HistoricSiteMarkers
Reconstruction & Gilded Age

James Lafayette and Eliza Pitts Malone House

San Marcos, Hays County, Texas

Marker Inscription

This house was built in 1891-92 for James L. and Eliza Malone. The Malones, parents of 16 children, were among the early pioneer families in the Stringtown area east of San Marcos. the house was sold out of the Malone family in 1906 following James' death. In 1926, the Victorian Queen Anne dwelling was modified to classical revival style by S. A. and Lellye McGehee Perkins. Returned to its earlier appearance in a 1996 renovation, the house features an L-shaped floor plan with a 2-story porch, chamfered columns with jigsawn brackets, turned balusters, and a gabled shingled roof. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1996

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Built in 1891–92 for James and Eliza Malone, parents of sixteen children, this Victorian Queen Anne home anchored the Stringtown settlement east of San Marcos, where the Malones were among the earliest pioneer families. A 1926 remodel gave it a Classical Revival face, and a 1996 renovation restored its exuberant original details — the two-story porch, chamfered columns, jigsawn brackets, and turned balusters.

Why it matters

The house records both a large pioneer family's stake in Central Texas and the changing tastes in American domestic architecture across a century.

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Related people

  • · James L. Malone
  • · Eliza Malone

Themes & tags

Nearby & related markers

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