{"nrhp_refnum":"97001531","name":"Witte-Schmid House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Off Schoenau, near jct. with Eckermann","address_restricted":false,"city":"Shelby","county":"Austin County","state":"TX","lat":30.002106398000024,"lon":-96.56075243999999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1997-12-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story German-influenced farmhouse of stuccoed sandstone and adobe-filled fachwerk, built in 1860 about three miles southeast of Shelby in Austin County, Texas, for Dr. Ernst Witte.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is an excellent example of a rural vernacular house with a center-passage plan, typical of dwellings built by successful German settlers in mid-19th-century Austin County. Its fachwerk construction, clipped gables, scored stucco and asymmetrical hall reflect the builder's Lower Saxony origins. It is among the oldest surviving examples of German architecture in the county.","narrative":"Built in 1860 about three miles southeast of Shelby, this two-story farmhouse in Austin County, Texas, reflects the German heritage of its builder, Dr. Ernst Witte, a Hanover-educated lawyer who bought the land in 1856. The walls are stuccoed local sandstone on the first floor, with timber-framed fachwerk filled with adobe brick inside and wood weatherboards on the second story. A center-passage plan, clipped gables, scored stucco, two stove flues in place of fireplaces, and flat ornamental balusters all echo building traditions from Lower Saxony. The Witte family sold the house to John and Emilie Schmid in 1884, and the Schmid family kept it until 1986, which helped preserve its original character. Alterations include a c. 1910 porch and a 1960s standing-seam metal roof that replaced the wood shingles. It was recognized for its architecture as one of the oldest surviving examples of German building in the county. The Texas German Society now plans to open it as a museum.","period_of_significance":"1860","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Vernacular: Center-passage plan","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Described as in good condition with a high degree of integrity; owned by the Texas German Society since 1986, which plans to restore it and operate it as a historic house museum.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:22.980643-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/16/9710/40971016/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/97001531.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40971016","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110001181"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/austin-county/witte-schmid-house-97001531/"}