The Eggleston House
Gonzales, Gonzales County, Texas
Marker Inscription
text plate inscription: The Eggleston House was one of the first houses built in Gonzales after the Run-Away Scrape and burning of the town in 1836. Horace Eggleston built this house in 1848 and it was one of the first permanent type in Gonzales. The house was erected on Lots No. 1 to 6 Block 15 of the Inner Town of Gonzales which was 600 feet east of the Guadalupe River and on St. Michael Street. Walnut and oak trees were cut from the banks of the Guadalupe River. From the logs with the use of whipsaws and broadaxes, the timbers were cut to build the house. The whipsaw side of the timber was faced to the outside and the broadaxe side to the inside. The thickness of the timbers furnished protection against the Indians and wild animals. Spaces were left between the timbers from which to fire their weapons. The house was built as it is seen today, with two rooms separated by an open space, which was called a dog-run. Each room was provided a fire place. One room was used for cooking and the serving of food. The other room was used for sleeping quarters. When the family had overnight visitors, which was often, one room would be used for men and the other for women. Dogs were a necessity for protection and hunting, and the dogs slept in the dog-run. In 1954, the house was given to the City of Gonzales by Mr. and Mrs. E. E. Smith, Jr. The city council employed Mr. Fred B. Miesenhelder to move the house to city property. Due to the weight and condition of the house, it was necessary to disassemble all the timbers. Each timber was given a number as it was taken down and then reassembled in reverse order. Those parts which had deteriorated were replaced by new logs cut from the banks of the Guadalupe River.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
One of the first houses raised in Gonzales after the town was burned during the 1836 Run-Away Scrape, Horace Eggleston's 1848 dwelling was hewn from walnut and oak logs cut on the banks of the Guadalupe River. Its dog-run design — two rooms flanking an open breezeway, with gaps left between the timbers to fire through — reflects both frontier practicality and the ever-present fear of attack. The city preserved it in 1954, numbering and reassembling each timber.
Why it matters
The house survives as a tangible link to Gonzales, the "Lexington of Texas," and to the hard rebuilding of communities in the wake of the Texas Revolution.
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Related people
- · Horace Eggleston
Related events
- · Run-Away Scrape
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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