Hill, Abraham Wiley, House
Why it's listed
Set among large live oaks inside an iron-fenced lot in rural Bastrop County, this two-story frame house was built by Abraham Wiley Hill in the 1850s as his family's plantation home. Its gable roof and full-width, two-story hexastyle gallery are inset beneath the roofline, and slender square columns, fluted corner pilasters and a plain entablature give it a strong vertical emphasis. The eight-room central-hall plan is sheathed in narrow clapboards, and a plain one-story service ell extends from the rear. A family cemetery lies southeast of the house. Hill, born in Georgia in 1816, came to Texas in 1835, served in the 1836 war for independence and scouted for Sam Houston's army. The house is considered among the finest mid-nineteenth-century Greek Revival houses in Texas, valued for its architecture rather than its builder's fame. It remained in the Hill family line for generations, and was boarded up and unoccupied when documented, in fair condition.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is among the finest mid-nineteenth-century Greek Revival houses in Texas, citing its thin columns, vertical proportions and full-width two-story hexastyle gallery. Its builder, a veteran of the Texas Revolution who scouted for Sam Houston's army and was at San Jacinto, was not considered an outstanding historic figure.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 71000920, listed March 11, 1971. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 5 mi. SW of Hills Prairie, Hills Prairie |
|---|---|
| County | Bastrop County |
| Listed | March 11, 1971 |
| Reference number | 71000920 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1855 |
| Architect / builder | Abraham Wiley Hill (builder) |
| Architectural style | Late Greek Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in fair condition, boarded up and unoccupied for a number of years. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 30.04827, -97.30861 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 71000920.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110001401
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.