S. W. Tilghman House
Decatur, Wise County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Born in Gibson County, Tennessee, S. W. Tilghman (1846-1913) came in 1870 by wagon train to Wise County. In 1872 he married a Decatur native, Eliza Bland Miller (1856-1931), and became father of a daughter and three sons. A master builder, he erected this house in 1882 for his own family. Many of the city's finer houses of the late 19th and early 20th centuries were built by Tilghman and his son Robert. This Victorian residence has remained in ownership by descendants of the builder. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1974.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
S. W. Tilghman (1846–1913) came to Wise County by wagon train from Tennessee in 1870, married a Decatur native two years later, and raised a family here. A master builder, he raised this Victorian house for himself in 1882 and, with his son Robert, went on to construct many of Decatur's finest homes of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The residence has stayed in the builder's family ever since.
Why it matters
The Tilghman house honors the skilled craftsmen who literally built the growing towns of frontier Texas, shaping the look of an entire community one house at a time.
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Related people
- · S. W. Tilghman
- · Eliza Bland Miller
- · Robert Tilghman
Themes & tags
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