{"nrhp_refnum":"70000778","name":"Merrell, Capt. Nelson, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"NE of Round Rock on U.S. 79","address_restricted":false,"city":"Round Rock","county":"Williamson County","state":"TX","lat":30.517421005000074,"lon":-97.66156422599994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1970-10-15","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story coursed ashlar limestone residence on the north side of US 79, about 1.6 miles west of IH 35 near Round Rock, Williamson County, Texas. It was built in 1870-71 for Captain Nelson Merrell by A. Smith.","why_significant":"The nomination cites the house for its architecture: a full-width double front gallery and an unusual, tall rectangular frame cupola topped by a balustraded Captain's Walk. It is also tied to Captain Nelson Merrell, a prominent Austin landowner, Round Rock farmer, Texas Ranger and postmaster. The house has remained largely unaltered since it was completed.","narrative":"Near Brushy Creek just outside Round Rock, this two-story limestone house was built in 1870-71 for Captain Nelson Merrell, who hired A. Smith to replace an earlier frame residence on the same site. The coursed ashlar walls support a gable roof, with a double gallery running the full width of the front. At the center of the roof sits an unusual tall frame cupola with a balustraded Captain's Walk. Inside, a central hall is flanked by two rooms on each floor. A one-story limestone ell at the rear held the original kitchen and dining room. Merrell was born in Connecticut in 1810 and came to Texas in 1837. He served as a Texas Ranger, helped lay out the streets of Austin, and worked as a postmaster. The house has changed little, apart from Victorian balusters added around 1890 and some rear additions. A restoration was underway to return the exterior to its original appearance. A barn, a hexagonal cistern house and a ruined smokehouse also remain on the property.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (specific date 1870-71)","architect_builder":"A. Smith (builder)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition listed as excellent and unaltered, on its original site. A restoration was in progress, and the house was to continue as a private residence.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:19.094961-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/86/9739/40973986/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/70000778.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/70000778/f665ce2c65-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/70000778/f665ce2c65-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Distant Waves","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Capt._Nelson_Merrell_House_2.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Distant Waves</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Capt._Nelson_Merrell_House_2.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40973986","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110002612"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/williamson-county/merrell-capt-nelson-house-70000778/"}