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19 THE HORACE EGGLESTON HOUSE 1303 St. Louis Street Horace Eggleston was born in Bloomfield, New York, August 22, 1800. On May 3, 1835, he married Sarah Ann Ponton, sister to Andrew Ponton who was the alcalde of Gonzales during the revolution. Sarah was only fourteen when she married Horace. He fought at the Battle of San Jacinto and their first child, Amanda, was born May 2, 1836, near the San Jacinto battleground. They had four other children. Horace continued his success as a merchant and community leader. He was on the first board of trustees of the Gonzales College when it opened in 1853. Sometime after the Battle of San Jacinto, Eggleston, a merchant and well-to-do member of Stephen F. Austin's Colony on the Brazos, chose to make Gonzales his home. In 1845 he purchased lots 1 through 6 in Block 15 near the Guadalupe River on St. Michael Street. With lumber and glass unavailable, he and other homebuilders were hard-pressed for materials. With the help of friends, slave labor and the knowledge of builder Jesse K. Davis, the Eggleston home was built. The design was most common at that time. It is called a "dog-run" or "dog-trot" house. It has two large rooms with a wide -open hall, or "dog-run," between them. For protection against intruders, there is no outside door. A single door on each side opens onto the "dog run" and sturdy dogs kept watch throughout the night and day. The logs for the home were stood on one end in a pit and whipsawed to square them off. The corners of the house were dovetailed, making them almost airtight. When the logs did not fit perfectly, the cracks were filled with moss and clay. The lumber for the floors and door facings was also whipsawed. The house is the oldest structure in Gonzales and has been moved to the East Avenue Park, preserved in its original state and is open to the public on a limited basis or by appointment. 1845 Photograph by Leslie Jannsen, Gonzales Camera Club

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