Mike J. Koch House

Mike J Koch was born March 19, 1864, in Galveston, Texas, to William and Mary Kallus Bohac Koch, who were originally from Germany. On March 3, 1903, Mike married Dora Houston Tinsley, born October 14, 1854, in Caldwell County, Texas, to James Andrew Dunn Houston and Julia Harris Houston, both natives of Mississippi. Dora was also the sister of J D, R A, and W B Houston.

Dora's first husband, J W Tinsley, built a house on these lots around 1883 but passed away on August 22, 1901. Mike and Dora razed the original structure, and the current Bungalow-style house was completed in 1907. It was designed and built by local contractor Fred Meisenhelder. The floor plan is a mirror image, though slightly larger, than a similar house built in 1918 by Jim Robert Tinsley, Dora's son, on the opposite corner of the block.

Mike was primarily a farmer with extensive land holdings throughout the county. Dora passed away on March 5, 1935, and Mike followed on November 9, 1938. They are both buried in the Gonzales I O O F Cemetery.