Witcher House
Lampasas, Lampasas County, Texas
Marker Inscription
THE LAMPASAS SPRINGS CO. PLATTED THEIR FIRST ADDITION TO THE CITY OF LAMPASAS IN JUNE 1882, INCLUDING THIS PARCEL BOUGHT BY BUSINESSMAN JAMES HARVEY GALBRAITH. HE OWNED THE c. 1883 HOUSE UNTIL 1899, BUT IT IS UNCLEAR IF HIS FAMILY LIVED HERE OR RENTED IT TO OTHERS. THE SINGLE-STORY FOLK VICTORIAN HOUSE IS L-SHAPED WITH A HIGH PITCHED ROOF, CLAPBOARD SIDING, DOUBLE HUNG WINDOWS WITH CROWNS, AND FULL-WIDTH PORCH WITH SQUARE COLUMNS. THE FAMILY OF CHARLES NEMAN WITCHER, CATTLEMAN AND ENTREPRENEUR (1911-44), AND KATIE MESECKE (1950-83) EACH LIVED HERE FOR MORE THAN THIRTY YEARS.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built around 1883 in a new addition platted by the Lampasas Springs Company, this single-story Folk Victorian home reflects the building boom that came to Lampasas as the town grew into a health-resort and railroad destination. With its high-pitched roof, clapboard siding, crowned windows, and full-width porch, the house is a well-preserved example of the modest but stylish homes of the era. Two families, the Witchers and the Meseckes, each made it their home for more than thirty years.
Why it matters
Vernacular houses like this preserve the everyday architecture of a boomtown, showing how ordinary families built and lived during Texas's late-19th-century growth.
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Related people
- · James Harvey Galbraith
- · Charles Neman Witcher
- · Katie Mesecke
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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