Speaker, J. H., House
Also known as: Site No. 200
Why it's listed
This one-story frame house at 414 East Alabama Street in Wharton, Texas, dates to about 1904. It rests on concrete piers, has weatherboard siding and an asphalt-shingle roof, and faces south. A shed-roofed porch with turned columns and jig-sawn brackets shelters part of the front, and the windows are two-over-two wooden sashes. Early additions changed the original center-passage plan into an L-plan with paired rear ells, and a shed-roofed porch was added across the rear around 1940. J.H. Speaker, a local Black educator who taught at the segregated school on Milam Street, acquired the western lot in 1904 and is believed to have built the house. A mechanic's lien in 1907 shows it was standing by then. The Speaker family kept it until 1976. It was listed for its architecture as a well-preserved vernacular L-plan dwelling and for its link to Wharton's African-American community, of which few nominated properties remain.
Significance in brief: The house is described as one of the best preserved L-plan vernacular residences in Wharton and retains its integrity despite modest rear alterations. It is also one of the few nominated properties tied to Wharton's African-American community, since J.H. Speaker was a local Black educator and the house stood in one of two primary African-American neighborhoods.
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 93000109, listed March 18, 1993. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 414 E. Alabama, Wharton |
|---|---|
| County | Wharton County |
| Listed | March 18, 1993 |
| Reference number | 93000109 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1904 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | OTHER: L-plan House |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as a single dwelling; described as in fair condition. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 29.31242, -96.09505 (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 93000109.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110002534
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.