Hart, Meredith, House

The Meredith Hart homestead is an excellent example of vernacular Greek Revival architecture. The house had the refined appearance worthy of the successful cattleman Meredith Hart. As an Indian fighter, Texas, Ranger, and stockman, he was an important man in his community, interested in politics, and active in establishing Hunt County. Also, he served in the Texas army in the fight for independence.

Meredith Hart, born in Kentucky in 1811, had made his way west to Arkansas and finally to Texas by 1834. When he settled in the area now known as Hunt County, he was the first permanent white settler. In 1836 he joined the Texas troops in the fight for the separation of Texas from Mexico. When Texas won its independence, he returned to his stock business in Hopkins and Hunt counties. As one of the first five commissioners, Hart helped organize Hunt County. As a member of the Texas Rangers, he was instrumental in moving the Indians farther west. With the threat of Indians lessening, he began running cattle in Navarro, Johnson, and Erath counties. In 1852 he moved to Johnson County where he later bought from Col. Chambers at $2.50 an acre two sections of land with an abundance of live water near the present community of Rio Vista.

In 1859 Meredith Hart contracted George Wilson to construct the house for $2,000 on Mustang Creek. The material was hauled by oxen teams pulling large wagons with wooden wheels from east Texas, and the hardware and paint were hauled from Houston.
Hart made his living from ranching. At first, he sold cattle to an Indian agent, Charlie Bernard at Ft. Belknap. Later he drove his stock to Shreveport and down the river to New Orleans. During the war he sold cattle for counterfeit Confederate money, suffering considerable loss. When he died in 1864, his daughter, Nancy Jane Pollard, inherited the property. The Pollards couldn't recover from the depression of 1873-4, therefore T. D. Lorance bought the house. The Pollards tried to buy it on terms from Mr. Lorance, a family friend but were unable to pay for it. During the twentieth century, it had several owners until 1961, when R. W. Kimbro bought it.

Some changes were made to the house in 1938, including the demo- lition of the back porch because they were unable to fix the rotting boards. In 1966 the Kimbros restored the house replacing the porch.

When it was complete, Dr. and Mrs. R. W. Kimbro received the first Texas Restoration Award from the Texas State Historical Survey Committee in 1968. That same year an addition was made extending to the west including a master bedroom. Care was taken to maintain the nature of the original house. The chimney of the addition had a top to match the existing chimneys. The roofing and fasciae also matched the original.