By Claire Williams
Giddings Stone Mansion; Photo by James Pharaon
Touring historical places is one of the best ways to fully understand the lives of those who have walked before us. The Heritage Society of Washington County is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of historical buildings and artifacts and to promoting education and interest in Washington County, according to their website.
The society currently owns three homes that are available for touring — the Ross Carroll Bennett Home, the Giddings Wilkin House Museum, and the Giddings Stone Mansion. Each home highlights unique parts of history from that time period. Two of these historic homes were built by Jabez Deming Giddings, a very influential man in Brenham. Giddings was extremely inventive for his time, says Debi Meschwitz, vice president of Heritage Home Tours. Giddings was not only a practicing lawyer, teacher, and banker, among other things, but he was also responsible for bringing the railroad to Brenham, which brought prosperity along with it.
Giddings built his renowned mansion, the Giddings Stone Mansion, in 1870 in a 19th century Greek Revival style, as seen with the Doric columns that embellish the porches. There are 11 rooms, two large galleries, and porches that wrap around the mansion, except on the west side. “Giddings was a smart man,” Meschwitz says. “He knew that no one would want to sit on the west side of the house in the summertime.”
Ross Carroll Bennett Home; Photo by Kathlyn Dragna
The home includes several unique features. The triple-hung windows throughout the first floor allow for the windows to convert into doorways so that guests could flow more freely throughout the house during a party or large gathering, explains Meschwitz. Other unique features include square pianos, a staircase from St. Louis, and a needle point shower. “Giddings was ahead of his time,” says Meschwitz. His mansion was the first home west of the Mississippi to have functioning heat and electricity.
Unfortunately, these historic homes were not always treated with the utmost care. By 1976, the Giddings Stone Mansion was nearly falling apart. That is when the Heritage Society was gifted the mansion with the intent of restoring it to its former beauty. The society invested about $2 million in the restoration process, and it paid off. Meschwitz says people used to be scared to drive by the home because of its condition. Without the society’s work, members of the community would not be as educated about the people who helped shape Brenham into what it is today.
The homes are considered historical sights and are marked with historical markers. This means the restoration process remained true to the original appearance of the homes. Everything, even the colors of the walls in each room, are true to when the homes were first built, explains Meschwitz. A home cannot receive a historical marker unless it accurately represents the home in its historical context, she continues.
Giddings Wilkin House Museum
The homes are full of original features. The Giddings Stone Mansion includes original furniture, light fixtures, and fireplaces; even the original blueprints to the home are hanging in what was once Giddings’ office.
Because of the age of the homes, there is always something that needs to be fixed, says Meschwitz. The Heritage Society relies on donors and income from tours to keep these historical homes in pristine condition. Groups can tour all three historic homes for $20 per person, but each group must collectively spend a minimum of $50. “Every dollar that we get goes to restoration,” she says. The society also hosts galas and other fundraising events at these historical homes to raise additional financial support.
Meschwitz urges people to come see the houses because of the history of the area and Texas. For more information about Heritage Society home tours, visit www.visitbrenhamtexas.com.
