Bellville in Austin County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

E.O. Finn Building

Photographed by James Hulse, September 19, 2020

1. E.O. Finn Building Marker

Inscription.

Situated on land originally granted by the Mexican Government to Austin County pioneer John Nichols. This Vernacular Italianate commercial building was constructed in 1896 by E. Oscar Finn and John Thomas Colleton. E. O. Finn (1866-1945) a native of Germany, first came to this country with his parents in 1869. A master mechanic and a smithy of buggies and wagons, Finn built this structure to serve as a sales shop for his products on the first floor with living quarters for his family on the upper story. Drinking water was obtained from a well located inside the building on the first floor, while the remainder of the water supply was piped into the upstairs bathroom from a metal-lined indoor cistern that collected rainwater from the roof. The structure remained in the Finn family for over seventy-five years.

The E. O. Finn Building, or Carriage House as it is also known, features paired Italianate windows, cast iron columns, and a hand operated dumbwaiter which was made by the Energy Manufacturing Company of Philadelphia and runs from the basement to the first and second stories.

The structure is a reminder of Bellville's early commercial development.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1982

Erected 1982 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 6349.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1896.

Location. 29° 56.964′ N, 96° 15.306′ W. Marker is in Bellville, Texas, in Austin County. It is at the intersection of East Main Street (State Highway 36) and South Harris Street, on the left when traveling west on East Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 301 E Main Street, Bellville TX 77418, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker

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is in the American South

and on the Gulf Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Republic of Texas,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: First National Bank of Bellville (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Austin County Jail (about 800 feet away); The Harigel House (approx. 0.2 miles away); Bellville (approx. 0.2 miles away); Site of First Bellville Masonic Lodge Building (approx. ¼ mile away); Original Site of St. Mary's Episcopal Church (approx. ¼ mile away); Early History of Bellville Methodist Church (approx. 0.3 miles away); Michael Robert Pilley (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bellville.

E.O. Finn Building and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, September 19, 2020

2. E.O. Finn Building and Marker

Side view of the E.O. Finn Building and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, September 19, 2020

3. Side view of the E.O. Finn Building and Marker

Back door to E.O. Finn Building image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, September 19, 2020

4. Back door to E.O. Finn Building

Credits. This page was last revised on October 8, 2020. It was originally submitted on October 8, 2020, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 700 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 8, 2020, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.