W. B. Houston House

This Queen Anne-style house, completed in 1895, was built by prominent cattle baron and trail driver William Buckner Houston. Known as W B Houston, he was born May 6, 1852, in DeWitt County, Texas, to James Andrew Dunn and Julia A Harris Houston. He had two brothers, Robert A and James Dunn Houston, and three sisters, Dora Houston Tinsley, Merry Houston Harris, and Minnie Houston James. At just nineteen years old, William struck out on his own and, despite starting without financial backing, became one of Texas’s most successful cattlemen, owning over 6,000 acres in Gonzales County.

The scale of the Houston cattle operations was significant. In 1884, J D Houston and others shipped 10,000 head of cattle to Wichita Falls. Around the same time, J D and W B Houston prepared to drive 3,000 to 4,000 two-year-old cattle along the trail.

On January 30, 1884, William married Ada Lewis, born September 24, 1857, the daughter of Judge Everett Lewis and Alice Josephine Strictland Lewis of Gonzales. Together, William and Ada had one daughter, Ada Lewis Houston. Sadly, Ada passed away on January 5, 1889, and is buried in the Gonzales Masonic Cemetery in the Lewis family plot.

William later married Sue Lewis Jones on December 7, 1892. Sue was born November 23, 1867, in Gonzales County, to Augustus H Jones and Minerva Lewis Jones, who had come to Texas from Georgia. The couple built this magnificent late Queen Anne-style house, which features distinctive architectural details, including towers, turrets, wrap-around porches, and intricate embellishments. The interior showcases original parquet floors, intricately carved longleaf pine woodwork, fireplaces, and embossed ceilings. Notable interior elements include towering pillars framing the parlor entrance, a grand staircase in the foyer, pocket doors, and elegant decorative paneling.

The formal dining room leads into a conservatory through glass pocket doors, where exotic plants and flowers were once displayed. One of the most significant features of the home is the set of hand-painted murals adorning the parlor ceiling and dining room walls. These murals were painted by Sue, who had studied art in Europe. Her work reflects the classical style popular during the Victorian era, with its refined elegance and intricate detailing. The home remains beautifully furnished with period antiques, some dating back as early as 1835.

William died of a stroke on December 22, 1916, and was buried in the Gonzales Masonic Cemetery. Sue passed away on August 12, 1951, and was laid to rest beside him.