John L. and Annie Upshaw Cleveland House
Cleburne, Johnson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
John L. and Annie Upshaw Cleveland House John L. Cleveland was born in Georgia in 1851 to James Monroe and Catherine (Wright) Cleveland. He studied agriculture and business before moving to Midlothian, Texas, to teach and farm. Annie Hamilton Upshaw, daughter of Samuel Crockett and Attelia (Aldridge) Upshaw of Old Washington, Texas, moved with her family to Hillsboro and attended Stuart Female Seminary in Austin. She and Cleveland married in Hillsboro in 1884, and the two settled in Cleburne, where, in 1887, they purchased two lots from B.J. Chambers. The couple began construction on their home in 1892 and moved in the following year. John and Annie were both instrumental in the formation of the Main Street Methodist Church. John owned the Cleburne cottonseed oil mill, which was destroyed by fire in 1907. He also owned a hardware store and sold cars to Cleburne citizens, although he did not learn to drive until he was 80 years old. He was a member of the Knights of Pythias, the school board and the Democratic Club of Cleburne. Annie, or Anne, served as president of the Cleburne chapter of Circle of Kings Daughters, headed the local Red Cross canteen during World War I and, in 1925, helped organize the city's parent-teacher associations and the Cleburne Council of Mothers, which later became the City Council. She served as the group's first president. The couple had ten children, six of whom lived to adulthood. John died in March 1936, and Annie died four months later. The house passed to their children, who sold it in 1941. Subsequent owners maintained the aesthetic of the historic home, which was built in the Queen Anne style with Eastlake details. Interesting features include decorative Fishscale shingling, polychromatic painting, sunburst motifs, a prominent modified keyhole window and spindled friezework. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2002
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
John L. Cleveland, a Georgia-born farmer and businessman, married Annie Hamilton Upshaw in 1884, and the couple settled in Cleburne, where they built this Queen Anne home with Eastlake details in 1892. John ran a cottonseed oil mill and hardware store and sold some of the town's first automobiles, while Annie led civic life—heading the local Red Cross canteen during World War I and helping found the city's parent-teacher associations and council of mothers. The house passed through their family before later owners preserved its ornate fishscale shingles and sunburst trim.
Why it matters
The home reflects the entrepreneurial energy and women's civic leadership that built small Texas cities in the Gilded Age and early 20th century.
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Related people
- · John L. Cleveland
- · Annie Upshaw Cleveland
Themes & tags
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