Old Cook Home, 1861
Lampasas, Lampasas County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Of white native stone and lumber hauled here by wagons. First cemetery in county is nearby. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1966
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built in 1861 of native white stone with lumber hauled in by wagon, the Old Cook Home stands near the county's first cemetery in early Lampasas. Its sturdy stonework reflects the self-reliant building methods of settlers on the Texas frontier.
Why it matters
Surviving pioneer homes anchor the physical memory of how central Texas was first settled and built, one hauled load of stone and timber at a time.
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Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Cook Cemetery
Lampasas, TX
Cook Cemetery is Lampasas County's oldest burial ground, begun as a community graveyard in the mid-1850s when the first marked grave was dug in 1854. It took its name from William and Cynthia Cook, Arkansas settlers who bought the land in 1861, and it fell out of use after an 1873 flood swept through the low ground.
Matt and Rebecca Smith House
Lampasas, TX
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.
Lampasas County Jail
Lampasas, TX
Raised in 1883 of native stone with Romanesque trim, this county jail was a substantial statement of law and permanence in still-young Lampasas County. Later stuccoed over, it still holds the supports of its interior scaffold. It was recognized as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1965.
St. Mary's Episcopal Church
Lampasas, TX
Raised in 1884 from native limestone, St. Mary's is the oldest church still in use in the Lampasas area, its Gothic lines modeled on a church in Rugby, England, hometown of pioneer parishioner W. T. Campbell. A cluster of early founders helped establish the congregation on the central Texas frontier. Its original oaken altar and pews survive, and the sanctuary holds a prized Tintoretto panel.