Taylor-Rivers House
Del Rio, Val Verde County, Texas
Marker Inscription
James H. Taylor (d. 1876), one of the five founders of Del Rio, and his wife Paula (Losoya) (d.1902), a native of Mexico, moved here from Uvalde about 1870 and built this one-story adobe residence. A prominent landowner and merchant, Taylor also owned a local gristmill. After his death, Paula married Charles Rivers (d. 1879) and later operated the home as a boarding house. She also became benefactress for the city's Mexican community, contributing land for a school and cemetery. The Taylor-Rivers house remained in her family until 1939. (1982)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Around 1870, James H. Taylor—one of the five founders of Del Rio—and his Mexican-born wife Paula moved from Uvalde and built this one-story adobe home. Taylor prospered as a landowner, merchant, and gristmill operator until his death in 1876. Paula later remarried, ran the house as a boarding home, and became a benefactress to the city's Mexican community, giving land for a school and a cemetery; the house stayed in her family until 1939.
Why it matters
The Taylor-Rivers house embodies the blended Anglo and Mexican heritage at the heart of Texas border towns, and honors a woman whose generosity shaped her community.
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Related people
- · James H. Taylor
- · Paula Losoya Taylor Rivers
- · Charles Rivers
Themes & tags
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