Magoffin Home History | Texas Historical Commission

Welcome to the Magoffin Home State Historic Site. Nestled in downtown El Paso, this striking and unique adobe homestead tells the stories of a multicultural family that influenced the development of the Southwest borderlands. Magoffin family members actively participated in American expansion, West Texas settlement, trade on the Santa Fe-Chihuahua Trail, Civil War turmoil, and U.S.-Mexico relations. Explore the home’s authentic art and furnishings reflecting the daily lives of this prominent El Paso family.

Joseph’s father, James Wiley Magoffin (1799–1868), left Kentucky for Mexico in the 1820s seeking adventure and opportunity. He became a widely respected trader and businessman, known locally as “Don Santiago,” in Matamoros and on the Chihuahua-Santa Fe Trail. His influence extended into politics, as he arranged the peaceful surrender of Santa Fe during the American invasion of Nuevo Mexico in 1846.
After the Mexican-American War, he made extensive land purchases along the Rio Grande and created the settlement of Magoffinsville, a forerunner of present-day El Paso and an early site of Fort Bliss. In 1867, floods destroyed his hacienda and trading post, located about 11 blocks east of the Magoffin Home. James met his wife, Maria Gertrudis Valdez, in Coahuila, Mexico. They married in Chihuahua and raised eight children.
Born in Chihuahua, Mexico, and educated in Kentucky and Missouri, Joseph Magoffin (1837–1923) first came to the El Paso area in 1856 to work in his father’s mercantile in Magoffinsville. A forerunner of present-day El Paso, Magoffinsville had been settled by James Wiley Magoffin around 1849. After serving in the Civil War, Joseph returned with his family and became an advocate for the development of El Paso and the region. Using his extensive landholdings, he helped bring railroads, utilities, and new businesses to town, increasing his personal fortune. He was a co-founder of the State National Bank, where he was vice president for 40 years. He served as county judge, four terms as mayor, collector of customs, and in numerous other public offices. His wife Octavia (1845–1906) was a social leader in the community and active in Catholic charities. The couple was well known for their hospitality and entertained guests frequently in the home.
When Joseph and Octavia Magoffin moved into their new adobe home in 1877, El Paso was a small frontier town. Joseph, a politician and civic leader, built the home on property he had obtained from his late father, James Wiley Magoffin. The adobe construction reflects typical Spanish and Territorial architecture found in the Southwest borderlands and the influence of the 1820s Greek Revival style popular in other parts of the United States. The homestead, surrounded by orchards and gardens, became a well-known social center in the community.
J.W. (Jim) Magoffin (1864–1913), son of Joseph and Octavia, grew up in El Paso and attended school in San Antonio and the University of Notre Dame. Interested in business, J.W. was often associated with his father’s activities, including working in the El Paso Customs Office, as a railroad freight agent, and in other commercial ventures. In 1897, he married Anne Buford (1875–1962), the daughter of the American consul in Juarez. They and their four children lived in the Magoffin Home at various times. J.W. unexpectedly died at age 49 after an appendectomy. Anne and her children cared for Joseph until his death in 1923.
Joseph and Octavia had their second child, Josephine (1873–1968), shortly before they constructed the Magoffin Home. After attending the first public school in El Paso, Josie continued her education in Washington, D.C. and Europe. She returned in 1891 and became active in the social life of the city. Her marriage to William J. Glasgow (1866–1967) in 1896 was described as the most fashionable in El Paso’s history. Glasgow, a graduate of West Point, served with distinction in the Spanish-American War, the Pershing Expedition, and World War I, retiring in 1927 with the rank of brigadier general. His wife and five children followed him from post to post, influencing two of the boys to pursue their own military careers. The Glasgows moved into the Magoffin Home after Joseph’s death, where they lived for the next four decades. Their daughter, Octavia, continued to live in the home until her death in 1986.
The original Magoffin Home had six rooms and a large hall, with an outbuilding of three rooms 40 feet south of the home. Over time, seven more rooms were added, connecting the two buildings and creating the enclosed courtyard that exists today. The home and its furnishings reflect more than 100 years of continuous use by the Magoffins and their descendants. Although the function of the rooms often changed, the home retains many of the lovely furnishings and decorative arts enjoyed by generations of family members.
One of the oldest surviving adobes in the region, the Magoffin Home was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. In 2007, the Texas Historical Commission gained ownership over this historic home. The house has undergone several needed renovations and gained a visitor center located across the street. The home continues to live on and tell the story of the Magoffin family and descendants, while also allowing visitors to step back in time and see what life was like during the frontier days of West Texas.