The Brooks House
Jefferson, Marion County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Built 1872 in Victorian style, with long galleries, bay window, 4 gables. Then a hotel, it became famous when guest "Diamond Bessie" Moore was killed west of town at a picnic in 1877. Fellow guest Abe Rothchild, cited for murder, was freed after sensational trial-- later subject of a drama.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built in 1872 in Victorian style with long galleries and bay windows, the Brooks House operated as a hotel in the booming riverport of Jefferson. It gained lasting notoriety in 1877 when guest "Diamond Bessie" Moore was killed at a picnic west of town, and fellow guest Abe Rothschild was tried for her murder in a sensational case that was later dramatized.
Why it matters
The house preserves both the Gilded-Age prosperity of Jefferson's steamboat era and one of Texas's most famous 19th-century murder trials.
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Related people
- · "Diamond Bessie" Moore
- · Abe Rothschild
Themes & tags
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