Blake-Beaty-Orton House
Also known as: Orton Home
Why it's listed
Built in the 1880s on South Main Street in Jasper, this two-story Victorian house is made entirely of native pine and rests on piers of handmade brick. Its most striking feature is a tall entrance portico, a gable carried on two elongated Roman columns, which overlaps the more conventional one-story wraparound galleries with turned posts and brackets. An elaborate bargeboard with fan and floral cut-outs decorates the gables, and a half turret with a conical roof projects at the second level. Local claims place construction in the 1860s, when the Blake family, headed by a carpenter and cabinetmaker, owned the land, but no records support that, and the house more likely followed J. T. Beaty's purchase in 1888. Beaty was a Jasper attorney who served in the Texas Senate from 1901 to 1906. His daughter lived here until 1973, then gave the house to the city, which planned restoration. It is regarded as Jasper's most impressive surviving nineteenth-century home.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it an excellent example of late nineteenth-century complex design, with contrasting shapes, textures, and solids and voids, and notes its daring portico. It is described as one of the last remaining 19th-century houses and the most impressive in Jasper. It is also tied to J. T. Beaty, a prominent local attorney and Texas state senator.
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 75001994, listed April 16, 1975. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 206 S. Main St., Jasper |
|---|---|
| County | Jasper County |
| Listed | April 16, 1975 |
| Reference number | 75001994 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1880-1888 |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne and Eastlake elements; described as a Victorian house |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Unoccupied at the time of nomination; the occupant lived there until 1973, and the house was then given to the City of Jasper, which planned to restore it. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 30.91902, -93.99965 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 75001994.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q107321367
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.