Faison, Nathaniel W., House
Why it's listed
Three separate wood-frame volumes, linked by a rear U-shaped porch and courtyard, make up this house at 822 South Jefferson Street in La Grange. The oldest section may date to 1848, a second wing was contracted in 1855 by mechanic's lien, and the front section was finished in 1884. Greek Revival details, including a triple-fascia frieze, dentil cornice and open pediments, mix with Eastlake-inspired jigsawn brackets on a 45-foot front porch. The house is also tied to three periods of ownership. Nathaniel W. Faison, a military hero and landowner, deeded it in 1870 to Louisiana Brown, a freedwoman who had worked as his housekeeper. She sold it in 1872 to his brother Peter Faison, whose family lived there for decades and left furnishings that still convey Gilded Age life. The form calls Brown's sole ownership a rare, possibly unique Texas example. The Garden Club of La Grange bought the house in 1961, and it now serves as a museum.
Significance in brief: It is nominated under Criterion C as a good example of vernacular domestic architecture reflecting different periods of 19th-century Texas settlement, with Greek Revival and Eastlake details. It is nominated under Criterion A in Social History for its three ownership periods: Nathaniel W. Faison, the Peter Faison family, and Louisiana Brown, a freedwoman who owned it in the 1870s and whose sole ownership is described as rare if not unique in Texas.
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 08000538, listed March 11, 2010. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 822 South Jefferson, La Grange |
|---|---|
| County | Fayette County |
| Listed | March 11, 2010 |
| Reference number | 08000538 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | J.C. Alford (Section A, 1855); P.F. Doyle, contractor and builder (Section C, 1884) |
| Architectural style | Mixed (vernacular with Greek Revival and Eastlake elements) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Operated as a museum and maintained by the Garden Club of La Grange since it bought the house in 1961; the form says it retains a high degree of integrity. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 29.89917, -96.87274 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
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 08000538.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110002668
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.