The historic Pounds House, located at 3428 FM 770 N in Daisetta, Texas, will be honored with a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark designation from the Texas Historical Commission and dedicated by the Liberty County Historical Commission, the sponsor, on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. The dedication is scheduled for 10 a.m. in front of the house, and the public is invited to attend. The historic house has been lovingly restored and cared for by members of the Historical Society of East Liberty County and operated as a house museum for the benefit of area residents and visitors. The house will be open for a limited tour.
William D. Pounds was born in 1836 in Georgia to Isham J. Pounds and Martha W. Ogden Pounds. In the late 1850s, William, his brother, Elisha, and sister, Harriett, moved to Texas. Elisha eventually settled in Milam County, and Harriett in Polk County.
William D. Pounds married Martha Mary Barrow in Liberty County, Texas. The exact date is unknown due to a courthouse fire in 1874, which destroyed the marriage records. Their first child, Amanda, was born on May 31, 1860, indicating that William and Martha Mary Barrow were married sometime in 1859, soon after he settled in the area.
On Dec. 26, 1861, Pounds paid Robert Sherman $683 to purchase 738 acres of land in the Jesse Devore League located in east Liberty County, Texas. Soon thereafter, the War Between the States commenced, and Pounds joined the Confederate forces as a private in Company I, 25th Regiment, Texas Cavalry. Service records report him sick in November and December of 1864 and that he was discharged by the medical board on Jan. 23, 1865, in Liberty. He signed a Parole of Honor on June 30, 1865, and his Amnesty Oath on July 11, 1865, both in Houston, Texas, before returning to Liberty. On Oct. 12, 1866, Robert Sherman conveyed the south one-third of the west one-half of the Jesse Devore League to Pounds, who listed his location as 10 miles east of Liberty, although he received his mail at the Liberty Post Office.
The Pounds family grew to include a boy who died at age 8 or 9, a daughter, Martha W., who also died young, and George Washington Pounds, born on Dec. 25, 1869. The family moved onto the property purchased in the Jesse Devore League and lived there for the rest of their lives. William D. Pounds, his son George Washington Pounds, and other family members became large landowners, farmers, and ranchers, contributing significantly to the development of the area.
Early on, a cemetery was established on land owned by William D. and Martha Pounds, near their homestead, to bury their two young children and others in the area. Pounds made it known that he would donate this land as a public graveyard, with the stipulation that his descendants would always have a free place to be buried. This cemetery became known as Oakdale Cemetery and is closely associated with the Pounds family. The oldest marked grave is that of 4-year-old Willie Barrow, dated Aug. 21, 1877.
On Jan. 15, 1882, William D. Pounds joined his two deceased children and was buried on their right. On March 26, 1896, Pounds’ widow, Martha, his son George Washington Pounds and his wife, Nettie Canter Pounds, and Amanda M. Pounds Alexander and her husband, Levi Alexander, conveyed 1.5 acres out of the Jesse Devore League for a public graveyard in the community of Oakdale, fulfilling William D. Pounds’ promise.
It is unknown if a new house closer to the town of Daisetta had been planned before the death of William D. Pounds or afterward to give George Washington Pounds and wife, Nettie Canter Pounds space for their growing family. However, in 1898 construction started on a portion of what would eventually become the kitchen – dining area in the two-story frame symmetrical farmhouse located on what is now FM 770 one mile south of Daisetta known as The Pounds House.
Between 1912 and 1914, six rooms were added, along with large porches at the front and back of the house. The downstairs consisted of bedrooms and a living room with a fireplace, while the upstairs was one large room. Later renovations added more rooms, bringing the total to four bedrooms and a living room downstairs and five rooms upstairs. The house was primarily built by local carpenters John Stengler and his son, George.
Because of its location on the main road entering Daisetta, the Pounds House was a common stopping point for travelers seeking rest and refreshment. Many residents of the Hull-Daisetta community recall social gatherings in the historic home.
The Pounds were an enterprising family and during the oil boom, in addition to their farming and ranching operation, opened Pounds’ Boarding and Rooming House in Daisetta which offered rooms and meals for workmen and visitors alike. However, at the peak of the boom, Nettie Pounds served late meals in her home and from time to time took in a roomer. It is clear from census and other records, this was a multi-generational home housing William D. Pounds’ widow, Martha, son George Washington Pounds and wife, Nettie Cantor Pounds and their children and extended families.
Eventually, a picket fence was erected to surround the front yard, which was so shady that grass would not grow, so Nettie Pounds planted greenery and flowers that would flourish without sun. Local lore and newspaper articles of the period indicate her yard was beautiful with ferns, caladiums, and begonias. The windows in the house are the original blown glass and most remain unbroken.
A bathroom was added to the house when the children felt that Nettie no longer needed use the out-house and water was piped into a kitchen upstairs for Carroll and his family, but Nettie never had running water in her kitchen but a pump on the porch nearby. The house was finally wired for electricity in the 1930s. The walls were also papered at that time but have since been stripped down to the lath which originally held a mixture of plaster and animal hair.
The two-story “Vernacular Classical Revival” wood frame clapboard home has a hipped roof with a double gallery across the west or front side beneath the pitch of the roof which are supported by square posts chamfered on each level. There is a chimney on the north side of the hip roof. Small windows 4/4 sash and three doors alternate with the window openings. The roof is corrugated tin.
Vernacular architecture, meaning a structure designed by untrained builders, outside academic tradition and without professional guidance, using local materials and relying on local craftsmen. This type of early building is considered a cultural expression by today’s architects.
In 1986, Harold M. Pounds and Carroll A. Pounds deeded the approximately 3,500-square-foot home and 0.542 acres to the Historical Society of East Liberty County to be restored and operated as a house museum for the benefit of the citizens of Southeast Texas. Restoration work began immediately, funded by grants, donations, and community support. Today, the Pounds House, a fine example of Vernacular Classical Revival architecture, has been carefully restored and continues to be an important part of Liberty County’s history.
The historical society began a campaign immediately to raise funds and motivate the community to help in the restoration as evidenced by a letter dated Oct. 15, 1988, from Kitty Shivers Key, president of the group to publish, and sell a cookbook with local recipes, photographs, and the like. From this small beginning the group obtained a large grant, received generous donations, and accepted in-kind work and material donations. The lovely, old home has been leveled, carefully repaired, scraped, and painted in a manner which is period correct including having a restoration company replicate the old tin roof.
As you round the final curve outside Daisetta, The Pounds House is in full view on the right and is breathtaking! The expansive porches protected with decorative rails running the length of both floors open to the front of the house with alternating windows and doors built for much-needed shelter from the heat. The porches doubled in the evening as space for after supper relaxation and weekend entertainment and beautifully connect to the rural landscape. The Historical Society of East Liberty County has lovingly cared for the home which is open for visitors during the annual Mayhaw Festival, other special times of the year and by appointment. Restoration on the interior is still ongoing and many layers have been revealed along with the history of the Pounds family. The Pounds House is a fine example of large houses found in this area of Texas during the turn of the 19th century are located in a beautiful setting and served as a home to several generations of the Pounds family, an important family in this community.
This beautiful “Vernacular Classical Revival” home and the history of the Pounds family who built and lived within its walls, all reminders of the early history of this part of Liberty county which includes the “oil boom” era of rural southeast Texas should be remembered. It should be preserved for future generations to serve as a reminder of the early and rich culture, business practices, names and events which were so important to the development of this community and this part of Texas! The Pounds House has received the Recorded Texas Historic Landmark designation from the Texas Historical Commission to honor this home, its early history and unique architecture. This is a striking and beautiful old home built from local materials by area craftsmen with an untrained eye for design but with a magnificent simplicity which engages the visitor and seems to say, “Welcome, come in and let me tell you, my story!”
For more information, please contact Linda Jamison, County Chair of LCHC at lchc318@gmail.com or call 936-334-5813.