HistoricSiteMarkers
Reconstruction & Gilded Age

W. R. Hughes Home

Kempner, Lampasas County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Built 1880 by W. R. Hughes, farmer, orchard grower. "Old Plantation" architecture; has ornate gables, dormers, glass. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1966

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Farmer and orchard grower W. R. Hughes built this house in 1880 in an ornate "Old Plantation" style, complete with decorative gables, dormers, and fine glasswork. It survives as an example of the more elaborate rural homes raised by prospering agriculturalists in central Texas after the Civil War. The Lampasas County dwelling was recognized as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1966.

Why it matters

Substantial farmhouses like this trace the growing prosperity of agricultural settlers as the Texas frontier gave way to established farming country.

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Related people

  • Β· W. R. Hughes

Themes & tags

Westward ExpansionFrontier HistoryHome

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