Matt and Rebecca Smith House
Lampasas, Lampasas County, Texas
Marker Inscription
John Madison "Matt" and Rebecca Wells Smith built this Queen Anne cottage circa 1902. Matt (1858-1936) moved to Burnet County, Texas as a young boy, and in 1891, he wed Rebecca (d. 1945). He served as a deputy sheriff before the couple moved to Lampasas in 1896. Here, they operated the Lampasas Hotel, a restaurant and saloon. Matt continued to work as a deputy sheriff and also as a deputy U.S. Marshal, and Rebecca was active socially and served on the Oak Hill Cemetery committee. Design features on the house include scrolled brackets and a hipped roof with cross gables. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2006
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Matt Smith came to Burnet County as a boy and built a career on the Texas frontier as a deputy sheriff and deputy U.S. Marshal. After marrying Rebecca Wells in 1891, the couple moved to Lampasas in 1896, where they ran the Lampasas Hotel with its restaurant and saloon. Around 1902 they built this Queen Anne cottage, with the scrolled brackets and cross gables typical of the style.
Why it matters
The Smith house preserves a slice of turn-of-the-century small-town Texas, where lawmen, hoteliers, and civic-minded families shaped emerging frontier communities.
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Related people
- ¡ Matt Smith
- ¡ Rebecca Wells Smith
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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