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69 enough to scare off all but the most intrepid buyers. In 1961 John and Margaret Hornbuckle of Houston, purchased the home and undertook a fastidious restoration. The many exceptional Victorian features of the house were carefully restored. The longleaf pine paneling, window and door casements, as well as the hardwood floors, were removed and refinished to reflect the gleaming patina one sees today. A brick cistern on the back porch was made operational once again, and the original Gonzales brick sidewalks were uncovered and repaired. The next owner Joe Armstrong, although a New York City resident, was so charmed by the house's features that he bought Rather House as his summer residence. A long time advisor to ABC news, publisher of The Rolling Stone Magazine, The Harvard Lampoon, and the magazine of The Library of Congress, he sold the home 1986 to Mary Rather, great-niece of the home's original owner. Mary Rather was longtime secretary to Congressman, Senator, and President Lyndon Baines Johnson, and served as personal secretary to Lady Bird Johnson after Lyndon's death. The current owners, Richard and Barbara Crozier purchased the home in 1988 and continue to lovingly care for this Texas treasure. It is interesting to note that members of all the families who have loved and preserved Rather House are often guests in the home, and frequently serve as docents when Rather House is open to the public. Rather House was declared a Texas Historical landmark and a marker designating it so was placed in 1975. FACING PAGE TOP - Diners at Rather House are surrounded by 19th Century mahogany furnishings, family portraits and collections, and seated beneath a period gasolier of Parisian manufacture. FACING PAGE BOTTOM – The expansive downstairs hall, with its gleaming long-leaf pine woodwork, is graced by another Parisian Baccarat chandelier, which is reflected in the immense French mirror. ABOVE – Looking from the parlor into the dining room, the John Henry Belter "Rosalie with Grapes" laminated-rosewood sofa from the mid 19th-century and the Steinway grand piano dominate the room. Photographs by Clinton Hille

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