Marsh F. Smith House
Georgetown, Williamson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This Foursquare house was built in 1908 by the Belford Lumber Co. for Marsh Fawn Smith (1875-1961), operator of a local cottonseed oil mill, and his wife Jessie (Cooper) (1879-1963). Smith served as mayor of Georgetown from 1926 to 1946, important years in the economic development of the city. Elements of the Marsh F. Smith House, including the broad eaves and wraparound porch with square columns, reflect the influence of Prairie School architecture. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1988
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built in 1908 for cottonseed-oil mill operator Marsh Fawn Smith and his wife Jessie, this Foursquare home reflects the Prairie School fashion of the day in its broad eaves and square-columned wraparound porch. Smith did more than run a mill: as mayor of Georgetown from 1926 to 1946 he guided the town through two decades of economic change. The house stands as a record of both an industrialist's prosperity and a long municipal stewardship.
Why it matters
It ties a single family's home to the industrial and civic development of a Central Texas county seat during the early twentieth century.
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Related people
- · Marsh Fawn Smith
- · Jessie Cooper Smith
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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The Harrell-Stone House
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A. W. Sillure House
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Built in 1912 for lumber executive Alexander W. Sillure and his wife Eva, this house showcased the very product its owner sold. As general manager and vice president of the Belford Lumber Company, Sillure supervised his own home's construction and drafted plans for many other Georgetown residences. Its full-width porch and broad eaves reflect the American Foursquare and Prairie School styles popular in early twentieth-century America.
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