HistoricSiteMarkers
Reconstruction & Gilded Age

Hardeman-Griffin House

Henderson, Rusk County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Constructed in 1884 for Mr. and Mrs. John S. Hardeman, this home was purchased in 1918 by H. L. and Nellie Griffin. Both Hardeman (1852-1925) and Griffin (1860-1947) were Henderson businessmen. The house, which exhibits elements of the Eastlake and colonial revival styles of architecture, features ornamental woodwork in the exterior gables. It remained in the Griffin family for more than 40 years. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1985

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Built in 1884 for John S. Hardeman and his wife, this Henderson home passed in 1918 to businessman H.L. Griffin and his wife Nellie, staying in the Griffin family for more than four decades. Both Hardeman and Griffin were prominent local merchants, and the house blends Eastlake and Colonial Revival styling with ornamental woodwork in its exterior gables. It stands as a fine example of the fashionable homes East Texas businessmen built in the late 19th century.

Why it matters

Homes like this reflect the prosperity and architectural taste of the merchant class that built East Texas towns after the Civil War.

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

Related people

  • ยท John S. Hardeman
  • ยท H.L. Griffin
  • ยท Nellie Griffin

Themes & tags

Nearby & related markers

Henderson

Henderson, TX

Founded in 1843 as the seat of newly created Rusk County, Henderson took its name from Republic of Texas statesman James Pinckney Henderson, later the state's first governor. Land was donated by W. B. Ochiltree and General James Smith, the "Father of Henderson," with lots set aside for churches and schools. A devastating 1860 fire, postwar railroads, and above all the 1930 discovery of the vast East Texas oil field โ€” which swelled the population from 2,000 to 10,000 in months โ€” shaped the town.

Merritt Building

Henderson, TX

One of the first lots claimed after Henderson was founded in 1848, this corner became a fixture of the town's downtown. Jesse F. Merritt bought it in 1883 and hired local brickmasons to raise this building for his Sunny South Saloon. Over the years it housed saloons, offices, a social club, and Cameron's Drug Store for half a century.

Masonic Lodge Building

Henderson, TX

Built in 1884 by the Mims brothers, this Henderson building was purchased in 1893 by Clinton Lodge No. 23, A.F. & A.M. โ€” a Masonic lodge chartered back in 1845, when Texas was still an independent republic. The Masons met on the upper floor until 1936, while the ground level served commerce as a grocery and, for decades, the Wright Drug Store. The structure remains a durable piece of Henderson's downtown commercial heritage.

M. Kangerga House

Henderson, TX

Michael Kangerga left Croatia, then part of Austria-Hungary, and settled in Henderson in 1887, founding a mercantile and financial house with his brother in 1895. In 1901 he built this virtually unaltered turn-of-the-century home, designed by the noted architectural firm George F. Barber & Co. of Knoxville. Kangerga was also a volunteer U.S. weather observer for fifty years, earning a national award before his death in 1962.