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ZZ Top legend Dusty Hill's treasured items now available to fans in new estate sale

ZZ Top fans can own a piece of history in this Dusty Hill estate sale.

Photo by Emily Jaschke

UPDATE: Due to a “clerical error,” Gilded Monkey Market’s Thom Anderson tells CultureMap, information the estate sale company released to the press incorrectly insinuated that the Dusty Hill’s family is behind this sale. Rather, says Anderson, “this is an estate sale of the contents of his prior home.” Anderson now says that the contents are for sale by the new owners of Hill’s home; this was not information initially provided.

Additionally, after further inquiry by CultureMap, an attorney for Hill’s family advises that this sale is “not in any way affiliated with Hill's estate or his family.”

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Fans who are still mourning the passing of Dusty Hill, bassist for iconic Houston rock band ZZ Top, now have a chance to own a piece of some of his belongings.

A new estate sale, which will be held from Friday, June 10 through Sunday, June 12 at The Guilded Monkey Market warehouse (7023 Rampart St.) in southwest Houston, will offer up belongings from the star’s former home.

Select pieces come from Hill’s home in a prestigious neighborhood in The Woodlands and include his collection of art, plus home and office furnishings, a wide range of rugs, personal accessories, and concert memorabilia. Notably for collectors, all items will come with a certificate of authenticity. (No word if any cheap sunglasses are available.)

“The family knows how beloved Dusty was in Houston and Texas and all around the country,” Thom Anderson, who is organizing the sale with partner Dominique Kendall, tells CultureMap. “They’re excited to share some of his most personal items with his fans.”

Anderson notes that his team are still unpacking boxes, but fans can look forward to Hill’s private desk, dining table, a bed with a 9-foot-tall headboard, and of course, swag from his ZZ Top glory days.

One standout is a simple office dry erase board, on which Hill sketched a self portrait in marker and even signed. “That, to me, is gold,” Anderson notes.

Born Joe Michael Hill, the epically bearded Dusty was born May 19, 1949 in Dallas, where he played cello as a student at Woodrow Wilson High School and picked up guitar with his brother, Rocky. The brothers played in bands around Dallas before Dusty moved to Houston with friend and future bandmate Frank Beard in the late 1960s.

Linking up with Billy Gibbons, the trio released their first record as ZZ Top in 1969. Major gigs included opening for the Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix. ZZ Top became a staple in MTV’s early days, where they brought their signature Houston sound and memorable videos to a legion of new fans. The trio was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

Hill passed away in his sleep at his home in Houston on July 28, 2021 at the age of 72.

ZZ Top fans would be wise to arrive early, Anderson notes, as pieces will go fast. “Owning something from Dusty Hill is bragging rights for any Texan,” Anderson adds. “This is a rare opportunity to own a piece of history.”

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The Dusty Hill estate sale will be held at the The Guilded Monkey Market warehouse (7023 Rampart St.) from June 10-June 12. For more information, call 713-360-3147.

Camp Mystic News

Camp Mystic proposes selling property as part of bankruptcy plan

Camp Mystic Files For Bankruptcy As First Anniversary Of Deadly Floods Approaches

Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Ribbons honor Camp Mystic flood victims and families.

The owners of Camp Mystic have proposed selling off the riverfront property as part of a bankruptcy plan, with hopes that a buyer will preserve the camp's “historic mission” following the death of 27 campers and counselors swept away by a 2025 flood.

The century-old private Christian girls' camp filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization plan on September 25 that would auction off the 749 acres (3 square kilometers) it owns and other assets.

The sprawling campus, nestled among rolling wooded hills on the banks of the Guadalupe River, had several single-story cabins that housed some of the youngest campers and a recreation hall near the riverfront. A second campus on elevated ground was not flooded.

The Eastland family has owned the camp for decades and initially sought to reopen this summer. But they faced fierce opposition from victims’ families and some state lawmakers, lawsuits, and legislative investigations into what went wrong.

A buyer would likely get a portion of the camp frozen in time. Families of the victims have fought to stop any demolition of damaged cabins and buildings and stop repairs as part of their lawsuits.

The bankruptcy plan said the owners expect a purchaser would be backed by a group of families that support the camp.

“Nothing in the plan requires any buyer to operate the property as a camp,” the filing said, “but the plan states an express preference, in determining the highest or otherwise best bid, for a buyer that will maintain the historic mission of the camp.”

Twenty-five campers and two counselors were killed when the river surged over its banks in the pre-dawn hours of July 4, 2025. Camp owner and director Richard Eastland was also killed. At least 136 people were killed along a several-mile stretch of the river.

Earlier this month, state police investigators sought search warrants for the electronic communications of the camp's owners, saying they could provide evidence of manslaughter, negligent homicide, child abandonment, or other crimes.

No charges have been brought.

A probe by state lawmakers determined the camp’s young and inexperienced counselors were not trained for floods and other emergencies. It said an earlier decision to evacuate could have saved every life. Most of the victims were under age 10, and some were attending camp for the first time.

The camp's bankruptcy proposal would have to be approved by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher M. Lopez. Officials with Camp Mystic did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment Monday.

All creditors, including the families who have sued Camp Mystic over the deaths, will have a chance to respond to the plan.

“The Eastlands are now attempting to determine the future of the Camp Mystic property, but the victims' families including my clients, will fight to protect their rights and ensure any sale is fair and transparent,” said Tim Ferguson, attorney for the family of 8-year-old Mary Grace Baker, one of the campers who died.

“The Bakers intend to continue fighting for answers, accountability and justice for their daughter,” Ferguson said.

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