Historic La Grange Homestead Offers Second Home and Income Potential

Share News:

The Brookfield-Evans-Cremer House in La Grange, Texas, boasts a rich pre-statehood history and beautiful views.

What if we told you that you could own both a piece of Texas history and a place to lay your head after a long day at Round Top or kayaking the Colorado River — and that they were the same place?

And what if we told you that the opportunity existed for less than $300,000?

Well, let us introduce you to the Brookfield-Evans-Cremer House in La Grange, home to an Alamo hero, a couple of heroes from the Battle of San Jacinto, and a proposed site of the capital of Texas.

La GrangeLocated at 2647 Kallus Road in La Grange, Texas, this property actually boasts two homes with two bedrooms and two bathrooms each and sits on a little more than three acres.

Our story begins in the early 1830s when, according to a website devoted to Fayette County history, William Brookfield and Musgrove Evans moved their families to Texas. Samuel Evans — one of Musgrove’s sons — and Brookfield bought the land where the house stands in 1835, but Samuel died at the Alamo the next year.

Brookfield’s son Francis and Musgrove also served in the Battle of San Jacinto.  

And here’s where it gets even more interesting — in 1838 the Congress of the newly-minted Republic of Texas voted to buy the land and an adjoining league for a new capital, to be named Austin. But Texas President Sam Houston vetoed it.

So yes, this property was once almost the capital of Texas.

William Brookfield built a two-story home at the site. Musgrove also served as the Republic’s auditor general.

When Mexican troops took control of San Antonio in 1842, several families took refuge at the home, and Francis joined other local men to fight off the invading Mexican Army in what became the Dawson Massacre. He died in the massacre.

The two families became officially intertwined when Emma Brookfield — William’s daughter — married Vincent, another Evans son. When Vincent died, she married Julius Cremer.

The main house was rebuilt in 1911 after a fire destroyed the second floor.

The property has most recently been the 1835 Texana Historic Hacienda.

“Most recently — and I mean something like two years ago — it was used as a bed and breakfast and event center,” Paula Collins of Hart Land Real Estate in La Grange explained. “It’s been vacant for a number of years, and has fallen into disrepair.”

La Grange

The main house.

This is a crying shame. The main house has two bedrooms, two bathrooms and its 2,592 square feet of space includes a huge central hall with rooms on both sides. It has concrete floors, stucco walls, and a fireplace.

La Grange

The guest house, which was used as the bed and breakfast portion previously, has 1,096 square feet, two bedrooms, and two bathrooms, and has stone walls inside to create a dramatic feel.

La Grange

The guest house, which most recently served as a bed and breakfast.

la grange

la grange

Both homes rest on a hilltop, affording gorgeous country views, although the grounds immediately around the homes could use some sprucing up as well.

Total cost is $250,000, which means you could easily afford to give the property some TLC and have both a second home and an income property.

“There are an additional 21 acres that are for sale, too,” Collins said.

And there is plenty for potential guests to do in La Grange and the surrounding area. “You’re very near Round Top, and you can kayak in the Colorado River,” Collins said. “We have some LCRA parks where you can put your kayak in the river.”

“We also have a very popular quilt museum,” she added. “It’s a world class museum devoted to quilts, and it gets a lot of visitors.”

The town also boasts the Depot Museum and M-K-T Railroad Depot, the Frisch Auf! golf course, the Jersey Barnyard (a working dairy farm), Monument Hill and the Kreische Brewery state historic sites, and the Texas Czech Heritage and Cultural Center. There is also a year-round farmers market on the La Grange town square every Saturday.

La Grange’s proximity to the big cities makes it an ideal getaway. “We’re located right in the middle between Houston and Austin,” Collins said. “it’s an hour and a half to Houston and an hour to Austin.”

If you’re worried about the potential red tape or restrictions in owning a property with such a pedigree, Collins said there aren’t any real restrictions to what you do with it.

“It’s got a state plaque on it, but it’s not protected,” she said. “But I will say that the people that are interested in it right now are interested because it’s historic.”

“It really is just such a cool, old place.”

Lisa Corker with Hart Land Real Estate has the listing.

Bethany Erickson

Bethany Erickson

5 Comments

  1. michael means on August 13, 2017 at 12:14 am

    Are there more details as to tax’s etc.



    • Candy Evans on August 15, 2017 at 1:08 pm

      Check with the listing agent!



  2. Jean on August 13, 2017 at 7:03 pm

    Would love a place like that as my retirement home & 3 acres is being reduced by a loop ( roadway) right through my back yard…red light and all just feet from my carport .unfortunately now my home has been devalued due to this so we are forced to stay in this location…what a wonderful place and the 2 homes are marvelous. Someone will be so lucky to call that place home.



  3. dormand on August 20, 2017 at 2:38 pm

    With AirBnB providing such a groundswell of demand, a lot of places like this suddenly become feasible, particularly for those fortunate enough to have competence at home renovations and repairs. ( I am a klutz at any tool use. )

    While what will happen with Houston is anyone’s guess, it is almost guaranteed that Austin will become one of the world’s magnets for creative talent. As Austin rejected a mass transit option earlier and is overly dependent upon frequently coagulated I-35 as a north/south artery, traffic is stifling.

    Many of those who have thrived in Austin will relish a week-end simple retreat, just as for generations, many who were repulsed by being jammed against other souls 24/7 in Manhattan have found that they could recharge their creative juices and mental stability by escaping the city to a simple abode out in the boondocks away from the maddening crowd.

    A little known incredible treat not far from La Grange is the collection of incredibly well restored rural Catholic Churches in the farming communities settled by German and Czech families moving to the New World who wanted to preserve their heritage and religious traditions. I found that the Painted Church Tour to. be nothing short of an incredible testament to what can be accomplished once a group with few resources team together to accomplish overarching goals. Schulenberg is the site of several of the tour groups who guide tours. ( Be sure to pack a lunch when you go; these are rural sites with no Starbucks within an hour of hard driving. )



  4. Cheska on October 22, 2018 at 12:16 pm

    Wondering how much would it cost for the other hectares on sale?