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The Lorenzo Dow Heaton House is located across the street from what was once Market Square. Lorenzo D. Heaton was born in 1839 in New York and came to Texas at the age of fifteen. His older brother, John, operated a drug store in Port Lavaca and L.D. worked as a clerk in the store. A third brother, David, came to Texas and opened and managed Heaton Bros. in Cuero. In 1870, L.D. married Mary "Mollie" Virginia Randall and the couple moved to Victoria and opened another Heaton Bros. Pharmacy. The Heaton's purchased the slot in 1875 and, by 1877, the original portion of the house was completed. Constructed with hand-hewn lumber and square nails, this home was the first large home to be constructed on the Plaza del Mercado. The original house was a two-story structure with four rooms and a kitchen. Between the late 1870s and the 1890s, additions were made to the home and included porches and fireplaces. In 1892, Heaton's wife, Molly, passed away. Two years later, he married Susie George from Port Lavaca. Heaton continued to manage Heaton Bros. Pharmacy. On March 19, 1907, L.D. passed away. Susie lived in the house and worked at the drug store until her unexpected death three months later. The property was sold to the Koch family and the home became a rooming house. When the Kreuger family purchased the home in 1943, the second-floor porch was removed and the square porch columns were enlarged. The home's architecture is Southern Colonial with lofty porch pillars and a Georgian front entrance. This historic home is one of the few remaining structures in Victoria from the 1870s and is valued as one of the city's most treasured historic residences. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1966 |
