Nash-Wright House
East Columbia, Brazoria County, Texas
Marker Inscription
One of oldest houses surviving in Stephen F. Austin colony town of Bell's Landing (East Columbia). Founded 1823 by Josiah H. Bell. Earliest part of this house was built about 1847 on cedar pole framing by George Lewis Nash, who lived here with his family for about 45 years. House was bought 1892 by Martha Caroline Wright, wife of merchant James P. Wright. The Wrights added extensive area. Their descendants own and preserve the property. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1973
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
East Columbia began in 1823 as Bell's Landing, a town in Stephen F. Austin's colony founded by Josiah H. Bell. The oldest part of this house was raised about 1847 on cedar pole framing by George Lewis Nash, whose family lived here some forty-five years. Merchant James P. Wright's wife Martha bought and expanded it in 1892, and their descendants preserve it still.
Why it matters
As one of the oldest surviving homes in Austin's original colony, it is a tangible link to the Anglo-American settlement that shaped the future of Texas.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
In the 1820s, the lower Brazos River was the heart of Stephen F. Austin's colony. Under an agreement with newly independent Mexico, Austin brought Anglo-American families to settle in what was then the Mexican province of Texas. The rich bottomland along the Brazos drew settlers who saw in it a future of farms and plantations.
Rivers were the highways of the age, and landings like Bell's Landing were where crops went out and supplies came in. Founded in 1823 by Josiah H. Bell, the town grew into a river community that would later be known as East Columbia. The Columbia area played a part in the events of the Texas Revolution and briefly served as a seat of government for the new Republic in 1836.
By the time this house went up around 1847, the world had changed again. Texas had been an independent republic and had just joined the United States. The Brazos country's plantation economy, built heavily on enslaved labor, was growing.
People & events
Josiah H. Bell was among the early settlers in Austin's colony, and the landing he founded on the Brazos gave the town its first name. His settlement is the backdrop for everything that followed on this property.
Around 1847, George Lewis Nash built the earliest part of this house on cedar pole framing, a practical method that used durable local timber. Nash and his family lived here for about forty-five years, long enough to see Texas pass through statehood, the Civil War and Reconstruction while life went on under this roof.
In 1892 the house passed to Martha Caroline Wright, wife of the merchant James P. Wright. The Wrights added a great deal of space, turning a pioneer dwelling into a larger family home. The thread has held ever since: their descendants still own and look after the property, which became a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1973.
Its place in the American story
The Anglo-American colonization of Mexican Texas is one of the decisive stories of the 19th century. It led to the Texas Revolution, an independent republic, annexation by the United States and, soon after, war with Mexico that redrew the map of North America. Austin's colony on the Brazos was where much of that story began.
Most of the earliest colonists' homes are gone, lost to floods, fire, decay or demolition. A house that survives from a colony town is rare physical evidence of how that settlement actually looked and felt, beyond what written records can tell us.
The Nash-Wright House also shows how historic homes survive in the first place. Its preservation by one family across generations is a quiet, private kind of stewardship, and much of America's built heritage has survived the same way.
If you visit
East Columbia sits in the low, green country along the Brazos River in Brazoria County. Its quiet streets give little hint that this was once a working river landing in one of the most consequential colonies in Texas history. Take time to picture riverboats and cotton bales where the town now rests.
When you look at the house, you may be able to read its two lives: the modest core George Nash raised around 1847 and the generous additions the Wrights made after 1892. The property is family-owned, so enjoy it from public areas and respect the privacy of the people who still care for it.
This stop fits naturally into a road trip through the Brazos country, where historic sites tied to Austin's colony and the Texas Revolution lie within reach. Give yourself an unhurried afternoon. The area rewards slow travel.
Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.
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Related people
- · George Lewis Nash
- · Stephen F. Austin
- · Josiah H. Bell
- · Martha Caroline Wright
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Bethel Presbyterian Church
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Organized on June 13, 1840, Bethel Presbyterian Church ranks among the oldest congregations in Texas, its original land and building given by Mrs. J. H. Bell. Founded during the days of the Republic, it took root in the river-port community of East Columbia and acquired a new church home in 1932. Its long life reaches from the frontier settlement era into the modern age.
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Established in 1823 as a Brazos River landing for Josiah H. Bell's plantation, this spot grew into the town of Marion—later East Columbia—laid out in 1824. During the Texas Revolution it served as an army enlistment point and ferrying dock, and in the years of the Republic it thrived as a key river port and trade center. The Brazos was then a highway, and landings like this one were its ports.
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