Ezekiel Cullen House

Introduction

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The Ezekiel Cullen House is one of the most historic homes in San Augustine. It is named after prominent local figure, Ezekiel Cullen, who built in 1839. Cullen served in a number of capacities in his lifetime. He practiced law, was a representative in the Third Congress of the Texas Republic (before Texas became a state), served as judge of the First Judicial District, served as associate justice of the Supreme Court of the Republic, and was appointed purser in the U.S. Navy. Today, the house is a museum operated by local chapter of the Daughters of the Texas Republic. It also serves a local community and event center.

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Backstory and Context

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Ezekiel Cullen came to San Augustine from Georgia in 1836 after the Republic of Texas gained its independent from Mexico. It is not clear whether he was born in Georgia or elsewhere but it appears he did study law there. Before arriving in San Augustine, in late 1835 he participated in the Siege of Bexar (present-day San Antonio), the battle between Texian and Mexican forces from October to December that resulted in a Texian victory.

In San Augustine, Cullen quickly earned a good reputation and his stature rose, which allowed him to be elected to the Third Congress of the Republic, which convened between November 1838 to January 1839. His main accomplishment during the Congress was writing the bill that supported designating public land for public education including the University of Texas. Later in 1839 he became judge of the First Judicial District in 1839. He continued to practice law in San Augustine until 1850 when he was appointed purser of the Navy and moved to Pensacola, Florida. After living in Washington, D.C. for a time, Cullen moved to Dallas, where he passed away in 1871.

A series of owners occupied the house after 1850. However, Cullen's grandson, Hugh Roy Allen, bought it in 1953 and lived there for a number of years. They restored it and, it appears, donated the house to Daughters of the Republic of Texas by the early 1970s. In addition to period furnishings and antiques, the house features a collection of paintings by local artist, S. Seymour Thomas. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

In terms of architecture, it is a unique example of Greek Revival architecture, featuring a broad pedimented portico with four Doric columns and a wide fanlight window. The house is also deeper than it is wide, which is unlike the majority of other Greek Revival homes in Texas.

Sources

Bell, Wayne & Hume, Gary. "Ezekiel Cullen House." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. June 21, 1971. https://catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/media/40973308/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/71000960.pdf.

"Ezekiel Cullen House, San Augustine." Daughters of the Republic of Texas. Accessed November 3, 2020. https://www.drtinfo.org/preservation/chapter-owned-properties/ezekiel-cullen-house.

Jones, Charla. "San Augustine: Ezekiel Cullen's house captures settlers' lives." Houston Chronicle. August 20, 2000. https://www.chron.com/news/article/San-Augustine-Ezekiel-Cullen-s-house-captures-2035909.php.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Rene Gomez, via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cullen_House_(1_of_1).jpg