{"nrhp_refnum":"78002921","name":"Rawlins, Capt. R. A., House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2219 Dowling St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lancaster","county":"Dallas County","state":"TX","lat":32.580411361000074,"lon":-96.75626829799995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-11-15","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-and-one-half-story frame house at the corner of Highway 342 and Lancaster-Hutchins Road (South Dallas Avenue) in Lancaster, Dallas County, Texas, built in 1869-1870 by Captain R.A. Rawlins with friends and relatives.","why_significant":"The house is a good example of rural vernacular building in North Texas in 1870, with a Greek Revival plan and symmetry and three distinctive gabled dormers on the west facade. It is also significant for its occupants' contribution to the area's history, and it served as the 'Halfway House' on the Texas Central Highway between Waxahachie and Dallas.","narrative":"Built between the summer of 1869 and the summer of 1870, this ten-room frame house in Lancaster, Texas, was raised by Captain R.A. Rawlins with help from family and neighbors. Timbers from his earlier 1854 homestead on the same site were reused, and the siding, doors and windows were made by hand on site. Chimneys were built with brick and lime quarried and burned on the property, and the foundation uses stone from Winifred Branch. The plan and symmetry follow Greek Revival lines, but three gabled dormers across the west facade set it apart as a rural vernacular design. The house stood beside the old Texas Central Highway, a route between Waxahachie and Dallas, and became known as the Halfway House. Rawlins, a Confederate cavalry captain, lived there until 1910. His family were among the first Anglo settlers of the area. In 1976 it was recognized as the oldest house in Dallas County still owned and occupied by the original owner's heirs. A smokehouse and small barn also survive.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"R.A. Rawlins","architectural_style":"Rural framed vernacular with Greek Revival plan and symmetry","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in good condition, recently refinished close to the original, and occupied by Rawlins' descendants as a second home and family gathering place; the house is virtually unaltered apart from an upstairs bathroom and a rear addition.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:19.486689-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/83/9716/40971683/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/78002921.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40971683","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110001840"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/dallas-county/rawlins-capt-r-a-house-78002921/"}