Santa Fe in Galveston County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Miller-Brautigam Home
In 1893, the Alta Loma improvement and investment company, a group of developers, laid out the townsite of Alta Loma along the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe rail line. Known today as Santa Fe, Alta Loma was sited on what is said to be the highest point in Galveston County.
With the newly platted community came families and businesses, including the Alta Loma Lumber Company, purchased by Henry Miller. In 1896, Miller and his wife, Effie (Shaw), bought this site and built their home. The sold it that year, but the house, after surviving the disastrous 1900 hurricane, returned to their ownership by 1910.
Between 1915 and 1930, the residence changed hands several times. In 1930 Albert F. Brautigam bought the house and moved his family here. A carpenter by trade, he worked at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and fashioned artificial limbs for patients there. The home remained in the Brautigam family until 1996.
Today the home greatly resembles its original appearance. The only major alteration being its relationship to the site; in the 1930s the Brautigam family lowered the house approximately five feet. Originally built at six feet above grade, the home was probably elevated to avoid flood-waters. The Queen Anne design, with a modified L-Plan, prominent projecting bay under a front-facing gable. It is an important link to late 19th century residential architecture in Texas as well as to the history of the Alta Loma community.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2002
Erected 2002 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 15345.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Man-Made Features. A significant historical year for this entry is 1893.
Location. 29° 21.901′ N, 95° 4.908′ W. Marker is in Santa Fe, Texas, in Galveston County. Marker is at the intersection of Texas Highway 646 and 25th Street, on the right when traveling south on Texas Highway 646. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5518 Highway 646 South, Houston TX 77058, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Original Site of First Baptist Church of Alta Loma (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Alta Loma (approx. 0.4 miles away); Hitchcock Depot (approx. 0.8 miles away); Alta Loma Cemetery (approx. one mile away); Santa Fe Consolidated High School (approx. 1.7 miles away); Camp Wallace (approx. 2.3 miles away); U.S. Naval Air Station (approx. 2.3 miles away); Dairy Industry in the Santa Fe Area (approx. 2.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Santa Fe.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 18, 2020. It was originally submitted on January 17, 2020, by Jim Evans of Houston, Texas. This page has been viewed 328 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 17, 2020, by Jim Evans of Houston, Texas. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.