A view from the Lakehouse hill.

   Built in the 1880’s, this house was a typical German style Texas farmhouse with a center hall designed for cross ventilation and one room on either side opening in to the center hall. In the late 1800’s a porch along with a kitchen and additional bedroom were added to the back. Until the house was moved in 1997, there was never a bathroom in the house.

The house was the first historic home to be moved to the ranch in 1997. It overlooks the 13 acre bass lake and is located in the center of the ranch and is not visible from any of the roads. The seclusion and remoteness makes it the most popular spot for honeymooners, couples and families who want to enjoy the peace and privacy nestled in the surrounding tree covered hills.

Twelve foot ceilings allowed relief for the hot Texas summer heat and glass paneled windows on all sides provided good circulation. Construction was of all wood with cypress siding and longleaf pine floors. The house was originally built off the ground on a native hand cut stone piers. The stone foundation was moved with the house and now lines the walkways around the perimeter of the house.

The Germans were well known for their colorfully decorated and painted homes and in this home you can see many of the original paint colors and techniques that were used. The center hall still features the original 120 year old paint in a bright turquoise with slate gray ceilings. The turquoise is used throughout the house as is the gray. In the kitchen after weeks of scraping and sanding off layers of added paint, the original deep green ceiling paint was uncovered and preserved. The original four panel front and interior doors also feature the original paint and were decorated in swirl and figure eight patterns. Hand painted stenciling, typical of patterns used in the German homes has been added.

The house has two bedrooms, a large living room and a fully stocked kitchen. It is furnished in period antiques including iron beds, a roll top desk, an oak ice box and an antique legal cabinet, along with old family portraits dating back to the 1800’s. There is a large glassed in sun porch which overlooks the 13-acre bass lake and surrounding tree covered hillsides. The single bath located off the sun porch features an iron claw foot tub and a pedestal sink. There is a large raised deck off the sun porch which is a favorite spot for watching the