HistoricSiteMarkers
Early Republic

Stoddard-Collins House

Goliad, Goliad County, Texas

Marker Inscription

A significant element in Goliad's architectural history, this house is one of the city's oldest structures. Although the exact date of construction has not been proven, documentary, architectural, and archeological evidence suggest it was built prior to 1847, perhaps as early as the 1820s. Pioneer settler Jessie W. Stoddard bought the property in 1847. It was sold in 1879 to Artie Holliday Collins, wife of cattle rancher Joseph Collins. The house, which reflects several phases of construction including a 1930s board-and-batten addition, remained in the Collins Family until 1906.

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

One of Goliad's oldest buildings, this house may date to the 1820s and was certainly standing before pioneer settler Jessie W. Stoddard bought the property in 1847. Sold in 1879 to the wife of a local cattle rancher, it stayed in that family into the next century and still shows the layered additions of successive owners.

Why it matters

Surviving structures like this one preserve the everyday architectural fabric of one of Texas's earliest Anglo and Tejano settlements.

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Related people

  • · Jessie W. Stoddard
  • · Artie Holliday Collins
  • · Joseph Collins

Themes & tags

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