Three Rivers in Live Oak County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

James and Sara Cunningham House

Photographed by James Hulse, April 16, 2023

1. James and Sara Cunningham House Marker

Inscription. Late in 1899 James (Jim) Monroe Cunningham moved to Oakville from Devine and bought the Live Oak County Leader. Cunningham soon married Sara Emma (O'Neal) and they began a family. When Oakville was bypassed by the San Antonio Uvalde and Gulf Railroad (SAU&G), Cunningham moved his family and business seven miles west to Hamiltonburg (later named Three Rivers). He then contracted the first permanent home in the new town as most dwellings were temporary tent-like structures.

George D. Smith contracted to build the Cunningham home and completed it in September 1913. The pragmatic one-story, five-room frame house with wood shingled roof incorporated several architectural styles, including Contemporary Prairie and Foursquare with elements of Victorian. A large enclosed hallway extending from the front door to the back door and twelve foot ceilings created a convection effect permitting cool southerly coastal breezes throughout the house.

The home's spacious interior often served as the focal point for many social events in the community. The Cunningham family made numerous contributions to Three Rivers through owning and editing the area's weekly newspaper, the Live Oak County Leader (and then the Three Rivers News), service on the first school board and leadership in school accreditation, organization of the first Baptist church, and musical instruction and mentoring. This historic home, which in its first 100 years survived twenty floods and the Atlantic Gulf Hurricane of 1919 and Hurricane Beulah in 1967, embodies the development of the south Texas town of Three Rivers. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2013

Erected 2013 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 17657.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Communications • Railroads & Streetcars

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• Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical month for this entry is September 1913.

Location. 28° 27.595′ N, 98° 10.698′ W. Marker is in Three Rivers, Texas, in Live Oak County. It is at the intersection of East Thornton Street and North Hermann Avenue, on the left when traveling east on East Thornton Street. The marker is located in the front of the house by the street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 411 East Thornton Street, Three Rivers TX 78071, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South Texas.

It is also in the American South.

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,

and one of the Confederate States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Early Schools in Live Oak County (approx. 0.2 miles away); First State Bank Building (approx. ¼ mile away); Jessy Franklin Gray (approx. 0.3 miles away); Felix Longoria (approx. 0.3

The James and Sara Cunningham House and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, April 16, 2023

2. The James and Sara Cunningham House and Marker

miles away); Rialto Theater (approx. 0.3 miles away); Three Rivers (approx. 0.3 miles away); Site of Three Rivers Glass Factory (approx. half a mile away); Loma Sandia Prehistoric Cemetery (approx. 3.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Three Rivers.

Credits. This page was last revised on April 19, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 18, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 286 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 19, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.