Terlingua Historic District
Also known as: Big Bend; Chisos Mining Camp; Quicksilver Mining District
Why it's listed
Terlingua Historic District takes in most of a former quicksilver mining town in southern Brewster County, Texas. It contains 97 contributing resources tied to the Chisos Mining Company camp, which operated from 1903 to 1943. The district includes dugouts cut into an arroyo, one- and two-room limestone houses where Hispanic miners and their families lived, and adobe buildings used by Anglo workers and managers. Larger adobe structures include the Perry Mansion, built in 1906 by mine owner Howard Everett Perry, the Chisos Store and Theater, Perry School, and St. Agnes Catholic Church. Builders relied on local limestone, mud and scarce lumber, and used double roofs, thick mud roofs and thatch ramadas against the heat. Housing followed racial lines, a pattern visible in building forms and materials. Many stone houses and adobe ruins are deteriorated, though the stone houses are described as generally stable. The district was listed for what it preserves of this isolated desert mining community.
Significance in brief: The district preserves the 1903-1943 mining camp of the Chisos Mining Company, with its stone and adobe workers' houses, dugouts, and company buildings such as the Perry Mansion, store and theater, school and church. The buildings show how housing was segregated by race and how builders used scarce local materials in an arid, isolated setting. The nomination ties the camp to Howard Perry's development of the Chisos Mine and to the Terlingua quicksilver district.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 96000132, listed March 10, 1996. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 7 mi. W of jct. of TX 118 and TX 170, Terlingua |
|---|---|
| County | Brewster County |
| Listed | March 10, 1996 |
| Reference number | 96000132 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Howard Everett Perry (mine owner who built the Perry Mansion, 1906); Chisos Mining Company |
| Architectural style | No style |
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Community Planning and Development, Industry |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current functions are listed as outdoor recreation and vacant/not in use; stone houses and adobe ruins are described as deteriorated, with adobe ruins in rapid deterioration. |
| Acreage | 130 |
| Coordinates | 29.32065, -103.61592 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 96000132.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q109999576
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.