Youens-Hopkins House
Columbus, Colorado County, Texas
Marker Inscription
An 1860s frontier cottage of cypress and pine, with locally made bricks in foundations. At first owned by James Hodges; bought 1875 by James H. Simpson, county's first banker; then sold in 1896 to Charles J. G. Leesemann, 1904-08 Colorado County clerk. The 1915 purchasers, Dr. Willis G. and Mrs. Fay Burford Youens, had two sons, one grandson physicians in this county; house, owned by James G. and Mary Youens Hopkins, remains in Dr. Youens' family. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1973
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built in the 1860s of cypress and pine on locally fired brick foundations, this modest cottage stood on the Texas frontier as Columbus was still finding its footing. It passed through a line of notable owners — from county's first banker James H. Simpson to a county clerk — before Dr. Willis G. Youens bought it in 1915, beginning a long tenure by a family of local physicians. More than a century and a half on, it remains in that family's hands.
Why it matters
The house is a living thread of continuity in a small Texas town, embodying how frontier-era homes anchored generations of local professional and civic life.
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Related people
- · James H. Simpson
- · Charles J. G. Leesemann
- · Willis G. Youens
- · Fay Burford Youens
Themes & tags
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