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One of the oldest and most beautiful houses in Gonzales
was originally built as the Gonzales College. In 1851,
stones for the structure were hauled to the building
site by ox carts from Peach Creek, some ten miles east
of Gonzales. The two-story structure, measuring 60
feet by 34 feet, was built by builder John Mooney and
cost $7,250. In 1855, a second building was constructed,
known as the Male College. When the Civil War began,
the Male College was torn down and the materials used
in the construction of Fort Waul, just north of Gonzales.
At that time the college became co-educational. As early
as 1857, Bachelor of Arts degrees were conferred upon
female students, making this one of the earlier colleges in
Texas to take this major step prior to the Civil War. For
the next ten years, Gonzales College stood at the head of
the state's few educational institutions.
During 1867 the building was remodeled. In 1891, it
was purchased for $2,000 by W.M. Atkinson, a graduate
of the college and a community leader. He remodeled
the structure using stones from his father's old manor
house south of the city. The east wing addition is of stone
from the Maurin Quarry on Peach Creek. The original
characteristics were preserved and an iron fence was built
around the house. A cupola was added with a spiral staircase
leading to a lookout tower. It was later removed. The
house has eight fireplaces with mantels made of Gonzales
walnut. The floors are tongue-and-groove pine planking
overlaid with oak. The Atkinsons retained the house until
the 1940s. The house was purchased in 1962 and it was
restored and furnished to reflect the period during which
Atkinson owned it.
GONZALES
COLLEGE
820 St. Louis Street
Photograph by Tre Dunham, Fine Focus Photography
Historic Photo courtesy of the Gonzales County archives.
