1896 – Alvin, TX
9/12/19
11 Comments
Posted on OHD: 9/12/19. Last OHD Update: 7/25/22.
This has since "Sold" and is now archived for historical reference and educational purposes.
This has since "Sold" and is now archived for historical reference and educational purposes.
608 W Lang St, Alvin, TX 77511
Offered for your consideration is the 1896 Marcus Lafayette Spencer house, one of the few structures in Alvin that survived the Great Storm of 1900. Walk through the original Eastlake front door, and this fine example of a Gulf Coast Victorian immediately impresses. The reception hall is followed by the center hall which is flanked by the spacious formal living and dining rooms. The master suite is nicely separated from the secondary bedrooms. The bathrooms have been thoughtfully renovated with a nod to the past. The upstairs loft/game room is a particularly special space. Throughout the home you will find 12 foot ceilings, heart pine floors, and abundant natural light. Outside boasts two porches, one of which is screened, and a raised deck perfect for entertaining. In the huge back yard is a charming storage shed and arguably the best kids fort in Texas. Commuter friendly historic home under 300k, 31 miles from downtown Houston.
3 Bed ∙ 2 Bath ∙ 3,059 Sq Ft ∙ 0.29 Ac.
Was Listed With
David Hille
Coldwell Banker United, Realtors - Heights
(713) 869-0456
Reference Links
“For the past (60 or 80 years?) years another brown house at 608 Lang has been a familiar sight to three generations of Alvinites.
The house was built in 1896 by M.L. Spencer, the father of Mrs. Mae LeClere and Mrs. Lizzie Broussard. They still live there.
“We stayed here during the 1900 storm and there were six other families that waited out the storm here, too.” said Mrs. Broussard, who is 92. “Our family liked it so much here they stayed for two years. Liked to never have gotten rid of them.
“The storm didn’t do a thing to the house. Didn’t even blow off a shingle.”
That was quite a feat, considering the destruction in Alvin following that Great Galveston Storm. Perhaps it was because the old home was so well built. Now in its eight decade, the house shows no sign of sagging. The only concession to time has been the replacement of the wooden shingles to asbestos.
“That was because of insurance.” Mrs. LeClere said. “It was built of cedar and square wooden nails. My daddy superintended the building and mother drew the plans up.
Daddy painted it brown,” she continued, “but in later years, somebody made it white. That was after he died in 1925. Later on, we decided to paint it back the original color.”
The ladies’ father, Mr. Spencer, was a native of Charlottesville, Virgina. “He was up in a cherry tree when Lee surrendered at the MacLean Courthouse. He heard everything they said, “according to Mrs. Broussard, “leasways, that’s what he claimed. We don’t know for sure, though, ’cause we weren’t there.”
Spencer moved to Texas shortly before the Hurricane of 1875. “He was living in Galveston, then,” said Mrs. LeClere.
The lawns of the Spencer house would make any gardener envious. Mrs. LeClere did the landscaping but she’s obviously proudest of her work in the back yard. A huge pecan tree, nearly 100 feet tall, attests to Mrs. LeClere’s age. “I planted that tree from a seed when I was a little girl.” she said.
“I had to have a bunch of my trees cut back, cause all my San Augustine was dying. It couldn’t get any sun ’cause the trees blocked it out.”
Nothing suffers now, though. There is a multitude of ferns, shrubs and flowers arranged differently all over the yard.
Mrs. LeClere, 87, keeps two 30 foot cane poles propped against an old Mulberry tree. “I can’t get around as fast as I used to, so I use them fishing poles to keep the squirrels out of my bird bath.”
The house was built in 1896 by M.L. Spencer, the father of Mrs. Mae LeClere and Mrs. Lizzie Broussard. They still live there.
“We stayed here during the 1900 storm and there were six other families that waited out the storm here, too.” said Mrs. Broussard, who is 92. “Our family liked it so much here they stayed for two years. Liked to never have gotten rid of them.
“The storm didn’t do a thing to the house. Didn’t even blow off a shingle.”
That was quite a feat, considering the destruction in Alvin following that Great Galveston Storm. Perhaps it was because the old home was so well built. Now in its eight decade, the house shows no sign of sagging. The only concession to time has been the replacement of the wooden shingles to asbestos.
“That was because of insurance.” Mrs. LeClere said. “It was built of cedar and square wooden nails. My daddy superintended the building and mother drew the plans up.
Daddy painted it brown,” she continued, “but in later years, somebody made it white. That was after he died in 1925. Later on, we decided to paint it back the original color.”
The ladies’ father, Mr. Spencer, was a native of Charlottesville, Virgina. “He was up in a cherry tree when Lee surrendered at the MacLean Courthouse. He heard everything they said, “according to Mrs. Broussard, “leasways, that’s what he claimed. We don’t know for sure, though, ’cause we weren’t there.”
Spencer moved to Texas shortly before the Hurricane of 1875. “He was living in Galveston, then,” said Mrs. LeClere.
The lawns of the Spencer house would make any gardener envious. Mrs. LeClere did the landscaping but she’s obviously proudest of her work in the back yard. A huge pecan tree, nearly 100 feet tall, attests to Mrs. LeClere’s age. “I planted that tree from a seed when I was a little girl.” she said.
“I had to have a bunch of my trees cut back, cause all my San Augustine was dying. It couldn’t get any sun ’cause the trees blocked it out.”
Nothing suffers now, though. There is a multitude of ferns, shrubs and flowers arranged differently all over the yard.
Mrs. LeClere, 87, keeps two 30 foot cane poles propped against an old Mulberry tree. “I can’t get around as fast as I used to, so I use them fishing poles to keep the squirrels out of my bird bath.”