L. P. Smith House
Mexia, Limestone County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Built 1876 by Mexia merchant and banker Lewis Philip Smith and his second wife, Mattie J. Beeson Smith. Home site cost $400 in gold in 1868. House has cedar shingle roof, cedar post foundations; 12-light windows; old fashioned weatherboard siding; 6-inch board floors. Square nails used in structure. Smith, a Mason and Methodist, was a leader in the town; died at 39, in 1886. Six generations of the family have lived here. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1967
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Mexia merchant and banker Lewis Philip Smith built this house in 1876 with his second wife, Mattie J. Beeson Smith, on a home site that had cost $400 in gold in 1868. Its cedar-shingle roof, cedar-post foundation, twelve-light windows, and square-nail construction reflect the craftsmanship of the era. A Mason, Methodist, and town leader, Smith died young in 1886, and six generations of his family have since lived in the home.
Why it matters
The Smith house shows how merchant-bankers anchored the growth of small Texas towns after the Civil War, and its long family occupancy preserves that continuity across generations.
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Related people
- · Lewis Philip Smith
- · Mattie J. Beeson Smith
Themes & tags
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