J. T. Baker House
Blum, Hill County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Built as a one-room cabin in the late 19th century, this vernacular dwelling was enlarged prior to 1900 by board-and-batten additions to the northwest and northeast. After John Thomas Baker acquired the house in 1900, he built a frame addition with porches to accommodate his large family. Although Baker died in 1914, his widow Harriet and their nine children continued to live here until the mid-1920s, and the house has remained in the Baker family. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark-1990
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This modest dwelling grew the way frontier homes did — from a single-room cabin in the late 1800s, expanded with board-and-batten additions, then enlarged with a frame wing and porches after John Thomas Baker bought it in 1900 to house his large family. Baker died in 1914, but his widow Harriet and their nine children carried on here, and the house stayed in the family for generations.
Why it matters
Its piecemeal, homegrown construction embodies how ordinary settler families built and re-built their homes as they put down roots in rural Texas.
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Related people
- · John Thomas Baker
- · Harriet Baker
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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