W. A. Strain Home
Lancaster, Dallas County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This residence was built for W. A. (1861 - 1907) and Minnie (White) Strain (1867 - 1957), whose pioneer family bought this property in 1846. Begun in 1895, the structure was completed in late 1896. Noted architect James E. Flanders of the Dallas firm of Flanders-Moad designed the frame Victorian house, with its ornate porch decoration and fishscale shingling. The Strain's son Ellis White (b. 1900) later occupied the home with his wife Ruth (Clark) (1902 - 1975) and their four daughters. RTHL 1977
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This ornate frame Victorian was built in 1895–96 for W. A. and Minnie Strain, whose pioneer family had bought the Lancaster property back in 1846. Its fishscale shingling and elaborate porch trim were the work of noted Dallas architect James E. Flanders of the Flanders-Moad firm. The Strains' son later raised his own family of four daughters in the house, keeping it in the family across generations.
Why it matters
The home captures the confidence of Gilded Age small-town Texas, when a prosperous pioneer family could commission a leading architect to crown decades of settlement with a showpiece Victorian residence.
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Related people
- · W. A. Strain
- · Minnie White Strain
- · James E. Flanders
Themes & tags
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