John Matthew Cape House
San Marcos, Hays County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This late Victorian style home was built in 1902 for the family of John Matthew Cape (1861-1933). Cape owned several cotton gins along the San Marcos River and was instrumental in the organization of San Marcos Utilities and the State Bank & Trust Co. He and his wife, Mary Elizabeth Bales (1870-1941), had 7 children. Outstanding features of the Cape House include its decorative woodwork and the wraparound porch on each story. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1985
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This late Victorian home was built in 1902 for John Matthew Cape, a San Marcos businessman who owned several cotton gins along the San Marcos River and helped organize the local utilities company and a bank. He and his wife, Mary Elizabeth Bales, raised seven children here amid its decorative woodwork and two-story wraparound porches. The house reflects the prosperity that cotton and enterprise brought to Central Texas at the turn of the century.
Why it matters
The Cape House embodies the cotton economy and civic entrepreneurship that shaped small Texas cities in the early 20th century.
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Related people
- · John Matthew Cape
- · Mary Elizabeth Bales
Themes & tags
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