The Texas Historical Marker for
the Moore House reads:
Dolph Phenias (D.P.) Moore (1852-1928) Moved To Matagorda
County In 1869. He Married Louise Wendel In 1879 And Together
They Reared Ten Children. A Successful Merchant, Rancher, And
Landowner, Moore Sold The Land On Which The Town Of Bay
City Was Platted In 1894. He Moved His Family To Bay City That
Year. Local Contractors Hatchett & Large Built This 15-Room
Queen Anne Style House For The Moores In 1902. A Prominent
Civic Leader, Moore Was Instrumental In Bringing Railroads To
Bay City And In The Development Of The Area’s Rice Industry. He
Donated Land For Cedarvale Cemetery And Park.
The Moore home with its’ elegant proportioning and fine detail
combine to make this well-designed structure one of the finest late
Victorian residences in the city. Built in 1902 by builders Hatchett
and Large, the land was purchased from David Swickheimer cofounder of Bay City in 1894. This late Victorian 2-story is a 4-bay
wood-frame residence which features a columned and balustraded
front porch and gallery. It has a projecting gable roofed section
with bay and a small Palladian window in the gable. The house has
two fireplaces with grill work in both the music and dining rooms.
Containing both front and rear stairs there are also porches on both
the first and second floors.
Beautiful leaded glass windows allow for light in the living room,
with a frosted and etched glass front door catching light at the entry.
Located on the first floor are both dining and breakfast rooms, two
kitchens, bedroom and a bath. A living and music room complete
the first floor. Boasting five bedrooms on the 2nd floor, there is also
a parlor and bath. A closed stairway leads to the attic with a ladder
extending to the widow’s walk.
The first cement sidewalk in the city extends from the house to the
street and a picket fence enclosed the six lots. Originally, an attached
building held the acetylene gas plant, as gas was used until the
house was wired for electricity in 1903. Above the gas house was an
octagon-shaped structure holding a Cyprus cistern. The cistern was
fed from rain gutters on the roof. The yard contained a windmill/
tank, and a large 2-story barn with stalls for horses, corn crib and hay
storage along with a room for the carriage. Other buildings included
a chicken house, brick sweet potato house, pens for the livestock and
a one-room servant’s house.
The Texas Historical Marker for
the M.S. and Cora Alice
Perry House reads:
An Architectural Hybrid Incorporating Colonial Revival And
Queen Anne Style Elements, The M.S. (1872-1919) And Cora
Alice (1883-1970) Perry House Was Erected In 1917 And
1918. A Prominent Community Leader, Perry Was The Principal
Owner Of Le Tulle Mercantile Co. The Perrys Designed The
Home With Their Builder, George Schultz. The Home, Intended
To Resist Turbulent Coastal Weather, Was Constructed Of
Layered 1” X 12” Boards And Concrete Stucco. After Years As
Apartments, It Was Restored In The 1970s.
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