Mistrot-Adoue House

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Mistrot-Adoue House in Robertson County. Now, some stories start clean and simple, and some start with a little mystery right out of the gate. This one starts with a mystery.

The house was built in the 1870s, that much is certain. But who built it? Well, the marker gives you two names and lets you pick your favorite.

It was built by either Henry B. Mistrot or Bertrand Adoue. Not both.

Either. History sat down, looked at the evidence, and apparently decided to leave that particular question open for the rest of us to wonder about. Now, those two names are not as unconnected as they might seem.

Mistrot was a business partner with Bertrand's brother, Jacques Adoue. So whoever swung the first hammer on this place, the Adoue family was already in the orbit. The house itself is a two-story residence, and it carries the marks of two architectural worlds at once: Greek revival and Victorian styles, standing together under one roof like they worked out some kind of agreement.

And then there is the detail that really sets this house apart from the Texas landscape around it. The woodwork carries fleur-de-lis patterns, and the marker is clear about why. That French influence is a direct reflection of the owners themselves.

These were French people, building a French-flavored home on Texas soil, and they wanted you to know it when you looked at the trim. In 1888, Jacques Adoue, the prominent area businessman and brother to that original orbit of names, bought the home outright. And from that point forward, the house stayed in the Adoue family.

Not for a decade. Not for a generation. It stayed in that family all the way until 1977.

Some houses change hands like loose change. This one held on.

What the marker says

This house was built in the 1870s by Henry B. Mistrot or Bertrand Adoue. Mistrot was a partner in business with Adoue's brother Jacques. The two-story residence features characteristics of the Greek revival and Victorian styles. The French influence of the owners is reflected in the use of fleur-de-lis patterns in the woodwork. A prominent area businessman, Jacques Adoue bought the home in 1888 and it remained in the family until 1977. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1980