The Curtis Mansion
Belton, Bell County, Texas
Marker Inscription
W.R. and Ida (Rogers) Miller, rich from good cotton years at turn of the century, built this late Victorian house in 1902. In its architecture, Queen Anne features are mingled with Shingle style then popular in the eastern U.S. The design included fireplaces in every room. Fine materials and detailing inside and out gave elegance to the structure. The later owners, particularly the A. Lon Curtis Family (1914-73), have enhanced and preserved the house. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1977
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Flush with profits from strong turn-of-the-century cotton years, W. R. and Ida Miller built this elegant house in Belton in 1902, blending fashionable Queen Anne detailing with the Shingle style then popular back east. The design lavished attention on fine materials and craftsmanship, down to a fireplace in every room. Later owners, especially the A. Lon Curtis family who held it from 1914 to 1973, preserved and enhanced the home, earning it Recorded Texas Historic Landmark status in 1977.
Why it matters
The mansion is a monument to the cotton wealth that built Central Texas towns at the turn of the century, and to the Victorian architectural tastes that prosperity brought to the frontier.
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Related people
- · W. R. Miller
- · Ida Rogers Miller
- · A. Lon Curtis
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
The Curtis Mansion
Belton, TX
Cotton broker William Ray Miller and his wife Ida built this grand house in 1902, its costliness earning it the nickname "A Monument to King Cotton." In 1914 attorney A. Lon Curtis and his wife Cora acquired it—bringing in a Kansas City decorator—and the family's 59-year residence gave the mansion its lasting name. Long a showplace of Belton hospitality, it was sold in 1973 and became a complex of luxury suites.
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