Home of Dr. Joseph M. Pound
Dripping Springs, Hays County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Home of Dr. Joseph M. Pound and Wife Sarah Dunbiben Ward. First log rooms built 1853 with slave labor. Square nails, hand-hewn timbers and lumber were used in construction. Circuit riders stopped here, conducted Methodist worship services. The sick and wounded, rich or poor, came to this home as to a hospital. Dr. Pound, U.S. Army private in Mexican War, was a Confederate surgeon in the Civil War. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1965
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Dr. Joseph M. Pound and his wife Sarah raised the first log rooms of this Hill Country home in 1853, using hand-hewn timbers, square nails, and enslaved labor. The house served the frontier as church, hospital, and waystation — Methodist circuit riders preached here, and the sick came rich or poor. Pound had soldiered as a private in the Mexican War and would serve as a Confederate surgeon in the Civil War.
Why it matters
A single household ties together antebellum settlement, the institution of slavery, and two American wars, showing how the frontier's few resources were shared across an entire community.
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Related people
- · Dr. Joseph M. Pound
- · Sarah Dunbiben Ward Pound
Related events
- · Mexican War
- · Civil War
Themes & tags
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