Finn, E.O.

Situated on land originally granted by the Mexican government to Austin County pioneer John Nichols, this vernacular Italianate commercial building was constructed in 1896 by E. Oscar Finn and John Thomas Colleton. E.O. Finn (1866-1945), a native of Germany, first came to this country with his parents in 1869. A master mechanic and a smithy of buggies and wagons, Finn built this structure to serve as a sales shop for his products on the first floor with living quarters for his family on the upper story. Drinking water was obtained from a well located inside the building on the first floor, while the remainder of the water supply was piped into the upstairs bathroom from a metal-lined indoor cistern that collected rainwater from the roof. The structure remained in the Finn family for over seventy-five years. The E.O. Finn building, or Carriage House as it is also known, features paired Italianate windows, cast iron columns, and a hand-operated dumbwaiter which was made by the Energy Manufacturing Company of Philadelphia and runs from the basement to the first and second stories. The structure is a reminder of Bellville's early commercial development. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1982

Finn, E.O. is a historical marker in Bellville, Austin County, dedicated in 1982. It is one of 83 historical markers documented in Austin County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 273 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 29.9502, -96.2548 near Bellville. The nearest cataloged historic site is Austin County Courthouse (1960) (courthouse), about 0.2 miles away. Others within a short drive include Austin County Jail, Harigel House, and Austin County Jail.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5015006349. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.