The Isaac Conroe Property
Temporary Montgomery County Courthouse.
A native of New Jersey, Isaac Conroe (1834-1897) served with the Union army during the Civil War. Moving to Southeast Texas with his wife Margaret (Richardson) (1846-1896) in 1866, he lived at Lynchburg and Houston. In 1878 he built a sawmill at Haltom (12 mi. S) and three years later moved his business to the Beach community (2.5 mi. E). A tram line connected the mill with the main line of the International and Great Northern Railroad. The town of Conroe grew up around the intersection and Isaac conroe became the first postmaster of the new settlement.
The original section of this residence was built by Conroe shortly after he purchased the site in 1885. Four years later he contracted with the county commissioners to use the property as a temporary courthouse.County records and offices were moved from Montgomery (17 mi. W) and remained here until a new courthouse was completed in 1891.
In 1896 Conroe sold the house to his son William Munger Conroe (1870-1947), a prominent lumberman and oil man. Major additions were later made to the home, which was originally a two-story frame structure with an outside stairway.