Bates-Sheppard House
312 E. Broadway, Cuero, TXBuilt principally of lumber salvaged from the Henry Sheppard house of Indianola, this residence was erected on this site in 1886 for F.W. Bates (son-in-law of Henry Sheppard), his wife, and her brother and sister. Bates, along with Frank Hutchins, operated a hardware store in the R.C. Warn Building on N. Esplanade. While Cuero had many hardware businesses, this was one of Cuero's largest and most successful. Bates was an alderman from 1887 to 1914. When Frank Hutchins died in 1920, Bates became the sole owner of the hardware business and operated it until his death in 1930. Bates was responsible for the extensive alterations to the house in 1925. It remained in the Bates-Sheppard family until 1968 and now serves Cuero and surrounding communities as the Dewitt County Museum.
Local significance of the building:Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
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.