Woodworth House
Refugio, Refugio County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This Victorian home was erected for newspaperman L.H. Woodworth (1864-1921) and his wife Mary Frances Power (Swift) (1871-1957), granddaughter of empresario James Power, who founded Refugio. The first floor was built in 1900 and the second story added in 1907. The central octagonal bay room dominates the galleried structure, designed by Julius Leffland. Later occupied by the Woodworths' daughter Mrs. Thelma Heard, the house was restored in 1974 by W.W. Harkins, Jr. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1976
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This galleried Victorian home was built for newspaperman L. H. Woodworth and his wife Mary Frances Power Swift, a granddaughter of empresario James Power, who founded Refugio. Designed by architect Julius Leffland, its first floor went up in 1900 and a second story followed in 1907, crowned by a distinctive central octagonal bay room. Passed down to the Woodworths' daughter, the house was carefully restored in 1974.
Why it matters
The home links a working Texas newspaper family to the empresario era of Mexican land grants that first drew settlers to the Gulf Coast, spanning generations of the community Power founded.
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Related people
- · L. H. Woodworth
- · Mary Frances Power Swift
- · James Power
- · Julius Leffland
Themes & tags
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