Ingraham Building
Nacogdoches, Nacogdoches County, Texas
Marker Inscription
New York native George Francis Ingraham (1842-1920) settled in Nacogdoches in 1860. He married Martha Thompson Cooper in 1866 and became an attorney in 1873. Ingraham served as county judge, county treasurer, and state representative. He built this structure to house his legal offices in 1897. In 1922 the storefront was removed; 1997 renovations restored the edifice to its original appearance. The Ingraham Building has been witness to the history of Nacogdoches' main square for more than 100 years. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1998
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
On the main square of Nacogdoches—one of Texas's oldest towns—stands a brick commercial block built in 1897 by George Francis Ingraham, a New York transplant who arrived on the eve of the Civil War and made his life in East Texas. Trained as an attorney, Ingraham served as county judge, county treasurer, and state representative, and raised this building to house his law practice. Its storefront was stripped away in 1922 and carefully restored in 1997, returning the edifice to the face it wore at the turn of the century.
Why it matters
Surviving Gilded Age commercial buildings like this anchor the courthouse squares that were the civic and economic heart of small Southern towns.
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Related people
- · George Francis Ingraham
- · Martha Thompson Cooper
Themes & tags
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