HistoricSiteMarkers
Progressive & Modern Era

G. C. and Clara Mick Home, 1909

Boling, Wharton County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Oldest in town founded 1900, on new Wharton-Palacios rail line. Mick, Missouri wheat grower and stock farmer, entered Texas on a "Rice Special," 1903. First home on land was a hurricane victim. Eldest son, A. C. Mick, laid out Iago, was architect this house. Used Cuban carpenters. Mansard roof. Cistern on porch. First electric plant in area. Bell rung only in emergencies. Often a shelter in hurricanes. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1965

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Built in 1909, this was the oldest home in Boling, a town founded in 1900 along the new Wharton–Palacios rail line. G. C. Mick, a Missouri wheat and stock farmer, arrived in Texas aboard a promotional 'Rice Special' excursion train in 1903; his son A. C. Mick designed the mansard-roofed house, built by Cuban carpenters, whose emergency bell and sturdy frame made it a hurricane refuge for neighbors.

Why it matters

The house reflects how railroads and land-promotion excursions drew Midwestern farmers to settle the Texas Gulf coastal plain in the early twentieth century.

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Related people

  • · G. C. Mick
  • · Clara Mick
  • · A. C. Mick

Themes & tags

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