Smith-Brundrett House
Rockport, Aransas County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Built in 1903 in Old Rockport, this Cottage and Craftsman Style House is an early frame Bungalow surrounded by giant oak trees. In 1920, W.H. smith, grandson of early Refugio pioneers, bought this house where he lived with his second wife, their four children and his sister. In 1934, John Frederick Brundrett and his wife, Elizabeth, purchased the house. Fred was a rancher and the family ranched on 8,000 acres on Matagorda Island and later on Port Bay. The Brundretts were devout members of the First Presbyterian Church. The Brundretts remained in this house for 53 years, until Fred’s death in 1987 at age 99. This home is a symbol of the generations of influence on local history.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built in 1903 in Old Rockport beneath giant oaks, this early frame bungalow blends Cottage and Craftsman styling. It passed in 1920 to W. H. Smith, a grandson of Refugio pioneers, and in 1934 to rancher John Frederick Brundrett, whose family worked thousands of acres on Matagorda Island and Port Bay. The devout Brundretts kept the home for 53 years, until Fred died in 1987 at ninety-nine.
Why it matters
Homes like this trace the ranching and pioneer families whose long tenure shaped the identity of a small Texas coastal town.
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Related people
- · W. H. Smith
- · John Frederick Brundrett
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Baldwin-Brundrett House
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This coastal Queen Anne house, dating in its basic form to the 1880s, was home in the 1890s to Aransas County Judge W. H. Baldwin, a booster of Rockport as a deep-water port. From 1917 to 1942 it sheltered George A. Brundrett, Jr., a Confederate veteran and cattle rancher whose spread covered 15,000 acres on Matagorda Island; his wife Flavilla is remembered for turning the parlor into a makeshift hospital, and some 200 people are said to have taken refuge here during the deadly 1919 hurricane. With its front-facing gable, lacy corner brackets, and original windows and doors, the house shows the Queen Anne style adapted to the Gulf coast.
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Mc Lester Family Cemetery
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Fulton Community Church
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