| Marker Text |
This house dates to 1870, when Jacob Ott (1848-1932) began construction on a home with his carpenter neighbor, August Gruensendorf. The bottom story of the two-level structure was used for his baking business and the upper story was Ott's residence. Ott had settled in Industry five years earlier after emigrating from Worms, Germany. He married Friedricke Hoehne (1855 -1892) in 1872, and in 1875, became a trial minister in the Southern (German) Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, beginning a ministry career that spanned 40 years. In 1880, Ott sold the property to Fritz Holze, who operated a general store from the building. In 1884, Edward Lindemann (1859-1931) and Franz Getschmann formed a partnership and purchased the Holze store. Lindemann, whose family emigrated from Wittenburg, Prussia in 1854, purchased his partner's half of the business in 1889. In 1894, Lindemann moved his store across the street and he and his wife, Julia (Fisches) (1861-1938), moved their family into this building. In 1899, Lindemann made significant renovations, adding several more rooms and a porch to the house. In 1910, Edward and Julia's second son, Monroe (1888-1966), married Ella Ott (1890-1965), a daughter of the original homeowners. The couple resided in this house for 55 years. Ella's sister, Bertha Ott (1876-1961), moved here in 1946; she had been a practicing pharmacist in Ohio and was honored by the Texas House of Representatives after her death. The house has a center passage floorplan. It features Queen Anne detailing, which includes diamond-shaped shingles in the pediment, gabled dormers, fretwork and supporting posts that are lathe turned spindle style. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2010 |
