{"nrhp_refnum":"74002098","name":"Waggoner Mansion","other_names":["El Castille"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1003 E. Main","address_restricted":false,"city":"Decatur","county":"Wise County","state":"TX","lat":33.234302427000046,"lon":-97.57716465899995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-05-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A sixteen-room, two-story Victorian limestone mansion, also called El Castille, at 1003 E. Main in Decatur, Wise County, Texas. It was built in 1883 for cattleman Daniel Waggoner.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is an excellent, highly authentic example of Texas Victorian masonry architecture, retaining about ninety percent of its original craftsmanship and material. It was also the headquarters of the Waggoner Ranch and home to a family that became one of the richest and most influential in the Southwest through cattle and oil.","narrative":"Built in 1883 at 1003 E. Main in Decatur, this sixteen-room limestone mansion, also known as El Castille, was the home and ranch headquarters of cattleman Daniel Waggoner. Waggoner drove Longhorns into Wise County in the mid-nineteenth century and was recognized as a cattle king by 1870. By 1900 the Waggoner Ranch covered over a million acres and supported more than 60,000 cattle. After oil was found on the ranch in 1903, the family fortune grew further. The house retains about ninety percent of its original material, including 18-foot ceilings downstairs, carved door mouldings with a Lone Star motif, stained glass transoms, eight tiled fireplaces and frescoed ceilings. William Thomas Waggoner restored it in 1931. Outbuildings include a smokehouse, storm cellar and an original ranch bunkhouse. The exterior was duplicated as a set for the film Giant. The mansion is valued as a striking remnant of Texas's Victorian cattle empire.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (1883)","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Victorian masonry","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in good condition, though needing painting and minor material replacement. It was a private residence occupied by the same family since 1942, after standing mostly unoccupied from about 1922.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:18.754336-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/23/9740/40974023/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/74002098.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74002098/5430ce54bd-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74002098/5430ce54bd-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Renelibrary","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Waggoner1.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Renelibrary</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:Waggoner1.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40974023","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waggoner_Mansion","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q24260709"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/wise-county/waggoner-mansion-74002098/"}