Lumpkin Building
101 Main St., Meridian, TXThe 1901 Lumpkin Building in Meridian, the county seat of Bosque County, is one of the earliest stone commercial buildings in the town, built by local resident J.M. Williams. In 1894 prominent Meridian physician and civic leader Dr. J.J. Lumpkin purchased the building to house his drug store, which thenceforth became known as the Lumpkin Building. A devastating fire heavily damaged the building in 1901, and Dr. Lumpkin rebuilt this building, on a prominent corner lot in Meridian's central business district, that same year. The building housed a number of occupants over the years, including the Farmers Guaranty State Bank, a hardware store, and various professional offices on the second floor. For its long association with the history of commerce in Meridian, the Lumpkin Building meets the criterion in the area of Commerce at the local level of significance. As one of the earliest and most intact local examples of vernacular commercial architecture reflecting the 2-part commercial block form, the building also is significant in the area of Architecture at the local level.
Local significance of the building:Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
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.