Oldest Home in Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Cherokee County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Begun in Texas colonial style, 1857. W. A. Brown (1841-1933), veteran of Gen. N. B. Forrest's Confederate Cavalry, built main structure, 1874. Victorian additions 1890s. Lumber, hand-sawn heart pine, cut nearby. Square nails. Brick of local iron-ore clay. Fine walnut staircase, craftsman lived with the family. Reared here was J. L. "Lem" Brown, merchant, author of "Larissa," a history of this area.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Begun in Texas colonial style in 1857, this house was largely built in 1874 by W.A. Brown, a veteran of Nathan Bedford Forrest's Confederate cavalry, using hand-sawn heart pine, square nails, and brick of local iron-ore clay. Victorian additions followed in the 1890s, and a resident craftsman built its fine walnut staircase. It was the boyhood home of "Lem" Brown, a merchant and author of a local history.
Why it matters
As Jacksonville's oldest home, it preserves the craftsmanship and family memory of a town's founding generation in the Civil War and Reconstruction era.
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Related people
- · W. A. Brown
- · J. L. "Lem" Brown
- · Nathan Bedford Forrest
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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