Cavitt House

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, in Brazos County, there's a house that's seen more Texas history than most folks realize, and it all starts with one man and one city block. Attorney William R.

Cavitt purchased that block right here in 1875. Same year he married Mary Mitchell. Now that's the kind of man who wastes no time.

He had plans, and he had a partner for them. Three years later, in 1878, Cavitt became Brazos County Attorney. And somewhere around 1880, he and Mary did something that set this corner apart for generations to come.

They built a brick Italianate residence right here. Brick. Italianate.

In Brazos County. That was a statement, friends. Cavitt's ambitions didn't stop at the county line, either.

He went on to serve as a State Legislator and sat on the Board of Texas A&M University. The man built something in every direction he turned. Then came the 1920s, and the Cavitts looked at that grand Italianate home they'd raised and decided to let it have a second act.

They modified the house to reflect the Colonial Revival influences that were fashionable at the time. Same bones, new coat of ambition. And here's the part that quietly says everything: the house remained in the Cavitt family until 1978.

From 1875 to 1978. One family. One block.

That's not just a house. That's a foundation.

What the marker says

Attorney William R. Cavitt (1849-1924) purchased a city block here in 1875, the year he married Mary Mitchell. Cavitt became Brazos County Attorney in 1878 and about 1880 he and Mary built a brick Italianate residence here. Cavitt later served as a State Legislator and on the Board of Texas A&M University. The Cavitts modified the house in the 1920s to reflect contemporary Colonial Revival influences. The house remained in the Cavitt family until 1978. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1995