Joiner-Long House

With its two phases of construction, in 1895 and c.1910, the Joiner-Long House serves as an excellent example of transitions in domestic architecture during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Although its form and some remaining details reflect its late Victorian origins, the later simplification of details and addition of Colonial Revival features associated the house with the more modern, Free Classic version of the Queen Anne. As if to emphasize the house's contemporary character, a few Prairie-style elements were also added. Occupied by two prominent Cleburne families, the house reflects the changing architectural fashions of the town's elite. It is nominated under criterion C in the area of Architecture, at the local level of significance.

Cleburne

With an excellent water source along Buffalo Creek, the area of Cleburne, Texas has a long history as a place of rest for travelers and cattlemen. It was not until the Civil War, however, that the water source would develop into an inhabited community. Settlement began with the establishment of Camp Henderson, a temporary camp used as a gathering point for Johnson County soldiers before going off to war. In 1867 the need arose for a more centrally located county seat, and Cleburne was established as a permanent settlement and the new Johnson County seat. The town was named in honor of Civil War General Patrick Cleburne, under whom many local men had served.

In 1870, the town's population was recorded as 683. Beginning in the 1880s, however, Cleburne entered a phase of rapid growth, as its significance as a transportation crossroads brought several railroads through town. By 1890, the population had exploded to 3,727. In addition to several railroads laying routes through Cleburne, the Santa Fe Railroad built its central machine shops there in the late 1890s, adding an industrial base to the town and helping to double its population to 7,493 by 1900.

Cleburne's physical and economic growth spurred additional development during the early 20th century, during which the town was introduced to high-style architecture. Cleburne's first professionally designed building, the ornately detailed, Neoclassical Cleburne Carnegie Library (NR 1976), was built in 1904. In the 1910s, Cleburne demonstrated a penchant for hiring progressive and innovative architectural firms from the nearby Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex to design their public buildings. Lang and Witchell, Dallas's most influential firm of the period, designed the 1912 Johnson County Courthouse (NR 1988), a strikingly unique building that united traditional classical motifs with stylized forms and detailing derived from the Prairie and Sullivanesque styles. In 1918, the equally influential Fort Worth firm, Sanguinet and Staats, designed the Cleburne High School, another hybrid of the Neoclassical and Prairie styles.

Cleburne continued to thrive until the 1920s when the ensuing depression caused all four local banks to fail. A Civilian Conservation Corps camp operated near Cleburne during the 1930s, which among other things built the Cleburne State Recreation Park in 1941. German prisoners of war were used for labor on local farms during World War II. In the post-war years, Cleburne's growth has resulted mostly from its proximity to Dallas and Fort Worth, as well as the establishment of the Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Station in nearby Glen Rose. By the 1990's, Cleburne had 40 manufacturing companies, a population of 22,205, a new hospital, and new secondary schools.'

The Prairie Avenue Neighborhood

The Prairie Avenue neighborhood was originally known as the Chambers Addition, named for P.C. Chambers, who subdivided the area and also built his own home just north of the Joiner-Long House. (Prairie Avenue was originally named Chambers Avenue.) The neighborhood, which lies southwest of downtown Cleburne, was one of several that began to be developed in the late 19th century, during the period of rapid growth that accompanied the arrival of the railroads. "During the 1880s and 1890s rows of homes were lining up on the streets that radiated from downtown." Grand Victorian homes were springing up on North Anglin and North Main and "the Prairie Street and Featherstone area also featured some mansions beginning about 1900."2 As the latter quote indicates, the Prairie Avenue neighborhood was one of the later developments of the period, and when first constructed, the Joiner-Long House would still have been relatively isolated. The isolation would be short-lived, however, as most of the neighborhood was developed during the first few decades of the 20th century, evident in the eclectic mix of Late Victorian, Colonial Revival, Craftsman, and Tudor Revival architecture that still defines the area.

The Joiner Family

Very little is known about the original owners of the Joiner-Long House, John B. Joiner, and his family. Their few years in Cleburne are not well documented, consisting mainly of scattered facts. John was born c.1859, the son of Confederate soldier John Elliot Joiner." Joiner was active in the Masons. He also participated in the Order of Knights Templar while living in Cleburne. A small leather carrying case with his name and the Cross and Crown Emblem still exists; it was returned to the home after 1998.

Joiner was in real estate and insurance. His insurance business is listed in Cleburne City Directories, at 202 South Main Street. The directories also indicate that Joiner and his family moved to 931 N. Anglin Street in 1912, after selling the Joiner-Long House to Joseph B. Long. After 1915, there are no more entries or documents in Cleburne about Mr. John B. Joiner and family, perhaps indicating that they left town."

The Long Family

Joseph Benjamin Long was born in Mexia, Texas in 1876, the son of a well-known doctor in Limestone County. His brother followed in their father's footsteps and became a doctor, but Joseph Long decided to become a banker instead. His first job was as the messenger boy for the First National Bank of Mexia. He diligently worked his way up to cashier and then director, winning the respect of men around him. Long quit his position at the bank and moved to Cleburne in 1907. In Cleburne, he helped the Hon. Cato Sells organize the Texas State Bank & Trust Company of Cleburne. Long was the first cashier, with Sells serving as president. The bank did well, but after only four years, Sells wanted out of the business and sold it to the Traders State Bank of Cleburne. Although the business was short-lived, it was a formative time in Joseph Long's personal life. In the summer of 1909, Mrs. E. Y. Brown hosted a garden party for young people, at which she introduced Joseph to her daughter Lorena. The couple was married by November that same year."

After the dissolving of the Texas State Bank & Trust Company, Long went into two new business ventures. The first was a collaboration with Mr. John W. Floore, with whom he started the Floore-Long Loan and Mortgage Bankers in 1911.10 In 1912, Floore opted out of the business, and Joseph Long bought his interest in the company. Long soon rejoined his associates from Texas State Bank & Trust Company to establish the Home National Bank, which opened in 1913. He served first as cashier and director, then as vice president, and eventually became president in 1921.12 By 1922, the bank assets totaled over $1,250,000.

Joseph Long was also socially active, participating in many organizations and clubs that benefited Cleburne's growth and development. Long served as the secretary-treasurer of the Cleburne National Farm Loan Association, a group he had helped organize and charter. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Farm Gin of Cleburne, was one of the first directors of the Chamber of Commerce of Cleburne, and was president of the Cleburne Board of Education at a time when the town boasted of having one of the best school systems in Texas.

During World War One, Long was chairman of the United War Work campaign covering Johnson, Bosque, Hood, and Somerville Counties. He was also a leader in bond and stamp sales in many communities. Long became the authorized representative for the Government at Cleburne for making proof of claims of ex-servicemen, widows of soldiers, and other similar matters.15
Joseph Long also belonged to several fraternal organizations. He served as the treasurer of all Masonic Lodges in Cleburne, as well as serving other posts in the fraternity.16 He served in the many orders of the Masons, was active in the Knights of Pythias as a chancellor, and was a trustee of Lodge No. 464 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He was also a trustee of the Main Street Methodist Church.

Like many businessmen of his time, Joseph Long was a progressive and a strong supporter of civic improvements. In the December 1912 issue of the Cleburne Morning Review, Long gave an interview detailing why he supported the construction of a well-equipped water plant. He wanted better water for the city, and at a rate, which he argued would entice manufacturers to build their plants in Cleburne.18 When an issue was raised for the construction of a new and better hospital, once again, the Cleburne Morning Review went to Long for an interview. He is quoted as saying, "Such additions to localities materially benefit everybody, therefore I favor also the taxation plan of support. It enhances the value of property, it benefits all classes alike and on those grounds, I stand ready to do my part toward the erection of a hospital."19 The actual outcome of the bond issue is unrecorded, but Cleburne Sanitarium was built in 1914, and founded by C. C. Cooke. Joseph Benjamin Long died in his home on February 21, 1939. He was suffering from pneumonia that he contracted only days before his death.

Lorena (Brown) Long was just as active and patriotic as her husband. She was the daughter of E. Y. Brown, the only known son of an American Revolutionary soldier at the time of his death in 1909. (His father had enlisted at the age of 13.) Col. E.Y. Brown was a pioneer in Texas, finally settling in Cleburne in 1888.

There is little known about Lorena's activities before her husband's death, except that she attended the University of Texas and met John Long while home on summer break.22 At the age of 50, with two sons stationed overseas, Lorena enlisted in the WACS. She held a master's degree in Library Science and was stationed at a large library in Sacramento, California. At that library, she became a mother to the younger ladies, who would continue to write her for many years later. After her military service ended, Lorena continued to work in the Library field, as a school librarian for the El Paso school district. She returned home to Cleburne after her retirement.

The Joiner-Long House

John B. Joiner purchased land along Prairie (Chambers) Avenue from P.C. Chambers in 1895.24 He built a one-story house on the land, the first incarnation of the Joiner-Long House. The construction of the house was a significant enough event to warrant a brief mention in the September 17, 1895 edition of the local newspaper, where it was reported that the house was, "a handsome structure. The whole place will be fitted up with all modern improvements."

The basic form and style of the original house are still evident in the first story of the present building, whose projecting bays, wrap-around porch, and tall, vertically proportioned windows are characteristic of Queen Anne houses. It seems that few changes were made to the house's plan when the second story was added. The original patterned masonry chimneys are now enclosed in the attic. The central two were extended with much simpler, square chimneys, but those leading from the parlor and kitchen remain enclosed within the roof.

The Joiners lived in the house, where J.B. also had an office for his Insurance and Real Estate business, for 17 years. In 1912, while Joseph Long was working at Floore-Long Loan & Mortgage, Joiner came in to sell his property. 

The Longs, who were then living at 502 South Anglin, were planning to build a new house.  When presented with this opportunity, however, Long opted to purchase Joiner's Prairie Avenue house instead, which he did for $5,500.28
According to family history, the news of the purchase put Lorena in tears, disappointed that her husband would not be building her a two-story house as she had asked. Joseph, wanting to please his wife, had the house turned into a two-story home by removing the roof and keeping the original first floor intact.29 Interestingly, however, the historical record contradicts this story, as the 1910 Sanborn Map indicates that the house was already two stories and in its present configuration. Although it would seem logical for the alterations to coincide with a change in ownership, the Joiners must have added the second story themselves c.1910.

The Long family lived in the house for many years, although it was occupied by renters for the brief period that Lorena was in California. Not wanting the house to be empty, Lorena rented out the rooms in the second story of the house to wives whose husbands were away in service and the first floor to the Santa Fe Shops' supervisor and his family. In 1948, Lorena and Joseph's daughter Martha, who had been born in the Joiner-Long House in 1917, married, and Lorena invited the new couple to live in the house. Lorena joined them after her retirement and lived there until her death in 1969. Martha Long Raines finally sold the family home in 1997.

John Hardee and his family lived in the house until 1998. While living there, they made many modern improvements to the house. Such changes were leveling, rewiring, plumbing, insulating, and covering the walls with 1/4" sheetrock. Some of the ceilings were slightly lowered for central heating and air-conditioning, and the kitchen was remodeled.30 The property was then sold to Harold and Eunice Gentry in 1998, who as described earlier, have made substantial efforts to restore the house.

With its two distinct phases of construction, the Joiner-Long House demonstrates the changing architectural preferences of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As mentioned previously, the house's original 1895 appearance reflected the Queen Anne style that was typical of the late Victorian period. The building's asymmetrical massing is the most characteristic feature remaining from that period, but some Queen Anne details have survived as well. The turned wood columns on the belvedere, which may well have been the original first-story porch supports, as well as the interior trim, hardware, and decorative fretwork are clear remnants of the house's late Victorian design. The use of smaller stained glass panes around a larger section of clear glass, remaining on the front door and the rear laundry room window, are also characteristic details of the Queen Anne.

By the second phase of the Joiner-Long House's construction, the popularity of late Victorian architecture and its elaborate decorative tendencies were fading in favor of the simpler forms and classical details of the Colonial Revival. A distinct architectural style developed during this transitional period that combined elements of Queen Anne and the Colonial Revival often referred to as the Free Classic Queen Anne. With its c.1910 alterations to an 1895 house, the Joiner-Long House exhibits several Free Classic characteristics. Simple classical columns were used on the front porch, raised to the porch-rail level. The rail itself is a substantial masonry design, contrasting the delicate spindlework balustrades most often used in the Queen Anne. The general lack of applied wood ornament, which had been a hallmark of Queen Anne, is also noteworthy. Where the turned wood posts were used, on the second-story belvedere, they were grouped together, another Free Classic characteristic. While the fish scale shingles used on the belvedere are a late Victorian feature, its Federal-style railing is a clear reference to Colonial precedents. The change from patterned masonry to plain square chimneys is yet another indication of the change in stylistic attitudes between 1895 and 1910.

The Joiner-Long House also exhibits a few characteristics of another emerging style from the early 20th century, the Prairie style. The notably wide overhanging eaves and the series of diamond-patterned windows on the north elevation are both common features of Prairie-style houses, and they add a unique, eclectic flair to the Joiner-Long House. Its vertical orientation and traditional details clearly identify the house with its late Victorian origins, but the c.1910 design also clearly demonstrates an attempt to incorporate progressive, contemporary architectural motifs.

The Joiner-Long House is a showcase of late 19th and early 20th-century architectural fashions. Having been constructed in 1895, it is firmly rooted in the late Victorian traditions of the Queen Anne style. With its significant alterations c.1910, however, the house was updated to reflect the changing attitudes in architectural design during the first part of the 20th century. The addition of Colonial Revival features resulted in a Free Classic design, a more modern variation on Queen Anne, and the few Prairie style elements declared the owners' awareness of more contemporary styles. It provides interesting insight into Cleburne's high-style domestic architecture during the period, and it is eligible for the National Register in the area of Architecture, at the local level of significance.