William J. Killeen House
Galveston, Galveston County, Texas
Marker Inscription
A bookkeeper for the Texas Cooperative Association, William J. Killeen built this residence about 1886. His family continued to live here following his death the same year. In 1899 the house was purchased by Dr. John Thomas Moore (1863-1951). A former educator, he later became a prominent physician, pioneering the medical use of radium in the Houston area. The two-story home has characteristics of the Greek revival and Victorian styles. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1980
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Bookkeeper William J. Killeen built this Galveston residence about 1886, though he died the same year and his family stayed on. In 1899 it passed to Dr. John Thomas Moore, a former educator turned prominent physician who pioneered the medical use of radium in the Houston area. Blending Greek Revival and Victorian details, the two-story home links an ordinary clerk's household to a doctor at the frontier of early cancer treatment.
Why it matters
The house connects everyday Galveston life to the dawn of radium medicine, an early and hopeful chapter in America's fight against cancer.
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Related people
- · William J. Killeen
- · John Thomas Moore
Themes & tags
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