Sagamore
Jefferson, Marion County, Texas
Marker Inscription
1852 frontier cottage. Henry Scott, one owner, was partner in first commercial ice plant in Texas, 1868. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1966
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This frontier cottage in the old riverport of Jefferson dates to 1852, in the early years of Texas statehood. One of its owners, Henry Scott, was a partner in what is credited as the first commercial ice plant in Texas, established in 1868. The home was recognized as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1966.
Why it matters
Through its owner's ice-making venture, this modest cottage connects to a genuine industrial milestone — mechanical refrigeration reaching Texas — that would transform how a hot state stored food and did business.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · Henry Scott
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
First Texas Artificial Gas Plant
Jefferson, TX
Chartered in 1870, the Jefferson Gas Light Company made illuminating gas by loading iron retorts with pine knots and rich pinewood, heating them, and forcing the gas through mains under pressure. Street lamps on hollow posts set 300 feet apart—ten-candle glass globes lit by a man on a ladder—together with household gaslights gave Jefferson the state's first gaslight system. At the time Jefferson was Texas's largest inland port and second-largest city.
Site of First Ice Factory in Texas
Jefferson, TX
This site marks the first ice factory in Texas, an innovation that transformed daily life in the state's punishing climate. Before mechanical refrigeration, ice had to be shipped south at great cost; the arrival of local ice manufacturing in the late nineteenth century revolutionized food preservation, brewing, and everyday comfort. The works here are associated with the Blackburn Syrup operation in the river town of Jefferson.
Early Site of Bell Factory
Jefferson, TX
What started in 1854 as a humble log blacksmith shop in Jefferson grew into a bell foundry under G. A. Kelly, casting the cowbells that clanged from the ox teams of pioneer freighters. The shop went on to make the Kelly plow, one of the first modern plows manufactured in Texas. It was an early spark of Texas industry in a place better known for river commerce.
Rogers Home
Jefferson, TX
This home in the riverport town of Jefferson dates to the 1850s, when Jefferson was one of the busiest inland ports in Texas. It was the residence of Captain T. J. Rogers, founder and president of a private bank, and was later restored by Judge and Mrs. Joe McCasland.