The Curtis Mansion

The story

Cotton broker William Ray Miller (1868-1954) and his wife Ida (Rogers) built this structure in 1902 and lived here with their large family about six years. Mrs. Miller was from Galveston, and had graduated from Baylor College (now Mary Hardin-Baylor).

Born in Kentucky, Miller grew up in Belton, the son of a merchant. Noting the costliness of this house, some observers have called it "A Monument to King Cotton." A. Lon and Cora (Lee) Curtis acquired the property in 1914.

It became known as the Curtis Mansion because they and their descendants occupied it for the next 59 years. Lon Curtis (1872-1934) graduated from the University of Texas, took a second degree at the University of Michigan, and began practicing law in Temple, moving to Belton when he became County Attorney. He and his wife had one son, Lee.

As new owners, the Curtises brought a decorator from Kansas City to modify the house to their tastes. Noted for its hospitality as well as its architecture, it remained a show place of the city. In 1973, Lee Curtis sold the mansion.

It now is a complex of luxury suites, preserved as a relic of the cotton empire that once dominated the Brazos Valley. (1977)