DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the John Bell Lewis Home in Austin County. Now settle in, because this man's story covers a lot of ground — Alabama to Texas, battlefields to boardrooms, and a railroad that almost missed its own town. John Bell Lewis was born in 1845 on a plantation near Coffeeville, Alabama.
And right away, before he'd done a single thing on his own, his family tree had already made history — his grandmother, Betty Washington Lewis, was the sister of George Washington himself. So the man came with some pedigree. He grew up near what's now Winedale, Texas, and when the Civil War came calling, Lewis answered.
He served the Confederate army through several major battles. When the war ended and Reconstruction settled over Texas like a heavy sky, Austin County needed somebody who could hold things together. They turned to Lewis.
He served as sheriff of Austin County, helping restore law and order to the area — and that was no small task in those years. Now, here's where Lewis the sheriff starts becoming Lewis the institution-builder. While carrying out the sheriff's duties as county tax collector, he noticed something: there was no local bank.
The money flowing through his hands had nowhere solid to go. So he helped found not one but two — the Bellville First National Bank and the Austin County State Bank. But the story that really captures the man happened when word came down that the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad planned to bypass Bellville entirely.
You can imagine the chill that news sent through town. Lewis didn't panic — he persuaded landowners to donate right-of-way for the line, and he was instrumental in getting that railroad routed straight through Bellville. Around 1874, Lewis acquired this very property.
The following year, architect J. J. Stopple built the home that still stands here — a structure that carries a transitional style, caught somewhere between the clean lines of Greek Revival and the more ornate reach of the Victorian.
Lewis shared that home with his widowed sister and her son. Then in 1879, he married Mollie Bell Ervin, and their children grew up inside these same walls. John Bell Lewis died in 1920 and is buried in Oak Knoll Cemetery in Bellville.
Sheriff. Banker. Railroad-saver.
And great-grandnephew of the father of the country. Some houses just hold more history than their walls let on.
What the marker says
Influential Austin county resident John Bell Lewis (1845-1920) was born on a plantation near Coffeeville, Alabama. His grandmother Betty Washington Lewis was George Washington's sister. Lewis grew up near present Winedale, Texas, and served the Confederate army in several major Civil War battles. During Reconstruction Lewis served as sheriff of Austin County and helped restore law and order to the area. While performing the sheriff's duties as county tax collector, he saw the need for a local bank. He helped found Bellville First National Bank and Austin County State Bank. When Lewis heard that Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad planned to bypass Bellville, he persuaded landowners to donate right-of-way for the line and was instrumental in getting the railroad through Bellville. Lewis acquired this property about 1874. The next year, architect J. J. Stopple built this home which displays a transitional style between the Greek Revival and the more ornate Victorian. Lewis shared the residence with his widowed sister and her son. In 1879 Lewis married Mollie Bell Ervin and their children grew up here. Lewis is buried in Oak Knoll Cemetery, Bellville. (1979) Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1979