Awards
Grants
Public Service |
1989 Terry Winner - The French House, Beaumont, TX
The John Jay French House (Museum)
2985 French Road
Beaumont, TX 77706
1-409-898-0348 fax: 409-898-8487
OTHER AWARDS: Registered Texas Historical Landmark; Registry of National Historic Places; Featured in THE MAGAZINE ANTIQUES (January 1983).
HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE: The John Jay French house is typical of a kind once common on the Texas coast. Built in 1845, it was the first two-story house, the first house built with lumber instead of logs, the first painted house in the area, and it is the oldest surviving house in Beaumont. French (1799-1889), and his wife, Sally, settled on 300 oak-covered acres 3.5 miles northwest of Beaumont, and opened a trading post and tannery. The home, store, and outbuildings remained in the French family until 1940.
HISTORY OF STRUCTURE: The simple vernacular structure carries Greek Revival details such as a full facade porch, a low pitched roof, a plain door lintel with full transom light, and a hint of boxed cornice returns. Two principle downstairs rooms with two shed rooms flank a dogtrot hallway. Seep narrow stairs lead to a long upstairs room. The "swept yard" made snakes and unwelcome creatures easily visible. The interiors are sheathed in pine boards and painted in the original pink and milky white colors with blue ceilings.
RESTORATION: The home was restored between 1968 and 1970 by the Beaumont Heritage Society, and they reconstructed a semi-detached kitchen and several outbuildings. The house is furnished to replicate the lifestyle of the family from 1845 to 1865. Descendants of the French family contributed original pieces including a music box from England, the family Bible, and a pillared Seth Thomas clock.
|
