John C. Pelt
Duncanville, Dallas County, Texas
Marker Inscription
John C. Pelt (1877-1948) was born in Ellis County. After his father's death in 1880, his mother, Sarah (Seymour) remarried. He moved to Duncanville to live with his paternal Aunt Anna and her husband, Charles Barker. In 1896, he wed Lee Olah Grounds (1879-1964) with whom he had several children. He worked as the county road overseers commissioner and became a carpenter and builder, constructing numerous homes and buildings in Duncanville, including what is now Central Elementary School. Pelt built his family home at this site in 1927. He led an active life, participating in local politics, the Christian Church, the Lion's Club, and the Masonic lodge, named for him after his death. (2005)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
John C. Pelt came of age in the cotton country south of Dallas, orphaned young and raised by relatives in the small farming town of Duncanville. A carpenter and builder by trade, he shaped the growing community with his own hands, raising homes and civic buildings—among them the structure that became Central Elementary School. In 1927 he built his own family home on this spot, and the local Masonic lodge later took his name in tribute.
Why it matters
Pelt embodies the self-made local builder whose ordinary labor literally constructed the towns of turn-of-the-century Texas, a reminder that much of America's built heritage was raised by such community craftsmen rather than distant firms.
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Related people
- · John C. Pelt
- · Lee Olah Grounds
- · Charles Barker
Themes & tags
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