HistoricSiteMarkers
Early RepublicCivil War

Dale-Rugeley-Sisk Home ca. 1830

Matagorda, Matagorda County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Has withstood many hurricanes. A cultural, social, political center. Home of: A. C. Horton, 1st lieutenant-governor of Texas and governor 7 months; Rev. Caleb Ives, 1st rector of 1st Episcopal Church in Texas; W. L. Sartwell, partner in Ives-Sartwell-Academy; a leading churchwoman, Mrs. S. M. Dale; F. L. Rugeley, son of a Confederate leader; Robt. J. Sisk, pioneer in rice, oil and land development. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1964

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Built around 1830 on the Gulf Coast at Matagorda, this weathered home has stood through countless hurricanes and served as a cultural and political center for early Texas. Its residents read like a roster of the young republic and state: A.C. Horton, Texas's first lieutenant governor; Caleb Ives, first rector of the state's first Episcopal church; and later pioneers in rice, oil, and land development.

Why it matters

Few coastal homes survive from the founding years of Texas, and this one links the era of the Republic and early statehood to the later development that shaped the Gulf Coast.

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Related people

  • · A.C. Horton
  • · Rev. Caleb Ives
  • · W.L. Sartwell
  • · F.L. Rugeley
  • · Robert J. Sisk

Themes & tags

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