HistoricSiteMarkers
Reconstruction & Gilded Age

George Seeligson Home

Galveston, Galveston County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Galveston-born George Seeligson (1841-1912) was a prominent local merchant. In 1872 he married Maria Davenport (1847-1928). He built this 1875 house on another lot in this block. Like many fine Galveston homes, it combines Greek revival and Victorian styling. It was moved to this site with the Seeligsons erected a larger residence in 1887. Later occupied by their daughter Lillian (Mrs. John) Winterbotham (1875-1953), it was purchased in 1954 by Mr. and Mrs. James E. Johnson. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1976

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Galveston-born merchant George Seeligson built this house in 1875 on another lot in the block, later moving it here when his family put up a larger residence in 1887. Like many of the island's fine homes, it blends Greek Revival lines with Victorian flourishes. It passed to his daughter Lillian Winterbotham and, in 1954, to the Johnson family.

Why it matters

The home reflects the mercantile wealth and architectural taste of Gilded Age Galveston, then one of Texas's leading ports and commercial centers.

Own a business near here? Add it to the map.

Related people

  • Β· George Seeligson
  • Β· Maria Davenport Seeligson
  • Β· Lillian Seeligson Winterbotham

Themes & tags

Nearby & related markers

Best-Lucas House

Galveston, TX

Catherine Best bought this Galveston lot in 1866, and within years the improved property passed among a series of tradespeople, including her carpenter husband and later the noted brickmason Thomas Lucas. It changed hands repeatedly over the following decades, often serving as rental housing, until it was slated for demolition in the 1980s and rescued through restoration. Today it displays its original Greek Revival details β€” a three-bay porch, gabled windows, and period interior features.

Frederich-Erhard House

Galveston, TX

Galveston-born banker William John Frederich built this raised Queen Anne cottage for his family in 1894, at the height of the island city's Gilded Age prosperity. After his early death his widow sold the home to his nephew, Frederich William Erhard, and it stayed in that family until 1972. Its elaborate porch balustrade, paneled frieze, and sunburst-motif gables typify the ornate domestic architecture of the era.

William and Adele Skinner House

Galveston, TX

In 1895 local banker William Cooke Skinner and his wife Adele bought this parcel for their young family, and by 1896 noted Texas architect Charles William Bulger had designed them one of his most ornate Queen Anne homes. Its facade features twin gables, a wraparound corner gallery, and a distinctive tripartite bay window, with irregularly spaced windows and surviving wooden shutters. Original interior trim and stained glass in the stairwell remain.

George Fox House

Galveston, TX

Shortly after the Civil War, George Fox joined his father's Galveston bakery, an establishment dating to 1837, and built himself into a successful merchant by the turn of the century. Around 1903 he built this Queen Anne home with classical revival detailing for his wife Elizabeth and their family, probably replacing an earlier house destroyed in the catastrophic 1900 hurricane. Fox family members lived here until 1955.