H. C. Jacobs House

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the H. C. Jacobs House in Shackelford County.

Now settle in, because this is the story of a man who apparently didn't know how to sit still. The year is 1875, and Albany, Texas, is just getting its feet under it. And right there, at the very beginning, a man named Henry Carter Jacobs puts up the first permanent home in town.

Builds it out of stone, pulled from nearby deposits, with his own hands and his own intention. That house wasn't going anywhere. Which tells you something about the man.

Jacobs was born in 1842, came out of Kentucky, and by the time he got to Shackelford County he had already worn a few hats. Civil War veteran. Surveyor.

And not just any surveyor, mind you. He was the man who platted the town of Albany itself. Laid it out.

Drew the lines that said, here is where things go. He donated the sites for the courthouse and the Presbyterian church, and he pushed hard for a railroad to come through. When Henry Carter Jacobs decided a thing needed doing, he apparently got after it.

Oh, but we're not done listing his endeavors. Not even close. He was an organizer and the first sheriff of Shackelford County.

He was a merchant. A land developer and agent. He published a paper called the Albany Sun.

He bred fine horses. And, because apparently there were still hours left in the day, he played in the cornet band. Now, somewhere in the middle of all that, he married Mary Josephine Whately, and together they had five children.

He and his wife helped organize the Presbyterian church, the same one he'd donated land for. The Jacobs home wasn't just the first permanent house in Albany. It was a gathering point for a community finding its shape.

Henry Carter Jacobs died in 1894. But that stone house he built from nearby deposits in 1875, it was still standing. Still standing well enough that in 1973, it was restored.

A pioneer home, brought back. The first permanent home in Albany, made permanent all over again.

What the marker says

First permanent home in Albany. Built 1875 of stone from nearby deposits by Henry Carter Jacobs (1842-94), an organizer and the first sheriff of Shackelford County. A Kentuckian, Civil War veteran, and surveyor, Jacobs platted town of Albany, donated courthouse and Presbyterian church sites, led in move for a railroad here. He was a merchant, land developer and agent, published "Albany Sun", bred fine horses, and played in cornet band. He married Mary Josephine Whately; they had five children. He and his wife helped organize Presbyterian church. Their pioneer home was restored in 1973. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1974.