Image: John and Eliza Hertford House

Description: John and Eliza Hertford bought three lots at this site in 1867 and built this house by 1869, the year of John's death. Eliza and her children continued to reside here until 1878. This house, originally a Greek revival-influenced design, was later modified with Victorian features, including decorative bargeboards and jigsawn porch details. The proportion and detailing of the front-facing gable are distinctive features in Galveston architecture. After the 1900 Storm, about 500 city blocks of Galveston were raised (not razed) using 16+ million cubic yards of sand spread up to eleven feet thick. Historic photographs show evidence that this area was raised more than ten feet. There is a watermark at the top step, just before reaching the porch. Had it not been for this project in 1903-1911, hurricane Ike would have caused this high water mark to be closer to the roof-line than the top step.
Title: John and Eliza Hertford House
Credit: Own work
Author: Jim Evans
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0
License: CC BY-SA 4.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Attribution Required?: Yes