Colston-Gohmert House
Why it's listed
This one-story frame house at 309 E. Prairie in Cuero was built in 1897 for Thomas Colston, a former Indianola school teacher, and his wife Hattie. It stands at the southwest corner of Prairie and McLeod streets in a residential area north of downtown. The house has weatherboard siding, a hip roof with gables, and double-hung wood windows. A three-bay shed-roof porch on the north side has chamfered wood posts and a panelled frieze. Other features include a projecting gable bay on the east side, imbricated shingles, a pent roof and a louvered lunette vent in the gable end, and classical detailing around the door and windows. Tax records suggest improvements around 1908-09 that may have turned a simple L-plan into a modified L-plan with a large hip roof and gabled extensions. The house is regarded as one of Cuero's finest examples of this form, and its Palladian window in the front wing is especially notable. It remains in good condition and residential use.
Significance in brief: The form calls it one of Cuero's finest examples of a modified L-plan dwelling. Tax roll information suggests improvements in 1908-09 may have converted a simple L-plan into a modified L-plan with a large hip roof and gabled extensions. The Palladian window in the front wing is singled out as particularly noteworthy.
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 88001983, listed October 31, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 309 E. Prairie, Cuero |
|---|---|
| County | DeWitt County |
| Listed | October 31, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88001983 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Huck, H.J. & Co. (?) (contractor) |
| Architectural style | L-plan dwelling |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present condition is listed as good; present use is residential. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 29.09571, -97.28531 (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.
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 88001983.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110001880
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.