Crocheron-McDowall House
1502 Wilson St., Bastrop, TXThe Crocheron-McDowall house at 1502 Wilson is one of the finest examples of Greek Revival architecture not only in Bastrop but in Texas as well. Built in 1857 for the prominent Bastrop entrepreneur, Henry Crocheron, the two-story wood frame house was for many years the social and intellectual center in Bastrop. Although the architect is unknown, Crocheron went to great expense to construct a house of fine quality.
Little is known of Crocheron's early years. As a young man, he went to Montgomery, Alabama, and opened a mercantile business. In 1837 Crocheron bought 12 black slaves and moved to the small community of Bastrop, Texas. By selling the slaves, he was able to buy several stores in the town and was one of the founders of the Bastrop Steam Mill, Incorporated, the first industrial enterprise in Bastrop. He soon became a leader in the community and served as county treasurer from 1851 to 1853.
Quickly amassing a fortune, Crocheron decided to build a home and went to great lengths to insure that the structure was of excellent quality. The 6/9 windows and hand-carved banister were shipped from New York to Galveston and then by rail and freight wagon to Bastrop. The remainder of the house was constructed of Texas cedar and was milled in Bastrop's many sawmills. Finished in 1857, the elegant Greek Revival house symbolized Crocheron's affluence.
Soon after the house was completed, the Civil War broke out and greatly disrupted commercial trade. Crocheron attempted to continue his prosperity by trading Texas cotton for English products via Mexico. During the war Crocheron's niece, Mary Ann Nicholson moved into the house. Accompanying her uncle on one of his business trips to Matamoros in 1864, Mary Ann met an Englishman named William McDowall. Four years later they were married and eventually settled in London. Mr. McDowall died the following year of yellow fever en route to England after a business trip to Central America. In 1869 Mary Ann and her three-month-old daughter, Ruth returned to Bastrop to live with her uncle. When Crocheron died in 1874, he willed the house to Mrs. McDowall.
An accomplished musician, Mrs. McDowall soon began teaching music and the house became Bastrop's center for social and intellectual life. Numerous parties, lectures, and concerts were given at the house. However, when her daughter died in 1897, Mrs. McDowall moved to Houston to live with her sister. A strong and determined woman, Mrs. McDowall again began to teach and eventually became the president of the 1st YWCA in Texas. Her unpublished manuscript "Journey Down Memory Lane" sheds light on Bastrop's early history. When she died in 1933, the house was sold. Since then it has had numerous owners and is still used as a residence. The present owners show great interest in the house's significance and have made plans to restore the structure.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.