Alexander and
Annie Hamilton House
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E W I T T C O U N T Y |
Marker No: 22666
Aluminum 27 x 42 Subject Marker
Texas Historic Landmark
Geographic: 29.097240, -97.288429
Location: 906 North Esplanade Street, Cuero
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kMarker Text: Alexander Hamilton (1846 - 1906) was born in Carlisle County, Kentucky and came to Texas in 1850. Living with his family on the Smith farm between Clinton and Yorktown at sixteen, Alexander volunteered for the Confederate army, serving one year as the war ended and taking part in the last skirmish of the Civil War near Brownsville, Following his service, Hamilton opened a mercantile store in Clinton, eventually moving the store to Cuero in 1873. Hamilton married Annie Epps Thornton (1855 - 1913) in 1878 and they started a family in a small house in Morgantown neighborhood. In 1850, Hamilton purchased this block to construct his family home, along with a lot at Esplanade and Church Streets for his mercantile business. Hamilton also established the First National Bank, operating out of the store, as a successful businessman in Cuero, Hamilton was one of the organizers, president and manager of the Cuero Cotton Oil and Manufacturing Company. He was one of the first importers of Hereford cattle in Dewitt County.
This house was built in 1883 by local contractors in a style similar to Annie's parents' house in Victoria. The two-story frame house featured halls throughout to catch the breeze and nine rooms for their growing family. It included a music room, four bedrooms and a large storeroom; and was at the time, located far enough from town to offer quiet suburban living. The main materials of the house are Louisana virgin pine, imported through the port of Indianola and transposrted to Cuero by train, with exception of a small addition to the back of the house in 1893 and porch alterations in 1937, the house retains most of its historic fabric and appearance serving as a tangible reminder of early Cuero history and architecture. (1976) |