{"nrhp_refnum":"77001456","name":"Hart, Meredith, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"E of Rio Vista on SR 916","address_restricted":false,"city":"Rio Vista","county":"Johnson County","state":"TX","lat":32.23903604900005,"lon":-97.35791890299998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1977-04-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, L-shaped frame house with a double gallery, on Mustang Creek about one mile east of Rio Vista in Johnson County, Texas. Built for rancher Meredith Hart between 1859 and 1861 by builder George Wilson.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it an excellent example of vernacular Greek Revival architecture. It blends a double-galleried, two-story Greek Revival form with the simple lines of an early frontier double-room frame house. It was the home of Meredith Hart, a cattleman, Texas Ranger, veteran of the fight for Texas independence and an organizer of Hunt County.","narrative":"Set among old oak and walnut trees beside Mustang Creek near Rio Vista, this two-story frame house was built for cattleman Meredith Hart. Construction was contracted to George Wilson in 1859 and finished in 1861. Its double veranda, with paired columns that line up with the doors, gives Greek Revival formality to a plan resembling the frontier dogtrot. The frame uses hewn post oak joined with mortises, tenons and draw pins instead of nails, and the foundation is built of white rock found on the land. Hart was born in Kentucky in 1811, served in the Texas army in 1836, ranged against Indians, helped organize Hunt County and later ranched in Johnson County. After his death in 1864 the house passed through several owners. Restoration began in 1966, replacing hardware, trim and siding with old materials, and earned a Texas restoration award in 1968. The house is valued as a well-preserved vernacular Greek Revival home.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"George Wilson (builder/contractor)","architectural_style":"Vernacular Greek Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Restored beginning in 1966, and the owners received a Texas restoration award for 1968. A west addition with a master bedroom was built in 1968. Listed as a private residence in current use.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:19.139178-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/18/9727/40972718/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/77001456.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/77001456/c7c29aa930-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/77001456/c7c29aa930-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Cmurbano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MeredithHartHouse.png\" rel=\"noopener\">Cmurbano</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:MeredithHartHouse.png"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40972718","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110001239"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/johnson-county/hart-meredith-house-77001456/"}