Toliver-Cone House
Columbus, Colorado County, Texas
Marker Inscription
James A. Toliver (1844-1911), native Texan, Civil War veteran, and local and political civic leader, is said to have built this house about 1870 with finest pine and cypress form his lumber yard. It was purchased in 1916 by Sallie Cone (1872-1966). Prominent features of the residence include its two-story wrap-around porch and decorative jig-sawn woodwork on the columns and railings. After Mrs.Cone's death, the home remained in the family until 1974. rthl - 1986
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Native Texan and Civil War veteran James A. Toliver, a civic and political leader in Columbus, is said to have built this house around 1870 using the finest pine and cypress from his own lumber yard. Its two-story wrap-around porch and jig-sawn woodwork mark it as a showpiece of the era; Sallie Cone bought it in 1916, and it stayed in her family until 1974.
Why it matters
The home reflects the Reconstruction-era rebuilding of Texas towns by returning veterans who turned to commerce and civic life to shape their communities.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
Columbus sits on the Colorado River in Colorado County. It is one of the older Anglo-American settlements in Texas, dating to the colonial era when Stephen F. Austin's settlers arrived in the 1820s. By the time this house was built, about 1870, the town had seen the whole sweep of early Texas history: colonization, revolution, the republic, statehood and the Civil War.
The years right after the war were years of rebuilding. Reconstruction brought political turmoil and economic hardship across Texas, but also a push to rebuild towns, open businesses and restore civic life. Returning veterans became merchants, officials and community leaders.
Material wealth showed up in timber. Pine and cypress were valued building woods in Texas. Cypress in particular is famous for resisting rot. A local lumber yard was a real asset in a growing town, and a lumberman could build himself a house that advertised the quality of his stock.
People & events
James A. Toliver was born in Texas in 1844 and was old enough to serve in the Civil War. He came home to Columbus and became, in the marker's words, a local and political civic leader. He also ran a lumber yard, and the marker says he is said to have built this house about 1870 from the finest pine and cypress in his stock. That careful wording is worth keeping: the tradition is strong, but the marker stops short of calling it certain.
The house he built was a statement. Its two-story wrap-around porch and decorative jig-sawn woodwork on the columns and railings showed off both prosperity and the craft of the time. Jig-sawn trim, cut into decorative shapes by saw, became wildly popular in the later nineteenth century as new tools made ornament easier to produce.
Toliver died in 1911. In 1916 the house was bought by Sallie Cone, who was born in 1872 and lived to 1966. Her long life spanned the horse-and-buggy era to the space age, and this house was her home for half a century of it. After her death the house stayed in her family until 1974. It was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1986.
Its place in the American story
The Toliver-Cone House reflects a pattern seen across the South after the Civil War. Former soldiers turned to commerce and public life and rebuilt their communities through business and civic leadership. The houses they built became lasting landmarks of the era's recovery and ambition.
It also shows the decorative revolution of the late nineteenth century. Machine tools and growing lumber industries made ornamental trim affordable to far more Americans than before. The porches, brackets and fancy railings that define so many Victorian-era homes, from small towns to big cities, are part of that story. The Toliver-Cone House is a Texas example of a national taste.
Finally, the house's long stay in the Cone family, from 1916 to 1974, is a reminder of how much American historic preservation owes to continuity. Many historic homes survive because one family lived in them, cared for them and kept them, across generations.
If you visit
Look first for the features the marker highlights: the two-story wrap-around porch and the jig-sawn woodwork on the columns and railings. On a sunny day the ornamental trim throws lacy shadows, and you can appreciate the craftsmanship that went into each piece.
This is a historic residence, so view it from the street and respect the privacy of whoever lives there now. Think about the wood, too. If the tradition is right, the pine and cypress came from Toliver's own lumber yard, and the cypress has helped the house weather well over a century of Gulf Coast humidity.
Columbus is well known for its historic homes and is an easy stop between Houston and San Antonio. Plan to walk a few blocks and admire the town's architecture, and let this house be one stop on a broader stroll through one of Texas's oldest communities.
Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.
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Related people
- · James A. Toliver
- · Sallie Cone
Themes & tags
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