The Eggleston House, is a free, self-guided museum offering a glimpse into early settler life. On the porch is a speaker box that provides a brief history and view of two illuminated rooms, and a historical marker dedicated to Sarah Ponton Eggleston faces the street.
Horace Eggleston, born in New York in 1800, married Sarah Ponton in 1835. Sarah's family settled in Texas around 1829, and she endured many hardships, including the loss of her father to attacks by Native Americans. At just 14, she married Horace, who fought in the Battle of San Jacinto. Their first child, Amanda, was born near the battlefield in 1836. The couple had four more children. Horace became a prominent merchant and community leader, serving on the first board of trustees of Gonzales College in 1853.
At the time, building materials were scarce, so with the help of friends, slaves, and builder Jesse K Davis, he constructed a "dog-run" or "dog-trot" house. This design featured two rooms connected by an open hallway, or "dog run." For safety, the house had no exterior doors—only doors opening into the hallway, where watchful dogs provided protection. Whipsawed logs formed the airtight structure, with clay and moss used to seal gaps.
The Eggleston House is the oldest standing structure on the tour, a home that was rebuilt after the Runaway Scrape in 1836.
The Eggleston House
1848
1303 Saint Louis Street
The Eggleston House is a free, walk-up and self-guided museum
History & Restoration
Tour Directions
When you're ready:
Continue straight on Saint Louis street.
Turn right on Moore Street, by the Children's Garden.
Turn left at the next intersection onto Saint Lawrence street.
Continue until you reach the Edward Sweeney House at 1109 Saint Lawrence Street.
