The Isgrig House
Columbus, Colorado County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Late Victorian house with art glass windows, shingled gables, ornate gingerbread trim. Large rooms have 12-foot ceilings. Built in 1898 of clear lumber, hand-picked by the owner, John H. Luck, assisted by Jeff Tanner, a highly respected Negro builder working out of lumber yard of S. K. Seymour. B. F. Isgrig bought the property in 1916; descendants, including a son, Nathan Powderly Isgrig, have since occupied and preserved it. Recorded Texas Historical Landmark - 1973
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built in 1898, the Isgrig House is a late Victorian showpiece with art-glass windows, shingled gables, ornate gingerbread trim, and twelve-foot ceilings. Owner John H. Luck hand-picked its clear lumber and was assisted in the construction by Jeff Tanner, a highly respected Black builder working out of a local lumber yard. B. F. Isgrig purchased the home in 1916, and his descendants have occupied and carefully preserved it ever since, earning it recognition as a Recorded Texas Historical Landmark in 1973.
Why it matters
Beyond its architectural charm, the house honors the skilled African American craftsmen whose work shaped the fine homes of the post-Reconstruction South even as their names were too often left out of the record.
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Related people
- · John H. Luck
- · Jeff Tanner
- · B. F. Isgrig
Themes & tags
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