Townsend-Koliba House
Columbus, Colorado County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Front portion built in mid-1800s. Owned until 1845 by Stephen Townsend, member of prominent family and veteran of Battle of San Jacinto. In 1837, as first county sheriff, he took part in court held under famous oak (60 yds. W). In 1902 owner Edward Metzke attached second structure to first one; also added porch. Former State Representative Homer Koliba and wife Bernice (a descendant of S. Townsend) have owned house since 1951. RTHL - 1971
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The front of this Columbus house dates to the mid-1800s, when it was owned by Stephen Townsend, a member of a prominent local family and a veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto who, as the county's first sheriff in 1837, took part in a court held under a famous nearby oak. A later owner joined a second structure to the first in 1902 and added a porch, and since 1951 the home has belonged to former State Representative Homer Koliba and his wife Bernice, a Townsend descendant.
Why it matters
The house links the founding era of the Republic of Texas to a single family's continuous presence across more than a century of local and state civic life.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
Columbus, on the Colorado River in southeast Texas, is one of the oldest Anglo-American settlements in the state. It grew up in the area of Stephen F. Austin's colony in the 1820s, when Texas was still part of Mexico. Settlers came for the rich river-bottom land and the river crossing.
The area was hit hard by the Texas Revolution in 1836. As Mexican forces advanced, settlers fled east in what became known as the Runaway Scrape, and the Texas army fell back across this part of the country. In April 1836, the Battle of San Jacinto won Texas its independence. Men who fought there went home to build the new Republic of Texas.
Building a republic meant creating government from nothing: counties, sheriffs, judges and courts. In 1837, Colorado County held court under a large oak tree because there wasn't yet a proper courthouse. The front part of this house dates to the mid-1800s, from that same early generation.
People & events
Stephen Townsend is at the center of this story. He came from a prominent family, fought at San Jacinto and then helped set up local government. In 1837 he was Colorado County's first sheriff, and the marker says he took part in the court held under the famous oak about 60 yards west of this house. Picture it: a frontier court, held in the shade of a tree, with the new sheriff keeping order.
Townsend owned the property until 1845. In 1902, a later owner, Edward Metzke, joined a second building to the first and added a porch. Changes like that were common. Families expanded and adapted older homes rather than replacing them, so many old Texas houses carry several generations of building at once.
In 1951 the house came back into the Townsend line. Former State Representative Homer Koliba and his wife Bernice, a descendant of Stephen Townsend, bought it. A house first owned by a San Jacinto veteran and the county's first sheriff ended up in the hands of his descendant and her husband, who had served in the Texas Legislature. It became a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1971.
Its place in the American story
San Jacinto is one of the most important battles in North American history. It secured Texas independence, which led to Texas joining the United States and then the Mexican War. In the end the map of the whole continent changed. Veterans like Townsend carried that history home with them, into ordinary towns like Columbus.
This house also shows something about how American democracy takes root. A republic is not only won on battlefields. It is built by sheriffs, judges and juries, even when court is held under a tree. Townsend's role as first sheriff connects this home to that basic work of creating law and order on the frontier.
Last, the house's long family story reflects something many Americans value: a connection to the land and to ancestors. Seeing a Townsend descendant own this house more than a century after Townsend lived here shows how personal history and the history of a state can run together.
If you visit
This is a private home, so please enjoy it from the street and respect the owners' privacy. Look closely and you may be able to see that the house was built in stages: an older front section from the mid-1800s, a second structure joined on in 1902, and the porch added at the same time.
Then walk about 60 yards west, toward the site of the famous oak where court was held in 1837. Standing near the place where Stephen Townsend helped run one of the county's earliest courts makes the story feel real. Frontier justice really did happen under the open sky.
Columbus is right along Interstate 10 between Houston and San Antonio, which makes it an easy and rewarding stop. The town has many historic buildings and markers, so plan time to walk around. If you are tracing the story of the Texas Revolution, this is a good place to see what came after the fighting.
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
- · Stephen Townsend
- · Homer Koliba
- · Bernice Koliba
Related events
- · Battle of San Jacinto
Themes & tags
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