Hudgins-Blake House
Jefferson, Marion County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Residence with fine door and window styling; large rooms; 13' ceilings; wide board floors. Built during 1855-67 era, by William P. Hudgins, ;the house had a series of short-term owners before W. L. and Mattie A. Blake, prominent Jefferson Central (Negro) School teachers, bought it in 1897; their family owned it for 60 years. Restored by 1957 purchasers, Bill R. and Ella McDonald, house has been preserved since 1961 by Mrs. W. L. (Nellie) Jackson. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1973
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built between 1855 and 1867 by William P. Hudgins in the thriving riverport of Jefferson, this house with its 13-foot ceilings and wide-board floors passed through several owners before W. L. and Mattie A. Blake, respected teachers at the Jefferson Central (Negro) School, purchased it in 1897 and kept it in their family for six decades. Its later preservation ensured the survival of a rare antebellum-era home tied to Black educators of the post-emancipation South.
Why it matters
The home's long ownership by prominent African American teachers connects it to the vital work of educating freed people and their descendants in Reconstruction-era and Gilded Age East Texas.
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Related people
- · William P. Hudgins
- · W. L. Blake
- · Mattie A. Blake
Themes & tags
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