HistoricSiteMarkers
Early Republic

Crocheron-McDowall House

Bastrop, Bastrop County, Texas

Marker Inscription

New York native Henry Crocheron (1806-1873) and his wife Mary Ann Tipple (1816--1888) built this Greek Revival house about 1857. A prominent businessman with interests in lumbering, land, and cotton, Crocheron was one of Bastrop's earliest leaders in civic affairs and local government. Here the Crocherons raised a niece, Mary Ann "Mollie" Nicholson McDowall, who married, went abroad, and returned here after the death of her husband William McDowall and inherited the home in 1888. She later ran a music school here before moving to Houston, where she was a successful clubwoman. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1962 Incise on base: Lower Colorado River Authority - 1996

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

New York native Henry Crocheron and his wife Mary Ann built this Greek Revival house around 1857, when Crocheron was among Bastrop's leading citizens with interests in lumber, land, and cotton. The couple raised their niece 'Mollie' Nicholson McDowall here; after her husband's death she inherited the home, ran a music school in it, and later became a noted clubwoman in Houston. It was recorded as a Texas Historic Landmark in 1962.

Why it matters

The house links a frontier merchant's rise to a woman's later public life, showing how one Texas home carried both nineteenth-century commerce and the era's expanding roles for women.

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Related people

  • ยท Henry Crocheron
  • ยท Mary Ann Tipple Crocheron
  • ยท Mary Ann "Mollie" Nicholson McDowall

Themes & tags

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