Juan Francisco Farías Residence
Soldier and Laredo alcalde Jose Andres Farias and his wife Guadalupe Sanchez married at San Agustin Church in 1803 and had seven children; the oldest, Juan Francisco Manuel de la Trinidad Farias, was born in January 1807. He followed the family tradition of civic duty, serving as alderman and mayor of Laredo. Juan Francisco was also named secretary to the Republic of the Rio Grande, formed in Laredo in January 1840. Juan Francisco married Maria de los Inocentes Benavides on June 15, 1832. His bride was a widow born in Parras, Coahuila in December 1810. Juan Francisco and Inocentes had eleven children. Family oral tradition states that their home on this site dates from July 1840. The earliest historical reference is an 1864 deed when the property, along with a stone building and water well, was sold by Juan Francisco Farias to his daughter, Encarnacion Farias de Herrera. The builder of the Farias residence is unknown. The modified rectangular plan house is built of locally fabricated brick clad with stucco. Rooms directly access the exterior, facing the street or patio area. The house has two-foot wide walls of brick and stone along with four fireplaces. A projecting cornice features distinctive rectangular, tooled stone projections, with similar craftsmanship seen on the lintels. Truncated Corinthian wooden columns support the south entrance porch. The site historically included stables and a cart house, water well and cistern. During the Civil War many strategic planning meetings were held in the house. Colonel Santos Benavides and select members of the Benavides Regiment along with then-mayor Juan Francisco Farias planned for the defense of Laredo against the Union Army. Five generations of the Farias family lived here continuously until 1974. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2009.