Houston Museum District in Harris County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

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Major Richard William (Dick) Dowling C.S.A.

(January 14, 1837 - September 23, 1867)

Dick Dowling Statue and Marker image. Click for full size.

(Public Domain) via Wikimedia Commons

1. Dick Dowling Statue and Marker

This 1905 marble sculpture by Frank Teich is a little more than 8 feet tall on a 20 foot base.

Inscription. Born in 1837 near Tuam, County Galway, Ireland, Richard Dowling emigrated to New Orleans in 1846 during the Irish potato famine. In 1857, Dick married Elizabeth Anne Odlum in Houston. By 1860 he had owned 3 bars, installed Houston's first gas lighting in his home and business, and was a charter member of Houston Hook and Ladder company No. 1. During the Civil War, Dick was first lieutenant, Company F, Cook's Regiment, First Texas Heavy Artillery. He was in command at Fort Griffin in 1863.

On September 8 he held fast with only 6 cannon and 47 men inside the fort despite rumors of a Federal invasion and orders to retreat. Twenty-seven ships carrying Maj. Gen. William B. Franklin and 5,000 Union troops sailed into Sabine Pass; Dowling and "the Irish Davis Guards" shot so accurately that Franklin's forces surrendered in 45 minutes. The Confederate Congress called the Battle of Sabine Pass "one of the most brilliant ... achievements ... of this war."

Discharged as a major in 1865, Dick reopened his most famous bar, "The Bank of Bacchus." In 1866 he formed the first oil company in Houston. By 1867, he owned more than 22 square blocks of downtown Houston and vast lands across Texas. Dick Dowling died of yellow fever at age 30 and is buried in Houston's St. Vincent's Cemetery.

Erected

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1998 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 11938.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is September 8, 1837.

Location. Marker has been permanently removed. It was located near 29° 42.542′ N, 95° 23.448′ W. Marker was in Houston, Texas, in Harris County. It was in the Houston Museum District. It was on Cambridge Street just north of MacGregor Way and Braeswood Boulevard, in the median. It was in Hermann Park. Touch for map. Marker was at or near this postal address: 1513 N MacGregor Way, Houston TX 77030, United States of America.

We have been informed that this marker is no longer there and will not be replaced. This page is an archival view of what was.

Regionally, this marker was in the American South

and on the Gulf Coast.

Globally, it was in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it found 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 location: Holcombe House (approx. 0.2 miles away); Pioneer Memorial Log House (approx. ¼ mile away); San Jacinto Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas (approx. ¼ mile away); The Roy and Lillie Cullen Building (approx. 0.4 miles away); Autry House (approx. 0.6 miles away); Rice University (approx. 0.8 miles away); General Sam Houston (approx. 0.9 miles away); Southend Water Pumping Station (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Houston.

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this marker. The statue of Major Dowling adjacent to this marker was removed in 2020 along with this marker.

Credits. This page was last revised on July 5, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 8, 2025, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 371 times since then and 51 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on February 8, 2025, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.

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