Torrans-Clopton-Spellings House
Jefferson, Marion County, Texas
Marker Inscription
William P. Torrans (1818-1881) built this Greek revival structure on Lafayette Street in the 1860s. It was purchased in 1877 by druggist E. W. Taylor (b. 1838), a former mayor of Jefferson, and Anna Matilda Clopton (1838-1916), wife of Dr. Albert G. Clopton (1838-1916), who had his office here. After 1882 the residence was moved to this site by Soloman A. Spellings (1841-1903), a Confederate veteran who operated a livery business on Polk and Henderson streets. Additions were made in 1932 and 1947 during the ownership of grocer Hosea D. Watson (1879-1957).
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
William P. Torrans built this Greek Revival home in Jefferson during the 1860s, when the town was a bustling riverport in East Texas. It later passed to a former mayor and druggist and to the family of Dr. Albert Clopton before Confederate veteran Solomon Spellings moved the residence to this site after 1882. Successive owners, including a local grocer, added to it into the mid-twentieth century.
Why it matters
The house traces the rise of one of nineteenth-century Texas's key commercial river towns through the merchants, doctors, and veterans who shaped it.
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Related people
- · William P. Torrans
- · E. W. Taylor
- · Albert G. Clopton
- · Solomon A. Spellings
Themes & tags
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