Bland-Fisher Home
San Augustine, San Augustine County, Texas
Marker Inscription
James Jefferson Bland (d. 1939) had this one-story galleried home built about 1912. It was the center of the Bland Lake community, which included Bland's general store, sawmill, cotton gin, grist mill, a school, Santa Fe Railroad, post office, and popular lakeside swimming facilities. Built of pine lumber from the mill, it features a widow's walk on the roof. Bland and his wife Mattie (Baggett) later sold the house to their daughter Lula and her husband Guy B. Fisher. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1980
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
James Jefferson Bland built this one-story galleried home of local pine about 1912 as the heart of the Bland Lake community. Around it clustered his general store, sawmill, cotton gin, grist mill, a school, a railroad depot, post office, and popular lakeside swimming grounds. Bland and his wife Mattie later sold the widow's-walk-topped house to their daughter Lula and her husband Guy Fisher.
Why it matters
The home anchors a classic East Texas mill-and-store community, a self-contained hub of commerce, industry, and recreation built around one family's enterprise.
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Related people
- ยท James Jefferson Bland
- ยท Guy B. Fisher
Themes & tags
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