DUANE
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Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and here's how I'm going to tell it to you. In the Avondale neighborhood of Harris County, there stands a house that has been quietly showing off for well over a century, and it has earned the right. A local lumber manager by the name of James Carroll built it in 1913, and right away you get the sense that Mr.
Carroll knew exactly what he was doing. The man worked in lumber. He was not going to put up something ordinary.
What he raised was a craftsman house, a genuine early twentieth century craftsman, and it announced itself from the street. The roof carries scalloped cresting with outward-facing scroll ends. The front facade is symmetrical, which takes some doing, and it holds two palladian windows that catch the light just so.
Under the roof eaves, multiple ornamental knee brackets hold their positions like they were born there. Step inside and the house keeps its promises: pine floors, a handsome mantel, and molding throughout. The whole place has a consistency to it, inside and out, that speaks to someone who cared about the details.
Now, the house changed hands several times after Carroll, as houses do. But in 1918, Edward and Katharine Jackson found it, and something about it must have felt like a final answer, because the family kept it until 1970. More than five decades under one family's care.
That is not a coincidence. That is a house worth holding onto.
What the marker says
Built in the Avondale neighborhood, the Edward and Katharine Jackson house was originally constructed by local lumber manager James Carroll in 1913. The home changed hands several times before the Jacksons purchased the property in 1918. It was kept in the family until 1970. This home is an excellent example of early 20th century craftsman architecture. The roof features scalloped cresting with outward-facing scroll ends. The symmetrical front façade contains two palladian windows, while multiple ornamental knee brackets rest under the roof eaves. Indoor elements include pine floors, mantel and molding. RECORDED TEXAS HISTORIC LANDMARK - 2016