Midland's First House
Midland, Midland County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Of concrete blocks, 1908. Western Ranch style. Home of Raymond and Edith Lawrence. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1965.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built of concrete blocks in 1908 in the Western Ranch style, this was the first house in the young town of Midland, then a rough cattle settlement on the West Texas plains. It was home to Raymond and Edith Lawrence and stands as a tangible link to the community's earliest days.
Why it matters
First houses like this one mark the moment a railroad stop or ranching outpost began to become a permanent American town.
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Related people
- · Raymond Lawrence
- · Edith Lawrence
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Staked Plains
Midland, TX
The Staked Plains was the first newspaper published in Midland County, printed in 1885 from a frame building on this site. Each copy was hand-set and hand-printed on an old-style press at a rate of about five per hour, and the paper carried county court proceedings at three-quarters of a cent per square inch. J.C. Rathbun served as its editor and publisher.
Dorsey Home
Midland, TX
This Midland residence, built by Z. Taylor Brown, survives as an example of the ornamented craftsmanship of an earlier era, with its decorative trim, art-glass window, two fireplaces, and oak mantels. Recognized as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1965, the home reflects the settled prosperity that took hold as Midland grew from a raw railroad stop into an established West Texas town.
Brown-Dorsey House
Midland, TX
Rancher and merchant Z. Taylor Brown brought his family to Midland in 1884 and had this home built in 1899, complete with carved woodwork, an art-glass window, and three fireplaces sharing a single chimney. Believed to be the oldest dwelling in Midland, it stayed in the Brown family for seventy years, passing to daughter Sara Brown Dorsey. It survives as a rare piece of the town's frontier beginnings.
W. B. Anglin
Midland, TX
W.B. Anglin, a Virginia-born member of Company B of the Texas Rangers' Frontier Battalion, joined the force around 1875 at about age 25. On July 1, 1879, he was killed near this spot while trailing a Comanche raiding party and was buried where he fell. Remembered for his bravery and good humor, Anglin is recorded as the last man slain by Indians in central West Texas.