Penn House
Cisco, Eastland County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This Cumberland-plan vernacular farmhouse was built in 1898-1899 by Velzie W. Penn (1876-1954) with the help of his brothers and neighbors. Penn and his wife Addie, who lived here for over fifty years, were the parents of four sons, all of whom were born in the house. Originally consisting of three large rooms and a porch, the home was later enlarged. In 1933 the house was rocked with local stone gathered on the farm by Velzie Penn. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1988
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Velzie Penn built this Cumberland-plan farmhouse in 1898–1899 with help from his brothers and neighbors, the kind of collective labor that raised many a frontier home. He and his wife Addie lived here more than fifty years and raised four sons born in the house. Enlarged over time and clad in local fieldstone in 1933, it endures as a record of a farming family's life.
Why it matters
The Penn House preserves the vernacular building traditions and neighbor-helping-neighbor ethic of turn-of-the-century rural Texas.
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Related people
- · Velzie W. Penn
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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First National Bank
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