Magoffin Home State Historic Site

We requested permission to take photos here for my son’s wedding, even though we did not have a professional photographer. The staff kindly allowed us to do so with just a $25 donation. They were incredibly welcoming and attentive throughout our visit, making us feel comfortable and cared for. We were given access to the outside of the building as well as the garden, which provided beautiful backdrops. The photos turned out wonderfully!

A visit to the historic Magoffin Home in El Paso is a must, enhanced by the knowledgeable staff and docents. Martin, in particular, is a phenomenal storyteller, bringing the Magoffin family's "rags to riches" story to life through an interactive tour. Discover the pivotal role the Magoffin family played in El Paso's incorporation into Texas. This is a must-see attraction for both residents and visitors. My photos do not give this tour the justice it deserves.

It is truly incredible to see and hear about how the Magoffin family lived through generations in this home. The staff is very knowledgeable about several aspects of the house and as well as the family’s personal lives. I had the opportunity to bring my son to a family reading event that included an activity and snacks. I found out about this on their instagram page where they often post about camps and events for kids and families to bring notice to this beautiful historical site.

We visited for the first time on Sat Dec 3 for the Holiday Open House and loved it. The home is a beautiful example of adobe architecture. The original family furnishings make it so easy to imagine life during the time period. Mostly we loved the engaging conversations we had with the staff and volunteers about the history of El Paso and the history of the home and family.

Really enjoyed seeing an example of a house from the time periods during settlement of the area. A lot different than houses from my area and it was great to see how it has stood the test of time. The walking trail to get there isn't all that great. This is by far the best part on the self-guided Magoffin walking tour.

A rather unexpected journey you'll get !!! Was scheduling only 30 mins for a short visit, turned out to be an "El Paso History Time Machine Travel Journey". 🤓 First, you'll need to register your visiting at the Visitor Center, they will then play you an introduction video at the lobby of the Visitor Center. Then they will walk you across the street to the Magoffin House, which was built in 1875, is a combination of the local adobe style combined with Greek revival details and is an example of the Territorial style, while still well preserved.

I recently went to a cooking class for making bread in the visitors center and was allowed the chance to go to the Magoffin home after. We took a little self guided tour as we didn’t have a tour guide but even without knowing the full history it was still beautiful and a lovely experience with every room you stepped foot into!

I’ve been wanting to visit this Historic Texas Household since 2020, but the pandemic happened and y’all know the rest of the story. I was able to visit El Paso and took the time to visit the Magoffin Home. As I walked in the visitor center, I was warmly welcomed by Ms. Gloria. I paid the admission and we walked toward the house. When Ms. Gloria opened the front door and welcomed me to enter the historic home, one is transported to another era. The original floors, original doors and hardware. The 140 year old Piano…so beautiful! I got to see Uncle Charlie’s Chair. The Master Bedroom was beautiful, but Ms. Josephine’s Bedroom was lavish. Original bathtub and sink, prayer room. It was so cool! Ms. Gloria did a wonderful job giving me a tour. She has a sweet, pleasant voice. She gave so many historical accounts of the family, house, and the surrounding neighborhoods. She is knowledgeable and informative, ready to answer all my questions. Defined recommended!

Grateful to friends we came to town to visit for suggesting a tour of this historic home. It was in wonderful condition, very well preserved, and we had a fantastic tour guide. No knowing anything about the Magoffin family prior, it was a big history lesson. Although the home looked in wonderful condition, it will close for a lengthy renovation soon. I'm sure it will be worth a 2nd visit in a couple years.

This is a nice, slow paced tour. It was me and my hubby and one other lady who was a bit of an oddball that were on the tour. The tour guide was super sweet and architecture of the place is really beautiful. There's a rich and interesting background that comes with the house and the Magoffins. Part of El Paso used to be Magoffinsville - So they were a very important part of the local history. Not to give too much away, it is a really interesting tour and you may hear of a ghost or two. It's not a scary tour by any means though. They also do events at the house (check the website) and the place is available for rent if you wanted to plan a small gathering there. The backyard would be really beautiful for a small wedding reception or something like that! The tour is cheap at $7. Hang out and learn some history!

I am beyond obsessed with the Magoffin House. This house is so, so beautiful and full of so much history. Every time I go, I learn something new- even if I get the same person giving the tour! No offense to anyone, but Jeff is amazing at giving the tour.

Gloria was an excellent guide with a wealth of information. She knew the answers to all of our questions. It was a wonderful tour.

My mother and I visited the Magoffin Home when they had a special event: baking pies using ingredients from 100 years ago for an authentic experience. We were told the history of the Magoffin Home, told which historical figures enjoyed the pies, and had an opportunity to learn how to bake. It was an enjoyable experience and it is informative to learn the history. Our baking teachers are avid history buffs and imbued our conversations with nuggets of trivia and facts!

The women at the front office of the visitors center was very cold and unwelcoming. Both my husband and I felt the same, I thought it was just me. Her attitude did not reflect our El Paso charm which is very disappointing...We love history but we just walked out and decided to spend our day somewhere more pleasant.

More interesting than you would expect! Came here with some family for a tour of the original home of the Magoffins, the first elite and most influential family in the history of El Paso. I admit, when I first laid eyes on it, it didn't seem like what I expected. I expected more of a dreary victorian house with every bit sense of creepiness to it. But in actuality, it was pretty unique. It's a long one story square establishment--very simple and clean on the outside. To get inside you have ring the doorbell...cool huh?? Loved that touch. Made it even more intriguing! Btw, this house was established since the 1860s. So it is OLD! Once you step inside it actually feels really cozy and bit like home. Every room was exquisite with their detail. I don't want to spoil any of the cool things you would see in there, but I will say that original belongings from the family members of that house are still there! Great condition and very delicate, hence, hands-off environment! Two of my favorite rooms would be the play room/family room (because it had the most vibrant and beautiful setting) and one of the rooms (I forgot who) with that awesome "master bathroom"! The tour was excellent! The tour guide was very informative and very knowledgeable on the details and history of the establishment and as well as the family. She mentioned really cool facts about how the lifestyle was back in those days and compared them to how we are now; I thought that was very insightful. She really made me appreciate how easy we have it now! She was definitely personable and friendly, so she made it very enjoyable. Miscellaneous tid-bits: - Taking pictures is allowed, but with NO FLASH. Perhaps the flash can damage/age the antiques. - Cheap admission! If you're a student, don't forget to bring your school ID! You get a dollar off! Hence, normal adult admission is $4, students $3, and kids under 5--free! - They also seem to have a holiday even coming up to for Christmas. You get to drink hot cocoa and cookies, and other activities as well, all for an admission of $1?! GO! Overall, cool place to check out if your down for sometime to do in El Paso!

Great experience! Very informative and engaging tour guide, relaxed pace so you have time to take lots of pictures and ask questions, and a genuinely great tour of a beautiful home, all for the nominal admission fee of just a few dollars! I can't recommend the Magoffin home enough. It gives you a really great overview of El Paso's history as a whole, too! I would definitely recommend taking your out-of-town guests here, as well-- they will get a really great taste of historical El Paso!

This was one of the best historical tours that I have been on. I have been to over 30 countries and 43 states, so this statement is not without weight. After reading up beforehand some of the history of El Paso, this tour really brought it all together and helped me get a realistic picture of what early El Paso must have been like. We did the San Elizario guided tour, which is also recommended, but to be honest, I enjoyed this one much more. The lady working at the home, Gloria was super knowledgeable and was very happy to answer the MANY questions that we asked. I would not only recommend that the city of El Paso continue to support this historic site, but to increase their budget and let these motivated passionate people who maintain the site do even more. The Fort Bliss Replica museum is a replica of the first Army post that Joseph Magoffin supported, why not move that down to it's original location near the Magoffin home? Anyways, this was a very good experience and I am very thankful to Gloria for providing such a memorable time for my family and I.