Built about 1873, this was the home of John B. Douglas (1843-1893), a Civil War veteran, merchant and city official, and his wife Ketura (Kettie) Walker Douglas (1845-1912), a local church and civic leader. The area around this site was an upper-middle class residential neighborhood just outside the original town plat.
The high Victorian wood frame edifice was probably erected as a 2-story building with a 3-story tower. The family modified the house in stages as their fortunes rose. The first addition was a one-story wing to the south of the tower, a feature in place by 1884. The footprint of the house was enlarged, primarily with a one-story wing at the rear of the house, by 1898. A second story was added to the rear wing in the early 20th century. Between 1902 and 1907, the one-story gable roof kitchen with cutaway bay window and hipped roof, originally oriented to the south, was rotated 90 degrees to face east. Other major changes were complete by 1912.
The structure's highly textured exterior features, such as clapboard siding, shingles in two patterns, flat board window molding, belt courses and end boards and carved and pierced plates and brackets are characteristic of high Victorian design. The John B. and Ketura Douglas house is the only identified extant example of high Victorian residential design in Tyler to combine Italianate and Second Empire style details.
The house passed to the Douglases' son upon Kettie's death, and was sold in 1927 to its longtime occupants. It remains a vivid reminder of late 19th century Tyler and its leading citizens.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1998
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