Historical Marker
Jacob Leser House
Marker installed: 1962
After purchasing this land in 1859, German-born Jacob Leser (1827-1901)
erected a log cabin and a frame structure to house his soap and candle factory.
Before 1864, when he married Henrietta Schroeder (1841-89), Leser added this
stone wing to the cabin. He built the porch and the brick-and-frame Victorian
rooms in the 1880s. Cabin was later removed. Occupied until 1951 by Leser
heirs, the home was bought in 1952 by Gen. and Mrs. Felipe A. Latorre, who
restored and enlarged it.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1962.
The first oil well in the United States was drilled in Texas in 1859. The discovery of oil transformed the economy of the state and helped to make Texas one of the wealthiest states in the nation.