DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Gilbert House in Dallas County. Now settle in, because this story starts with a doctor, a dream, and a whole lot of limestone. Dr.
Samuel H. Gilbert was born in 1828, and somewhere around 1850 he pointed himself toward Texas. He touched down first in Cass County, got his bearings, and by 1852 had married Julia Ann Ritchie.
Then, around 1855, Dr. Gilbert laid eyes on a particular stretch of ground and purchased 275 acres right here at this site. He wasn't the kind of man to let land sit idle.
By 1857 he had a native limestone house constructed on it — and not just any house. We're talking double-door entry with a transom, a full-width front porch dressed up with box columns and classical detailing, twin chimneys standing proud against the sky, and a large hipped roof pulling the whole picture together. Vernacular center-passage plan with modest Greek Revival influences, if you want the architectural language.
In plain Texas talk: it was a house built to last. And last it did. Dr.
Gilbert ran his medical practice out of this corner of the world, and alongside the doctoring, he operated a farm right here — growing vegetable crops, raising livestock, keeping things moving. The community noticed. He helped outfit a local militia unit during the Civil War, and in later years he held a number of local public offices.
Respected is the word the marker uses, and by the evidence, it fits. Now here's the moment that really puts Dr. Gilbert on the map — or rather, puts a railroad on his map.
In 1874, he was instrumental in bringing rail service to the Farmers Branch community when he sold part of his property to the Dallas and Wichita Railroad for a right-of-way through the area. He literally gave up a piece of his own land to put his neighbors on the line. Samuel and Julia Ann had two daughters, and the family stayed right here in this limestone house for the rest of their lives.
Julia Ann passed in 1881, Dr. Gilbert in 1890. The house itself stayed in the Gilbert family all the way until 1937 — eighty-some years of one family under one roof.
What you're looking at today is a rare surviving example of an early Texas home, and when you consider everything that happened inside and around it — the medicine, the farming, the militia, the railroad deal, the raising of two daughters — well, that limestone held a lot of living. Some houses just earn their walls.
What the marker says
Dr. Samuel H. Gilbert (1828 - 1890) came to Texas about 1850. He settled first in Cass County, and in 1852 married Julia Ann Ritchie (d. 1881) Gilbert purchased 275 acres of land at this site about 1855 and by 1857 had this native limestone house constructed. In addition to his medical practice, Dr. Gilbert operated a farm here, growing vegetable crops and raising livestock. A respected community leader, he helped outfit a local militia unit during the Civil War and in later years held a number of local public offices. In 1874 Dr. Gilbert was instrumental in bringing rail service to the Farmers Branch community when he sold part of his property to the Dallas & Wichita Railroad for a right-of-way through the area. The parents of two daughters, the Gilberts continued to reside in this house for the remainder of their lives. The house remained in the Gilbert family until 1937. A rare surviving example of an early Texas home, the Gilbert House exhibits a vernacular center-passage plan with modest Greek Revival influences. Prominent features of the structure include its double-door entry with transom; a full-width front porch with box columns and classical detailing; twin chimneys; and a large hipped roof. RTHL - 1990