DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it — the story of the Regan House. Now, if you want a man who knew how to read the wind — literally — let me tell you about Dominick H. Regan.
Born in 1842, he came over from Ireland, fought for the Union in the Civil War, and somehow ended up doing what so many restless men did after that war: he went to Texas and got to work. Regan set himself up as a merchant, first in Corpus Christi, then in Indianola, and he had a gift for it. He married Mary Hogan, and together they raised thirteen children.
Thirteen. You start to understand why the man needed a general store — maybe several. And several is exactly what he built.
Regan expanded his operations out to Victoria, Cuero, and Texana. This was a man with range. In 1883, at the peak of his merchant life, Regan had a house built in Indianola.
Not just any house — a proper Italianate Victorian, the kind with jigsawn porch detailing so fine it looks like lace, and polygonal bay windows catching the Gulf light. Indianola was a serious town then, a real port city, and Dominick Regan was a serious man inside it. But here's where Texas weather enters the story, and it enters hard.
Devastating hurricanes hit Indianola — one in 1875, and then another in 1886. Indianola, as a city, did not survive. A lot of what stood there didn't make it.
Regan's house, though — Regan made a decision. He had the house moved. Picked up, relocated, and rebuilt in Victoria, all under the supervision of an architect named Jules Leffland.
Think about that. The storms took the town, but Regan refused to let them take the house. Mary Hogan Regan passed away in 1894.
Dominick lived until 1927. And that house — the one that outlasted two hurricanes, crossed the coastal plain, and was rebuilt board by board — it's still standing in Victoria today, those polygonal bay windows and all. Some things, if you're stubborn enough and wise enough to move them out of the storm's path, endure.
What the marker says
Dominick H. Regan (1842-1927) was an Irish immigrant, Union Civil War veteran, and merchant in Corpus Christi and Indianola. He married Mary Hogan (d. 1894) and they became the parents of 13 children. Regan expanded his general stores to Victoria, Cuero, and Texana, and had this house built in Indianola in 1883. After devasting hurricanes in 1875 and 1886, Regan had the house moved to Victoria and rebuilt under the supervision of architect Jules Leffland. A fine example of Italinate Victorian design, the Regan house features jigsawn porch detailing and polygonal bay windows. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1996