Harris, Capt. Andrew Jackson, House
a.k.a. #3
1001 W. Tenth St., Belton, TXThe Harris House, built around 1870, is one of the premier examples of the large dwellings built in Belton after the Civil War. Architecturally, the house is a hybrid; based on an established vernacular form, it originally reflected the late Greek Revival style but had an exuberant, Queen Anne gallery added which transforms the character of the facade. Contextually, the house is related to the Community and Regional Development in Texas, specifically to the early development of Belton during the years of the cattle boom following the Civil War. The house meets National Register Criterion c, significant in the area of architecture as an early example of vernacular construction with later stylistic applications.
The Harris House was built by Captain Andrew Jackson Harris (1839-1910). Born and educated in Mississippi, Harris served in the Mississippi Cavalry during the Civil War. After the war he married and moved to Texas, settling in Salado where he taught for a time
Around 1870 he moved to Belton and built this house on a large lot at what was at the time an undeveloped section on the outskirts of the city. Harris had a law practice in Belton and served for a time as Bell County Superintendent of Schools. In the late 1880s, he played an important role in the effort to convince Baylor College officials to relocate the Women's branch to Belton from Independence; later he served as the school's legal advisor and a member of its Board of Trustees.
Constructed in the early 1870s, the house reflects the Greek Revival form that was dominant in Harris' former town, Salado. It also shows the late-century evolution toward an ornate architectural aesthetic, as evidenced by the jigsawn trim on the gallery. It was a fairly common practice in the Victorian era to update a Greek Revival house with such a treatment. The Harris House is one of the few surviving structures in Belton from the early post-Civil War era and is a wonderful example of the building patterns of the town's early prominent citizens.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.