Dr. William and Eunice Walker House

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about this one, straight from the historical record. Now, somewhere in Hood County, there sits a house that folks have been calling the Honeymoon Cottage for well over a hundred years. Built about 1895, it was made for Dr.

William and Eunice Fitzhugh Walker, and right away, that nickname tells you something about the feeling the place must've carried. Dr. Walker was no ordinary country doctor, either.

He was an eye, ear, nose, and throat specialist, which in that era of Texas was a fairly refined thing to be. He also owned the Palace Drugstore over in nearby Tolar, so the man had range: healing folks and running a business at the same time. The house itself was put up by a local contractor named E.

J. Holderness, and Holderness did not cut corners. What he built was a Victorian cottage with Eastlake detailing; turned woodwork, fishscale shingles up in the gables, and stained glass windows catching the light.

A house built with that kind of intention has a way of outlasting almost everything around it. Now, here's the part that gives you pause. The Walkers sold the Honeymoon Cottage in 1897, just two years after it went up.

It passed to a man named B. W. Morris, who had served Hood County as both Sheriff and State Representative.

So the cottage changed hands, the name stayed. Some things just stick.

What the marker says

Known as "The Honeymoon Cottage," this house was built about 1895 for Dr. William and Eunice Fitzhugh Walker. An eye, ear, nose, and throat specialist, Dr. Walker also owned the Palace Drugstore in nearby Tolar. Built by local contractor E. J. Holderness, the Walker home is a fine example of a Victorian cottage with Eastlake detailing, including turned woodwork, fishscale shingles in the gables, and stained glass windows. The Walkers sold the home in 1897 to former Hood County Sheriff and State Representative B. W. Morris. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1998