John C. Prude Home

Duane's take

Here's the marker's own account, as best as Duane can tell it. Now, Mitchell County has seen its share of big personalities come riding in, but few left quite the footprint of John C. Prude.

Born in 1856, he made his way to Mitchell County before the turn of the century, and he came equipped with the kind of ambition that doesn't sit still for long. Prominent rancher. Banker.

The sort of man a county tends to remember. By 1907, Prude was ready to put something lasting into the ground, something you could point to and say, yes, that man was here. So he hired a builder by the name of J.E.

Pond, Gene Pond to those who knew him, and gave him a commission: build something spacious. Build something in brick. What Gene Pond raised up on that Mitchell County land reflected a style that was sweeping the architectural world at the time, Prairie Style, with wide overhangs stretching out from the roofline and horizontal lines running the length of the structure, drawing the eye outward, connecting the building to the flat Texas earth beneath it.

There is something fitting about that, a rancher and a banker choosing a house that seems to reach toward the horizon in every direction. John C. Prude died in 1924, but the house he commissioned stayed in Prude family hands.

For decade after decade, it stood as the scene of numerous social events, a gathering place, a home with life moving through its rooms. The family held onto it all the way until 1977. Some houses are just buildings.

This one, brick by deliberate brick, was a statement.

What the marker says

A prominent rancher and banker, John C. Prude (1856-1924) came to Mitchell County before the turn of the century. In 1907 he hired J.E. (Gene) Pond to construct this spacious brick house. The wide overhangs and other horizontal lines demonstrate the influence of Prairie Style architecture popular at the time. Owned by members of the Prude Family until 1977, this residence was the scene of numerous social events. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1979.