Crow Home
Stephenville, Erath County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Tennessee natives Dr. Martin Swan Crow (1833-1892) and his wife Mollie Jane (George) Crow (1843-1910) arrived in Stephenville in 1871. Dr. Crow operated a successful medical practice and drug store, and he invested heavily in real estate. Mrs. Crow also invested in real estate, founded the town’s first savings and loan and served as a director of an area railroad. This Queen Anne-style cottage was built ca. 1893, likely by Mrs. Crow after the death of her husband. The original cross-gabled floor plan included eight rooms and five fireplaces. The exterior features cypress siding, fishscale shingles, and tall double-hung windows matching those of the Crow Opera House on the courthouse square.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Tennessee natives Dr. Martin Swan Crow and his wife Mollie Jane Crow settled in Stephenville in 1871, where he built a thriving medical practice and drugstore and both invested heavily in real estate. Remarkably for her era, Mrs. Crow founded the town's first savings and loan and served as a director of a regional railroad. She likely built this Queen Anne cottage around 1893 after her husband's death, its cypress siding and fishscale shingles echoing the family's opera house on the courthouse square.
Why it matters
The Crow home preserves the legacy of a Gilded Age businesswoman who broke into banking and railroading at a time when few women held such roles.
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Related people
- · Martin Swan Crow
- · Mollie Jane George Crow
Themes & tags
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