour covers areas outside of River Oaks. These include Meyerland, the Galleria, Tanglewood, Memorial, Mangum Manor, Houston Heights, Downtown, West University Place, Southhampton Place, and Montrose. Tour A is 5 hours long with a stop for lunch. Bring lunch money. Hear the stories.
- See the homes and sites of murder victims Elaine and Paula Goss, on June 24, 1993.
- See the area where teenage girls Jennifer Ertman (1978 – 1993) and Elizabeth Pena (1977 – 1993) were gang raped and murdered, on June 24, 1993. One of the perpetrators, Jose Medellin, was executed in 2008.
- See the Alley Theatre where the managing and artistic director of the Alley Theatre, Iris Siff, was murdered in January 13, 1982.
- See the home where Dr. Claudia Benton was sexually assaulted and murdered by the Railroad Killer Angel Maturino Resendiz, on December 17, 1998.
- See where the alleged murderers lived or still live such as the Candy Man Dean Corll (1939 – 1973) and Robert Durst.
- See where J. Howard Marshall II (1905 – 1995) and his wife Anna Nicole Smith (1967 – 2007) lived happily ever after. Marshall was 90 years old when he died on August 4, 1995. His widow was 27 years old at the time, sixty-three years younger. They had married only 14 months earlier on June 27, 1994.
- Go to a site of the Texas White House in the late 1830s when Sam Houston (1793 – 1863) was president.
- See a home in which William Marsh Rice (1816 – 1900) lived. It was built in 1850.
- See the site where former President Anson Jones of the Republic of Texas committed suicide, on January 9, 1858.
- See a childhood home of aviator, inventor, movie mogul, and all-around eccentric Howard Robard Hughes, Jr. (1905 – 1976).
- See a home of Houston’s greatest philanthropist to medicine, Monroe Dunaway Anderson. Anderson died on August 6, 1939.
- See the site of the original homestead where George Hermann was born. Hermann was born on August 6, 1843. Hermann was the greatest benefactor of Houston, giving the money and or land for Hermann Park and Memorial Hermann Hospital. He died on October 21, 1914.
- See where former mayor Roy Hofheinz and politicians and statesmen like George Bush and James Baker, III have lived or currently reside.
- See the former home of Enron CFO Andrew Fastow.
- See the home where Lyndon Johnson lived when he spent part of a school year teaching in Texas in 1930 – 1931.
Lives of the Rich and InfamousTour B
This tour covers River Oaks and perhaps an adjoining area. It typically inlcudes two stops:
- At the Lora Jean Kilroy Visitor and Education Center, located on the property of Bayou Bend. This site has a small museum, three five-minute movies about the Hogg family, the gardens, and the home, bathrooms, and a gift shop. Allow 15 to 30 minutes.
- The gardens of Rienzi. weather permitting. Allow 10 to 15 minutes.
Some of the places we might see include the:
- Mansions of Ima Hogg’s (1882 – 1975) Bayou Bend and Harris Masterson, III (1914 – 1997) and Carroll Sterling Masterson’s (1913 – 1994) Rienzi. The Museum of Fine Arts Houston owns these home and they are open to the public. Bayou Bend has fine Americana art dating to the 1600s and Rienzi has exquisite European art dating to the 1500s. Each has lovely gardens in which you can stroll.
- Home of the famous patrons of the arts John (1904 – 1973) and Dominque de Menil (1908 – 1997).
- Home of the world famous auto racer and promoter A. J. Foyt.
- Former home of Kenneth “Bud” Adams (1923 – 1913). He owned the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans.
- Former home of mayor Bob Lanier.
- Former home of the late Secretary of Commerce (1989 – 1993) Robert Mosbacher, Sr. (1927 – 2010).
- Home of socialite Carolyn Farb.
- Site of the former home of entrepreneur Mike Hogg (1885 – 1941).
- Former home of a physician known as Dr. Blood and Eric the Red.
- French chalet looking home of the most powerful restaurant man in Texas, if not the United States: Tilman Fertitta. It has over 25,000 square feet.
- Homes of the leaders of Enron: Kenneth Lay (1942 – 2006) and Jeffrey Skilling.
- Homes of John (1931 – 1972) and Joan Hill (1931 – 1969), as well as Joan’s father, Ash Robinson (1898 – 1985), the main characters in the best selling book Blood and Money and the made for TV movie “Murder in Texas.”
- Former homes of Hugh Roy Cullen (1881 – 1957).
- Former home of Joanne King Herring Davis, made famous by Julia Roberts’s portrayal of her in “Charlie Wilson’s War.”
- Jacques Mossler’s (1895 – 1964) home where his wife Candy (1920 – 1976) and her nephew Mel Powers (1942 – 2010) carried on an incestuous affair before Jacques was mysteriously killed.
- Sites of famous murders such as of Doris Angleton (1951 – 1997) and sometimes Gertrude Duff-Smith Zabolio (1918 – 1975).
- Home of the suicide of Blake Raymond Hawk (1987 – 2009) and after he attempted to murder his father Eugene Blake Hawk.
- Home of Robert McNair, owner of the Houston Texan.
- World’s most famous televangelist’s, Joel Osteen, home.
- Site of the murders, dismemberments, and refrigeration of Fred and Edwina Rogers, in 1965. This is just outside of River Oaks and if we have time will include it.
- We still have so much more to share with and captivate you.
B1 – It is 3 hours long.
B2 – With a stop for lunch, Tour B is 4 hours long. Bring lunch money.
B3 – With a stop for lunch and to tour 1 mansion, Tour B is 6 hours long. The mansion could be either Bayou Bend from 1928 or Rienzi from 1952. You can choose which home and gardens you prefer to explore. Bring lunch money. This tour is not available on Mondays as each home is closed and only to Bayou Bend on Tuesdays as Rienzi is also closed on Tuesdays.
B4 – With a stop for lunch and to tour 2 mansions, Tour B is 8 hours long. The mansions will be Bayou Bend from 1928 and Rienzi from 1952. Bring lunch money. This tour is not available on Mondays and Tuesdays as Bayou Bend is closed on Mondays and Rienzi is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.