James House
a.k.a. #7
805 N. Beal St., Belton, TXThe James House, estimated to have been built in the 1890s, illustrates the dissemination of nationally popular house styles in Belton through pattern books and stock materials. Contextually, the house relates to the Community and Regional Development of Belton, specifically to the growth of Belton during the cotton boom years around the turn of the century. The house meets National Register Criterion c, significant in the area of Architecture, as an intact example of a typical late-Victorian cottage showing the influence of the Queen Anne-Eastlake style.
The James House was built in the 1890s by a local contractor named Schmidt for the James family who lived in the house for a time and then used it as a rental property. The design was probably largely borrowed from pattern books and indicates the local availability of milled trim based on the popular Eastlake style. The James House illustrates the increasing influence of nationally popular styles on local house designs, a reflection of Belton's increasing sophistication and communication with the outside world during its period of growth and prosperity at the end of the 19th century. Small Eastlake-influenced houses like this were once quite common, but few have survived in the pristine condition of the James House. The original carriage house is also intact and is an important contributing building to the property.
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.