Jacobs Home
Galveston, Galveston County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1884, Mrs. Barbara Lenz (Lentz) Jacobs (1831-1908), the widow of Christopher Jacobs, purchased a small cottage on this lot from Ferdinand and Caroline Möller (Miller). In 1885, Mrs. Jacobs, a prominent midwife, built a new, two-story house designed by well-known Texas architect, Nicholas J. Clayton, for her family of six children. The home is a three-bay, double-gallery, side-hall plan with unusually pierced eaves, designed with particular attention to the Galveston climate. This Victorian-style town home was occupied for 84 years by three generations of the Jacobs family. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1977
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1885, widowed midwife Barbara Lenz Jacobs commissioned the noted Galveston architect Nicholas J. Clayton to design a two-story home for her family of six children. The double-gallery, side-hall house features pierced eaves and a plan tailored to the island's coastal climate. Three generations of the Jacobs family lived here across 84 years.
Why it matters
The home spotlights a working woman—a respected midwife—commissioning a leading architect, a reminder of the independent livelihoods women built in Gilded Age Galveston.
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Related people
- · Barbara Lenz Jacobs
- · Nicholas J. Clayton
Themes & tags
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