Robert F. Rowntree House
Llano, Llano County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Early Llano County leader, Robert Flack (Bob) Rowntree (1847-1893), built this majestic two-story house in the Prairie Mountain community from 1875 to 1888. Scottish architect John K. Finlay, a pioneer in the Texas granite industry, designed the home using local red-brown sandstone obtained nearby and white limestone from Burnet County. Built with 20-inch thick walls, the house contains eight rooms, each with a fireplace, and porches on both floors overlooking Prairie Mountain and Rough Mountain. Rowntree lived on his 8500-acre ranch with his family until his untimely death on July 19, 1893. Some believe his involvement in the Hoodoo War was connected to his death. Later, the house became the home of Ernst and Lucy (Meusebach) Marschall. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2016
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Llano County leader Robert Flack "Bob" Rowntree built this majestic two-story house between 1875 and 1888, its 20-inch sandstone-and-limestone walls designed by Scottish architect John K. Finlay, a pioneer of the Texas granite industry. Each of its eight rooms had a fireplace, and porches on both floors looked out over Prairie and Rough Mountains from his 8,500-acre ranch. Rowntree died suddenly in 1893, a death some tied to his role in the region's Hoodoo War, and the house later passed to the Marschall family.
Why it matters
Substantial ranch houses like the Rowntree home mark the transition of the Texas Hill Country from raw frontier to established ranching country, and its ties to feud violence recall how contested that settlement remained.
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Related people
- · Robert Flack Rowntree
- · John K. Finlay
Related events
- · Hoodoo War
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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