McCrary House
Comanche, Comanche County, Texas
Marker Inscription
James Madison McCrary (1845-1932) came to Comanche about 1870. With his father and brother he operated a mercantile on the town square and began the county's first cotton gin. He married Ella Griffith in 1872 and began construction of this house in 1876. Built of limestone quarried near Austin, the central-hall structure features segmental arches and gable-end chimneys. A recognized horticulturist, McCrary moved to a farm east of Comanche in 1910. He returned here to retire in 1926. The home was owned by McCrary descendants until 1987. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1989
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
James Madison McCrary came to Comanche around 1870 and, with his father and brother, ran a mercantile on the town square and launched the county's first cotton gin. In 1876 he began this limestone house of central-hall plan, its stone quarried near Austin and its facade marked by segmental arches and gable-end chimneys. A noted horticulturist, McCrary later farmed east of town before retiring here, and his descendants held the home until 1987.
Why it matters
The house embodies the mercantile and cotton-gin economy that built countless Texas county-seat towns in the decades after the Civil War.
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Related people
- · James Madison McCrary
- · Ella Griffith
Themes & tags
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