Home of Capt. Charles G. Graham
Jefferson, Marion County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Born in Tennessee, Charles Gibbs Graham (1833-1896) came to Texas in 1843 with his parents. He settled in Jefferson about 1850. During the Civil War (1861-1865), Graham served in the Confederate army, earning the rank of captain, and in 1864 was wounded at the Battle of Mansfield. Married in 1868 to Texanah Harris (1848-1927), he had three sons and one daughter. He became a prominent local merchant and cotton broker and in 1885 built this Victorian residence. In 1977 the structure had been continuously owned and occupied by three generations of the Graham family. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1986
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Charles Gibbs Graham came to Texas as a boy in 1843 and settled in the riverport town of Jefferson around 1850. He served the Confederacy as a captain and was wounded at the 1864 Battle of Mansfield, then returned to build a life as a leading merchant and cotton broker, raising the Victorian home marked here in 1885. His descendants occupied it for three generations.
Why it matters
The postwar rise of a wounded Confederate veteran into commercial prominence mirrors how the defeated South rebuilt itself through commerce, and how such family homes anchored community memory for generations.
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Related people
- · Charles Gibbs Graham
- · Texanah Harris
Related events
- · Battle of Mansfield
Themes & tags
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