Captain William Perry

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker remembers about Captain William Perry. Now, Jefferson, Texas has got more than its share of stories, and this one starts the way the best ones do — with a man arrivin' early enough to shape a place before the place even knows what it's going to be. William Perry was born on April 5, 1813, and by around 1840 he was already planting roots in Jefferson, making him one of the very first settlers of that town.

He didn't come empty-handed, either. Perry got into the shipping business, and — here's where it gets interesting — he didn't just use the water that was there. He helped make it more useful, dredging a turning basin for ships right there in the Big Cypress Bayou.

Because of work like that, Jefferson grew into something remarkable: an inland port. Perry's hand was in that. He bought and developed large tracts of land in the area, and in the process he became quite wealthy.

But the man wasn't done roaming just yet. In the late 1840s, word spread across the country about gold out in California, and William Perry was among those who answered that call. He traveled all the way out there during the gold rush.

And then he came back. Back to Jefferson, where he built a home on the corner of Polk and Clarksville streets — a home for his wife Sardinia, who was born in 1826 and would live all the way to 1912, and for their children. That home was later moved to 203 Clarksville Street and incorporated with another structure, so the story of the place kept changin' even after Perry himself was gone.

His interests kept expandin' too. Beyond his real estate dealings and shipping business, Perry owned a hotel — a hotel that is now a part of the historic Excelsior House, which still stands in Jefferson to this day. The community thought enough of him to elect him mayor, and he served in that role from 1863 to 1864.

A respected man. A builder. A shaper of a town.

And then comes the part of the story that lands hard, because good stories don't always end soft. On January 2, 1869 — the very same date that marks the end of his life on the marker — William Perry was fatally shot while walking home after midnight. Just like that, the man who had dredged bayous and crossed a continent and built homes and run a port city's commerce was gone, out on a nighttime street in the town he'd helped build.

He and his wife Sardinia are buried in Jefferson's Oakwood Cemetery, along with other family members. A man arrives around 1840. He shapes a place.

And in the end, that place holds him still.

What the marker says

(April 5, 1813 - January 2, 1869) William Perry was among the first settlers of Jefferson, arriving ca. 1840. Through his shipping business and his work in dredging a turning basin for ships in the Big Cypress Bayou, he played a significant role in the early growth and development of Jefferson as an inland port. He bought and developed large tracts of land in the area, becoming quite wealthy in the process. After traveling to California during the late 1840s gold rush, Perry returned to Jefferson and built a home at the corner of Polk and Clarksville streets for his wife Sardinia (1826-1912) and their children. The home was later moved to 203 Clarksville Street and incorporated with another structure. In addition to his real estate dealings and shipping interest, Perry owned a hotel which is now a part of the historic Excelsior House. A respected community leader, he served as mayor of Jefferson from 1863 to 1864. On January 2, 1869, Perry was fatally shot while walking home after midnight. William Perry and his wife, along with other family members, are buried in Jefferson's Oakwood Cemetery.