{"nrhp_refnum":"90001937","name":"Belton Academy","other_names":["#2","Wedemeyer,Charles,House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"404 E. Ninth St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Belton","county":"Bell County","state":"TX","lat":31.063517664000074,"lon":-97.45747613299994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-12-26","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 2 1/2-story wood frame Queen Anne-influenced house at 404 East Ninth in Belton, Bell County, Texas, built in 1891 by local builder T. Hamp Birdwell for Charles Wedemeyer. It served as both his residence and a private preparatory school.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is significant under Criterion A in Education for its association with one of Belton's early schools, Belton Academy, which operated from about 1891 to 1911. It also meets Criterion C in Architecture as a fine example of a vernacular Victorian house with Queen Anne details, a type once common in Belton but now mostly demolished or heavily altered.","narrative":"Built in 1891 at 404 East Ninth in Belton, this 2 1/2-story wood frame house served as both a family home and a private preparatory school. Local builder T. Hamp Birdwell constructed it for Charles Wedemeyer, a Baylor University graduate who operated Belton Academy from about 1891 until 1911. At first the whole school met in the house; later Wedemeyer moved it to a building across the street, since demolished. The house has an asymmetrical plan, a hip-and-gable roof with pedimented gables, projecting bay windows, a butt shingle frieze and a decorative colored-glass window in the south dormer. An east wing has been lost, but the building remains in good condition and is still a dwelling. It was listed for its link to early education in Belton and as a good example of a vernacular Victorian house with Queen Anne details, a type that has largely disappeared from the city.","period_of_significance":"1891-1911","architect_builder":"T. Hamp Birdwell, builder","architectural_style":"Queen Anne","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Described as in good condition with only minor recent alterations; the original east wing has been demolished. Current function is a 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 02:54:21.114618-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/93/9682/40968293/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/90001937.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90001937/e9a237a426-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90001937/e9a237a426-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Renelibrary","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Belton_Academy_(1_of_1).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Renelibrary</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:Belton_Academy_(1_of_1).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40968293","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110000879"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/bell-county/belton-academy-90001937/"}