Cape House
316 W. Hopkins St., San Marcos, TXJ.M. Cape built the house at 316 West Hopkins in about 1898. It is one of the most spectacular Victorian residences in the town. Many hallmarks of the late 19th century are in evidence: asymmetrical massing, abundant wooden details, and a penchant for gracious living accented by the double-level porch that shelters the house on three sides. Local craftsman Horace Leffingwell and his sons performed the work.
Such a home was only proper for the prominent family. John Cape had walked from New York to Texas when only 15 years old. In 1880, he inherited all the property of a local miller he had befriended and assisted in his business, thus assuring his wealth and success. Cape was San Marcos' first postmaster and major cotton ginner. His wife, Mary Bales, daughter of Samuel Blue Bales, gave birth to all six of their children in . this house. The eldest, Edward Matthew, grew up to be a renowned attorney and an officer of State Bank and Trust. His degree in civil engineering enabled him to instigate formation of the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority and construction of Canyon Dam, in the next county. Cape's influence was critical in getting Gary Air Force Base established at San Marcos. In 1968, he donated 2,500 volumes from his personal library to Southwest Texas State University. Lyndon Johnson had often studied in the same collection, and was a frequent overnight guest of Cape and his wife Clara Louise.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
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.