{"nrhp_refnum":"89001143","name":"Walker, James, Log House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Co. Rd. 80","address_restricted":false,"city":"Brenham","county":"Washington County","state":"TX","lat":30.173595986000066,"lon":-96.33437482499994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1989-08-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 1 1/2-story, double-pen cedar log house with a heavy-timber shed on the north, located on Washington County Road 80 near Brenham, Texas. It is believed to have been built in 1824 and has been moved twice.","why_significant":"The house was the home of James and Catherine Walker, one of Stephen F. Austin's 'Old Three Hundred' colonists, and their descendants from 1824 to 1888. It is considered one of the oldest Anglo dwellings in Texas and one of three known surviving homes of Old Three Hundred colonists. It is also a prime example of a double-pen log house with exterior and interior siding.","narrative":"Built around 1824 of hand-hewn cedar logs, this double-pen log house near Brenham is among the oldest surviving Anglo dwellings in Texas. It was the home of James and Catherine Walker, who arrived as part of Stephen F. Austin's first 300 colonists and received a league of land in Washington County. Their family lived here until 1888, when the house was moved to a nearby hilltop. In 1921 it was moved again, about 250 feet, and used as a barn. Despite the moves, it keeps most of its original cedar logs, along with early doors, window frames, sheathing and flooring, and it remains on the original Walker land grant in a rural setting. A 1986 rehabilitation, based on measured drawings and physical evidence, restored the exterior to its early appearance. The house is valued for its link to early Anglo colonization of Texas and as a good example of double-pen log construction. It is one of three known surviving homes of Old Three Hundred colonists.","period_of_significance":"1824-1888","architect_builder":"Unknown","architectural_style":"No Style","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Rehabilitated in 1986 using surviving original fabric and evidence of period details; it now serves as a dwelling, with the historic functions listed as single dwelling.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:21.884594-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/40/9739/40973940/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/89001143.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40973940","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Walker_Log_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6145029"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/washington-county/walker-james-log-house-89001143/"}