{"nrhp_refnum":"76002060","name":"Smathers-Demorse House","other_names":["Colonel Charles DeMorse House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"E. Comanche St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Clarksville","county":"Red River County","state":"TX","lat":33.612954288000026,"lon":-95.04960061599996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-05-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military","Politics/Government","Architecture","Communications"],"significance_levels":["state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A log house later remodeled in Greek Revival style, on East Comanche Street in Clarksville, Red River County, Texas, on the original town homestead. The double log structure was raised in 1833 and extensively remodeled in 1842.","why_significant":"It was the first dwelling built in a house-raising ceremony in the newly organized town of Clarksville in 1833. It is also an example of Greek Revival style and was the residence of Colonel Charles DeMorse, newspaper editor, public official and military leader, known as the Father of Texas Journalism.","narrative":"Built in 1833 as a two-room log house with an open central hall, this dwelling on East Comanche Street in Clarksville was the first raised in a community house-raising ceremony in the new town. Local carpenter Isaac Smathers prepared the materials with help from enslaved laborers and lived there until 1842. That year Colonel Charles DeMorse received the house as an incentive to establish his newspaper, the Northern Standard, in Clarksville. He remodeled it in the Greek Revival style, enclosing the central hall, adding rooms, a kitchen ell and attic bedrooms. Later changes after his death in 1887 added porches, an octagonal bay, wrought iron work and Victorian interior details. DeMorse was a journalist, first mayor of Clarksville, a Texas Cavalry commander and first president of the Texas Press Association. A centennial marker honoring the Father of Texas Journalism was placed in front in 1936. The gardens and fence had deteriorated by the time of the listing.","period_of_significance":"1833, 1842, 1887","architect_builder":"Isaac Smathers","architectural_style":"Greek Revival, with later Victorian elements","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as deteriorated, with neglected gardens and a collapsed fence; the form lists restoration as planned and says local citizens have held fund drives for preservation.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:18.492594-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/56/9732/40973256/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/76002060.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76002060/facb411327-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76002060/facb411327-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Michael Barera","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clarksville_June_2018_12_(Smathers-Demorse_House).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Michael Barera</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clarksville_June_2018_12_(Smathers-Demorse_House).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40973256","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107321984"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/red-river-county/smathers-demorse-house-76002060/"}