Ashton Villa

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The 1859 Ashton Villa, a fully restored historic home, was the first of Galveston’s great mansions built on Broadway Boulevard. Since its completion, it has been at the center of the island’s social life.

On January 7, 1859, Colonel James Moreau Brown, a prominent hardware merchant and banker, purchased four lots on Broadway on which to build a home. Referencing architectural pattern books current at the time, he modified several plans to design his future home. Using slave labor and European craftsmen, Brown proceeded to build one of the first brick structures in Texas.

The three-story house was built in Victorian Italianate style, with deep eaves, long windows and ornate verandas that were topped by lintels made of cast iron. The brick walls were made 13 inches thick, to help protect against humidity and add strength to the structure. The interior of the home was laid out and designed around a central hall floor plan. Brown's wife, Rebecca Ashton, named the home in honor of one of her ancestors, Lt Issac Ashton, a hero in the U.S. Revolutionary War. 

The house was completed in 1861. When the Civil War began, the home became the headquarters for the Confederate Army and served in that capacity for the entire war, except for a brief period in the fall of 1862. At that time, Galveston was surrendered to the Union Army, which made Ashton Villa its headquarters. The Union's occupation was short lived, however, as Galveston was re-taken by the Confederates during the Battle of Galveston in January 1863.

Brown died in 1895, just five years before the Great Storm of 1900 devastated Galveston. Ashton Villa, however, managed to withstand the storm's winds and infamous storm surge, while serving as shelter to Brown's widow and children. In the storm's aftermath and grade raising of the city, its basement was filled in with sand, and the surrounding grounds were topped with two feet of soil.

Ashton Villa was sold in 1927 to the El Mina Shrine masonic order. The house served as its business offices and meeting hall until 1970, when it was offered for sale. Under the threat of demolition, the Galveston Historical Foundation raised $125,000 to purchase Ashton Villa. With additional funding from local foundations and the government, the process of restoring and refurnishing the home began. On July 25, 1974, the Galveston Historical Foundation opened the home to the public to serve as a House Museum, visitors center and a place for special functions.

Ashton Villa is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark.