Downes-Aldrich House

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

The Downes-Aldrich House is one of the most impressive homes in Crockett. The large, beautiful Eastlake Victorian house was built in 1893 by James E. Downes, who was a successful local businessman. He also played a role in the effort in building the Houston County Courthouse. The house is also named after its second owner, Albert A. Aldrich, who was involved with local, state, and national politics. Its elaborate design features several porches, an octagonal tower, gables, dormers, ornate woodwork, and two Moorish arches—one surrounds a first-floor window and the other under a gable directly in front of the window. Today the house is occupied by the Downes-Aldrich House Historical and Cultural Activities Center of Houston County, Inc. Inside, visitors will see furnishings belonging to the families who lived here.

Images

The Downes-Aldrich House was built in 1893 and is a beautiful example of Eastlake Victorian architecture.

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

James E. Downs owned a mercantile business with his partner, John Foster. It was quite successful, which allowed Downs to build the house and to spend extra on stained glass windows as well as elaborate exterior and interior woodwork. As noted above, Downs was involved in effort to build the a new courthouse to replace the previous one destroyed in a fire in 1865. He and Foster allowed county officials to use the second floor of their store during between until 1871 when the courthouse was built. He sold the house to Aldrich in 1911 and moved his family to Dallas.

Aldrich was born here in Crockett on April 10, 1858. His grandfather was Collin Aldrich, who had been living in the area since 1830 and played a role in establishing the county in 1837. Albert Aldrich studied law at the University of Virginia and came back to Crockett to work as a clerk for a local law firm. He joined the bar in 1883 and became Assistant County Clerk to his father, who was County Clerk at the time. In the coming years he served on the City Board of Alderman, as County Judge, as a delegate to three State Democratic Conventions, and as a member of the Texas House of Representatives. Aldrich was also interested in the county's history. In the 1920s he began collecting information and historical items, which were intended for a possible future museum. He was then appointed, in 1934, to lead the Houston County Centennial Celebration, which was tasked with finding items related to the founding of Texas. He died in 1945.

It appears that the house remained in the Aldrich family until the 1970s. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. It is unclear when the Downes-Aldrich House Historical and Cultural Activities Center of Houston County, Inc. acquired the house.

Sources

Goolsby, Dana. "Downes-Aldrich Haunted House. September 10, 2011. http://texasescapes.com/DanaGoolsby/Downes-Aldrich-Haunted-House-Crockett-TX.htm.

Guarino, Michael. "Downes-Aldrich House." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. April 19, 1978

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DownesAldrichHouse1.JPG

Additional Information

National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Downes-Aldrich House