Welcome to the Heritage Society's newest series on our website. Each month a different item from The Heritage Society’s collections will be showcased for you viewing pleasure.

The Goffering Iron This labor saving device was first developed in Italy in the 16th century and was soon adopted by most other European countries. The goffering iron was fashioned with finger like tubes of various diameters, mounted on heavy bases, and heated by inserting a red hot bar of iron similar to a poker into its hollow tube. The starched material was then grasped in both hands and pressed over the hot barrel which resulted in a semicircular crimp.

The purpose of the Heritage Society is to preserve the history of the community through preservation and restoration of historic structures. Moreover, the Heritage Society also seeks to educate the public on Houston’s past and its relationship to the present through exhibits of historical artifacts.

The historic structures in Sam Houston Park contain an astonishing array of era specific material culture. In addition to the collections in each house, The Heritage Society also maintains other collections composed of toys, silver, decorative arts, textiles, tools, phonographs, and a variety of other items. In total, The Heritage Society holds more than 20,000 items in its permanent collections.

Your heritage is part of the collective heritage of our community. We actively seek items with a Houston history, and if you wish to donate or share with us your treasure or simply have a question (other than value) about what you have, please feel free to email our Collections department at wsaage@heritagesociety.org or call 713.655.1912 x102.