DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Lorenzo Dow Heaton Home in Victoria County. Now settle in, because this one's got layers — the kind of story that starts with a fifteen-year-old boy stepping off a boat into Texas and ends with a house still standing proud more than a century later. That's the short version.
The long version is considerably better. Lorenzo D. Heaton was born in 1839, up in New York.
He came to Texas at fifteen — no small thing, back in those days — and found his footing the way a lot of young men did: working for family. His older brother John was running a drug store in Port Lavaca, and L.D. hired on as a clerk. Now, there was a third brother in the picture too — David — who came to Texas and opened and managed a place called Heaton Bros. over in Cuero.
Three brothers, two towns, one family business taking root in Texas soil. You can see where this is heading. In 1870, L.D. married Mary — Mollie — Virginia Randall, and the newlyweds made their move to Victoria, where they opened another Heaton Bros.
Pharmacy. Five years later, in 1875, the Heatons purchased the lot that would become the center of this story. By 1877, the original portion of the house was completed.
Hand-hewn lumber, square nails — built to last, and it has. That house was the first large home constructed on the Plaza del Mercado, sitting right across the street from what was once Market Square. Two stories, four rooms, a kitchen.
Nothing extravagant on paper, but the kind of structure that announces itself. Between the late 1870s and the 1890s, additions followed — porches, fireplaces, the house growin into the life being lived inside it. Then 1892 arrives, and the story takes a harder turn.
Molly passed away that year. Two years later, L.D. married Susie George, from Port Lavaca. Life continued.
L.D. kept managing Heaton Bros. Pharmacy. And then, on March 19, 1907, L.D.
Heaton passed away. Susie stayed on — lived in the house, worked at the drug store — until her own unexpected death, just three months later. Three months.
The property passed to the Koch family, and the house became a rooming house. Time moved through it the way time does. In 1943, the Kreuger family purchased the home, and with them came changes: the second-floor porch was removed, the square porch columns enlarged.
But the bones of the place held. Southern Colonial architecture, lofty porch pillars, a Georgian front entrance — the kind of house that carries its history in its posture. Today, the Lorenzo Dow Heaton Home stands as one of the few remaining structures in Victoria from the 1870s — one of the city's most treasured historic residences.
A fifteen-year-old from New York grew up, built something meant to last, and it did. Sometimes that's enough of a story right there.
What the marker says
The Lorenzo Dow Heaton House is located across the street from what was once Market Square. Lorenzo D. Heaton was born in 1839 in New York and came to Texas at the age of fifteen. His older brother, John, operated a drug store in Port Lavaca and L.D. worked as a clerk in the store. A third brother, David, came to Texas and opened and managed Heaton Bros. in Cuero. In 1870, L.D. married Mary "Mollie" Virginia Randall and the couple moved to Victoria and opened another Heaton Bros. Pharmacy. The Heaton's purchased the slot in 1875 and, by 1877, the original portion of the house was completed. Constructed with hand-hewn lumber and square nails, this home was the first large home to be constructed on the Plaza del Mercado. The original house was a two-story structure with four rooms and a kitchen. Between the late 1870s and the 1890s, additions were made to the home and included porches and fireplaces. In 1892, Heaton's wife, Molly, passed away. Two years later, he married Susie George from Port Lavaca. Heaton continued to manage Heaton Bros. Pharmacy. On March 19, 1907, L.D. passed away. Susie lived in the house and worked at the drug store until her unexpected death three months later. The property was sold to the Koch family and the home became a rooming house. When the Kreuger family purchased the home in 1943, the second-floor porch was removed and the square porch columns were enlarged. The home's architecture is Southern Colonial with lofty porch pillars and a Georgian front entrance. This historic home is one of the few remaining structures in Victoria from the 1870s and is valued as one of the city's most treasured historic residences. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1966