DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Townsend-Koliba House in Colorado County. Now settle in, because this one house has been quietly collecting history for the better part of two centuries, and it's got the layers to prove it. The front portion of this house went up sometime in the mid-1800s — and when I say it was built into the story of Texas from the very start, I mean it.
The man who first owned it, Stephen Townsend, held that deed until 1845. He came from a prominent family, and he'd already earned his place in the record books by the time he took up residence, having fought at the Battle of San Jacinto. That's about as foundational as Texas history gets.
But it gets better. In 1837, Stephen Townsend served as the first county sheriff, and in that role he took part in a court held under a famous oak tree — sixty yards to the west of where this house stands. Think about that.
Justice being handed down under an oak, out in the open, with the first sheriff of the county present. Texas was still finding its footing, and Townsend was one of the men holding it steady. Now, the house stood and watched the decades roll by, and in 1902 a man named Edward Metzke — the owner at that time — decided the place needed some expanding.
He attached a second structure to the first one, and for good measure added a porch. Two buildings becoming one. A little connective tissue for a house that had already seen so much.
Then came 1951, and the story folded back on itself in a way that feels almost deliberate. Former State Representative Homer Koliba and his wife Bernice took ownership of the house, and Bernice — well, Bernice is a descendant of Stephen Townsend himself. The first sheriff's bloodline came home to the first sheriff's house.
That's the kind of thing that makes a house more than a structure. It makes it a vessel.
What the marker says
Front portion built in mid-1800s. Owned until 1845 by Stephen Townsend, member of prominent family and veteran of Battle of San Jacinto. In 1837, as first county sheriff, he took part in court held under famous oak (60 yds. W). In 1902 owner Edward Metzke attached second structure to first one; also added porch. Former State Representative Homer Koliba and wife Bernice (a descendant of S. Townsend) have owned house since 1951. RTHL - 1971