John F. Wallace House

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker on the John F. Wallace House tells it, and I'll do my best to give it the telling it deserves. Now, some folks pass through Teague, Freestone County, and never think twice about the houses they roll past.

But every once in a while, a house has a story sitting right there on the front porch, waiting. This is one of those houses. John F.

Wallace was a pharmacist, born in 1861. He made his way to Teague in 1908, and by 1912 he was already calling this address home. Then, around 1928, he went ahead and built the house you see standing here today, built it for his family, and he built it right.

We're talking Tudor Revival style, the kind of home that announces itself. High-pitched front gable reaching up toward the sky, a gabled central entry vestibule that makes you feel like you ought to straighten your collar before you knock. The house carries itself with a certain dignity.

And that dignity suited the man who lived in it, because John F. Wallace was not a fellow content to just count pills and call it a life. He represented Freestone County in the Texas House of Representatives from 1921 to 1930.

Nine years of making himself heard in Austin. And when that chapter closed, he wasn't done. He was later appointed to the State Board of Control, and he served not one, not two, but three terms.

The man lived, by the way, from 1861 all the way to 1966. Those years stand on their own. And so does the house he left behind.

What the marker says

Pharmacist John F. Wallace (1861-1966) moved to Teague in 1908. He lived at this address as early as 1912 and built this house for his family about 1928. John F. Wallace represented Freestone County in the Texas House of Representatives from 1921 to 1930 and was later appointed to the State Board of Control for three terms. The "Tudor Revival" style home features a high-pitched front gable and a gabled central entry vestibule. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1987