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21 This wonderfully preserved house was built in 1885 by cattleman Thomas Newton Matthews. Thomas was born in Gonzales County April 4, 1849. By 1867, when Thomas was only eighteen years old, he was in the cattle business and was extremely successful. This Victorian-style house is constructed of Florida longleaf pine shipped in by water to the old port of Indianola, Texas, and hauled to Gonzales by ox teams. It was quite modern for its time, with fire escapes, lightning rods and indoor plumbing. Double doors on the first and second floors have decorated glass in the top half of each door. Most of the wood trim and furniture is made of Gonzales County walnut. Only the kitchen and bathrooms have been modernized and the total structure stands as it was built. In 1886 he and his family moved to Coleman, Texas. The house was purchased by James Bailey Wells and on January 1, 1890, Mr. Wells marked the date of the move on the old calendar clock on the mantel. Some of the furniture and mantels were made by James Bailey Wells, Jr., who was born in Gonzales in 1892. while the family was living in the house. The hall tree was made from an old organ, and slats from a discarded bed. The love seat was made from two walnut chairs. There is a walnut staircase and a lamp stand purchased in New Orleans by Mr. Wells, Sr. The green and white marble mantel holds two tall vases that have been in the family since 1873. The house received a Texas Historical marker in 1964 and stayed in the Wells family until it was inherited by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas on April 24, 1999. The home is open regularly for tours and includes 135 years of furnishings and assessories. Each piece boasts a story of three generations of a family that settled the frontier. T.N. MATTHEWS HOUSE 829 Mitchell Street

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