Asher and Mary Isabelle Richardson House

Summary

The 1911 Asher and Mary Isabelle Richardson House is located on U.S. Highway 83 in the Dimmit County community of Asherton in the U.S. state of Texas. The southeast-facing home is also known as Bel-Asher, deriving the "Bel" from "Isabelle". It was added to the National Register of Historic Places listings in Dimmit County, Texas in 1988.[2] It was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1980.[3]

Asher and Mary Isabelle Richardson House
Asher and Mary Isabelle Richardson House
Asher and Mary Isabelle Richardson House is located in Texas
Asher and Mary Isabelle Richardson House
Asher and Mary Isabelle Richardson House
Asher and Mary Isabelle Richardson House is located in the United States
Asher and Mary Isabelle Richardson House
Asher and Mary Isabelle Richardson House
LocationUS 83
Asherton, Texas
Coordinates28°26′31″N 99°45′44″W / 28.44194°N 99.76222°W / 28.44194; -99.76222
Area8.7 acres (3.5 ha)
Built1909 (1909)
ArchitectAlfred Giles
Architectural stylePrairie School
Beaux-Arts
NRHP reference No.88002539[1]
RTHL No.355
Significant dates
Added to NRHPNovember 22, 1988
Designated RTHL1990

Asher Richardson (1855–1914) was a Dimmit County rancher and horticulturist who founded Asherton, Texas. A native of Snow Hill, Maryland, Richardson settled in Dimmit County after his 1877 discharge from the United States Army. In 1881, Richardson and Mary Isabelle Votaw (1865–1941) were married in Bexar County.[4][5]

Richardson contracted with San Antonio architect Alfred Giles to design the two-story family home as the centerpiece of Asherton. The Beaux-Arts and Prairie School style house was constructed of hand-cut local sandstone and features large projecting eaves. The interior of the house features brick fireplaces. Richardson's focus on fire safety possibly influenced the design of two doors on each room. A barn and cottage are situated behind the main house. The home has remained in the family and is not open to the public.[2]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ a b "THC-NRHP Bel-Asher". Texas Historical Commission. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  3. ^ "THC-RTHL Richardson house". Texas Historical Commission. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  4. ^ Twentieth-Century Texas: A Social and Cultural History. Lewis Publishing Company. 1907. pp. 519–521.
  5. ^ Leffler, John. "Asher Richardson". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 18 August 2011.