John Henley Hill House
Trinity, Trinity County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Sitting proudly on a hill surrounded by giant southern magnolia, oak, cedar and crepe myrtle trees, the John Henley Hill house is situated on one of the earliest plantation sites located within the Elisha Roberts Survey. John Henley Hill was born on November 30, 1839, in Richmond, Indiana. Following the death of his first wife and the mother of his two children, Phoebe E. Branson, in 1870, John married her sister, Susanna Branson, in 1871. in 1876, John and Susanna met Col. George W. Grant while participating in a knitting machine demonstration at the Centennial International Exposition. He encouraged them to relocate to Grant’s Colony in Walker County, Texas. After one year of managing the settlement, the Hill family moved to Trinity County. It is unknown where the Hills lived when they first arrived but in 1880, John Hill purchased 200 acres from S.T. Robb and began construction on this house for his family. Built from 1880 to 1882, the two-story hill house reflects elements of carpenter gothic architectural style, typical of rural architecture of the period. Features include double hung windows, narrow boxcar siding, curved arches and carved decorative sawn brackets. Multiple porches and entries to the house provide outdoor space and cover from the elements. White limestone fireplaces accent the first floor along with arched entries and natural wood elements. The John Henley Hill house stands as a representation of early Trinity County history and rural architecture. RECORDED TEXAS HISTORIC LANDMARK – 2016
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Crowning a hill among magnolias and oaks, the John Henley Hill house rose between 1880 and 1882 on one of the earliest plantation sites in the Elisha Roberts Survey. Hill, an Indiana-born widower who married his late wife's sister, came to Texas after a chance meeting at the 1876 Centennial International Exposition led the family to a colony in Walker County before they settled in Trinity County. On 200 acres purchased in 1880, he built this two-story carpenter gothic home, rich with sawn brackets, arched openings, and limestone fireplaces. It survives as a fine example of rural Texas architecture and pioneer settlement.
Why it matters
The house documents how newcomers drawn west by opportunity and word-of-mouth put down roots and built lasting homesteads in post-Reconstruction Texas.
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Related people
- · John Henley Hill
- · Susanna Branson Hill
Themes & tags
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