Some unexpected guests have moved into a 143-year-old historic home near Houston, and they didn’t exactly ask for permission.
“Yes, they’re adorable. No, they did not sign a lease,” the museum joked Saturday in a Facebook post.
After suspecting there might have been some uninvited guests living in the attic, the museum’s associate director set up a game camera over the weekend and captured the raccoon family on video.
“Meet Jimothy Moore and family,” the museum joked alongside a video showing the raccoons scurrying around inside the home’s attic.
The home, located at 406 S. Fifth St. in Richmond, dates back to 1883 and is known as the John M. and Lottie D. Moore House. It was the home of John Matthew Moore, who served in the Texas House of Representatives and the U.S. House.
The house was designated as a Texas Historic Landmark in 1962 and was added into the National Register of Historic Places in the early 2000s. Today, it is owned by the Fort Bend Museum, which said the recent raccoon incident is a reminder of the realities—and occasional surprises—that come with preserving a historic property.
“As cute as these four little squatters may be, they’ll soon be safely removed from the Moore House,” the museum wrote. “Caring for a nearly 150-year-old home means dealing with some not-so-glamorous parts of historic preservation too—including making sure unwanted guests don’t cause damage to the structure.”