Built in 1857 as a two-sided dogtrot cabin by Samuel James Polk McDowell (1824–1920), the McDowell House began its life in Lockhart, Caldwell County and later moved to Gonzales. McDowell, a Confederate soldier and leader of the Lockhart Volunteer Regiment, raised a residence that combined practical frontier planning with careful finish work. Interior rooms feature longleaf pine woodwork and the exterior was sheathed in cypress siding brought in through Indianola, a reminder of 19th-century supply lines that linked inland towns to Gulf ports. Much of the window glass remains original. Outbuildings once held the kitchen and privies, while brick and stone fireplaces anchored each side of the house.
In 1875 McDowell added a front parlor for his wife, who taught piano lessons. Double folding doors separated this music room from the living spaces and it became a small cultural hub for neighbors and students. Around the same time the open dogtrot passage was enclosed, shifting the plan from a breezy seasonal corridor to an interior hall suited to year-round use.
After years of vacancy in Lockhart, the house was moved to Gonzales in 2004 and carefully restored. The project reconstructed the original front and back porches and introduced modern utilities, including electricity, water, gas, and indoor plumbing for the first time. For a period the McDowell House operated as a bed and breakfast, offering visitors a tangible experience of mid-19th-century domestic life. It is now the private residence of Ellen Kennard, a sixth-generation Gonzales native.
Front Parlor: Currently used as a front parlor, this room was added in 1875 to the dogtrot as a music room for Mrs. McDowell, where she taught piano lessons.
Dining Room: The dining room features an early Texas dining table and chairs, a Welsh cabinet displaying fish and oyster plates, and vintage oil paintings of Gonzales County. An adjoining nook contains family heirloom silver, china, and rare 19th-century Texas maps.