{"nrhp_refnum":"79002975","name":"Burleson-Knispel House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1.5 mi. N of San Marcos on Lime Kiln Rd","address_restricted":false,"city":"San Marcos","county":"Hays County","state":"TX","lat":29.912246392000043,"lon":-97.92888503199998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-08-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Agriculture","Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story limestone, brick and plaster farmhouse on a roughly 5.5-acre homestead on Lime Kiln Road, about 1.5 miles north of San Marcos, Hays County, Texas. The original house was built in 1855 by Major Edward Burleson, Jr.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it the oldest standing home in Hays County, closely tied to the prominent Burleson family, the growth of San Marcos and Texas history. It is a refined example of mid-nineteenth-century pioneer architecture with German-influenced features. The surrounding outbuildings and the property's continuing farming use also reflect its agricultural heritage.","narrative":"Built in 1855 by Major Edward Burleson, Jr., this homestead north of San Marcos began as a one-story, four-room house of native limestone with walls 20 inches thick. A brick second story was added between 1880 and 1900, and later additions included a shed porch and an interior stairway in the 1940s. Features such as the rectangular form, gable-end chimneys and a removed exterior stairway reflect German influence in central Texas. The property is described as the oldest standing home in Hays County. Edward Burleson, Jr. was the son of General Edward Burleson, a figure in the Texas independence movement. After 1877 William Green ran the land as Riverhead Farms, an irrigated truck-farming operation, and built most of the outbuildings. August Knispel bought the farm in 1911 and raised cotton, corn and beef. The homestead includes a former slave quarters building, wells, barns and sheds, and it remains a working farm.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Major Edward Burleson, Jr. (builder of the 1855 house); William Green built most of the outbuildings between 1877 and 1912","architectural_style":"Pioneer Texas architecture with German settler influence","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied private residence and operating farm; condition listed as good.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:18.617428-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/27/9725/40972527/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/79002975.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40972527","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q140166995"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/hays-county/burleson-knispel-house-79002975/"}