Stein-Girndt House
Columbus, Colorado County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Prominent local merchant Edward E. Stein and his wife, Angalla (Heller) Stein, built this house in 1897. Andrew Wirtz and sons, who built several homes in Columbus, were the contractors. Following Edward's death in 1906, his widow sold the property to her sister-in-law, Annie Stein Girndt, and her husband, H.H. Girndt. H.H. kept bees, harvesting and selling the honey at his downtown store. He is also remembered for his work in folk medicine for animals. Annie kept cows and chickens, and maintained a milk route in town. The Girndts owned the home until the 1970s. Today, it retains its original Queen Anne features, including spindlework, fishscale shingling and bargeboard detailing.Recorded Texas Historic Landmark-2002
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Merchant Edward Stein and his wife Angalla built this Columbus home in 1897, hiring the local Wirtz family of builders who raised several of the town's houses. After Edward's death the home passed to relatives, the Girndts, who kept the place as a working household — H.H. tending bees and dabbling in animal folk medicine, Annie running cows, chickens, and a milk route. The family held it into the 1970s, and it still wears its original Queen Anne finery of spindlework and fishscale shingles.
Why it matters
The Stein-Girndt House preserves the texture of everyday life in a German-influenced Texas town, where merchants and small-scale farming coexisted at the close of the nineteenth century.
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Related people
- · Edward E. Stein
- · Annie Stein Girndt
- · H.H. Girndt
Themes & tags
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