HistoricSiteMarkers
Reconstruction & Gilded Age

Judge J. N. Campbell Home

Longview, Gregg County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Built 1872. Owned since 1885 by Judge J. N. Campbell and family. Kept open house for Texas judiciary, clery and young people. Negro string band played for dances. The judge's brother, Governor Thomas M. Campbell, was a frequent visitor. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1965

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Built in 1872 and held by the Campbell family from 1885, this Longview home became a byword for hospitality, keeping open house for Texas judges, clergy, and young people. Black musicians played the string-band dances held here, and the judge's brother — a future governor of Texas — was a regular guest, making the household a small crossroads of the region's social and political life.

Why it matters

It offers a window into the social world of Reconstruction-era East Texas, including the Black musicians whose music filled its gatherings.

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Related people

  • · Judge J. N. Campbell
  • · Governor Thomas M. Campbell

Themes & tags

Nearby & related markers

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Longview Womack High School

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The Grove

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