HistoricSiteMarkers
Reconstruction & Gilded Age

Hagerty-Harris House

Marshall, Harrison County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Texas & Pacific Railroad shop craftsmen built this residence of handpressed bricks in 1889 for William P. Hagerty (1844-1906), personal engineer of T. & P. President George J. Gould. Stenciled canvas ceilings decorate some rooms. Hagerty, who fled his native Ireland as a rebel, married Mollie Allbright (d. 1907) and had five children. The house was badly deteriorated in 1972 when it was purchased and restored by the families of Dr. James H. Harris and his son Dr. Rush C. Harris. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1977

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Built in 1889 by Texas & Pacific Railroad shop craftsmen from handpressed brick, this house served William P. Hagerty, personal engineer to T&P president George J. Gould. An Irishman who had fled his homeland as a rebel, Hagerty raised five children here beneath stenciled canvas ceilings. After decades of decline, the badly deteriorated house was rescued and restored in the 1970s by the Harris family.

Why it matters

The home ties the fortunes of an Irish immigrant railroad man to the Gilded Age rail empires whose shops and skilled labor built out East Texas towns like Marshall.

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Related people

  • · William P. Hagerty
  • · George J. Gould
  • · Dr. James H. Harris

Themes & tags

Nearby & related markers

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St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery

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