The Peter Henry Fagan House
Tivoli, Refugio County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Nicholas Fagan came to Texas in 1829, obtained this land in an 1834 grant, fought for Texas in the War for Independence, and died about 1850. His son, Peter Henry Fagan (1834-1929), a Confederate soldier in New Mexico, Galveston and other sections in the Civil War, returned to his inheritance in 1865, married Laura Dubois, and in 1868 had carpenter M. O'Keefe erect this house of cypress, oak and Florida pine. Halfway from Refugio to Victoria or Indianola, it became a way-station for travelers. Here visiting priests held neighborhood masses. Fagan heirs still own the property. (1976)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This cypress, oak, and Florida-pine house rose in 1868 on land first granted in 1834 to Nicholas Fagan, an Irish-born colonist who fought in Texas's war for independence. His son Peter Henry Fagan, a Confederate veteran of campaigns in New Mexico and Galveston, returned home in 1865 and built the home, which soon doubled as a way-station on the road between Refugio and Victoria. Travelers rested here, and visiting priests celebrated neighborhood masses under its roof.
Why it matters
The Fagan house traces one family's arc through nearly every chapter of early Texas—colonial land grants, revolution, and the Confederacy—while embodying the informal roadside hospitality that knit the frontier together.
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Related people
- · Nicholas Fagan
- · Peter Henry Fagan
- · Laura Dubois
- · M. O'Keefe
Themes & tags
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