Kirby-Hill House
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Built in 1902 on Main Street in Kountze, Texas, this two-story wood-frame house blends Queen Anne and Colonial Revival design. Contractor Frank T. Smith of Beaumont built it for James L. Kirby, an executive of the Kirby Lumber Company. Its most striking feature is a two-story wrapped porch with 22 grouped cypress Tuscan columns on each level, beneath a pyramidal hipped slate roof and three shingled gables. Most of the wood is southern pine cut at the company's Silsbee mill, and the interior has wide central halls, tall windows opening to the porch, and a curved pine staircase. Four generations of the Kirby and Hill families lived here for nearly nine decades, and the house was a center of social life in the lumber town. It was listed for its architecture at the local level, and it retains a high degree of integrity. A local arts and education group now owns it and is working to restore it.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is an excellent local example of a large frame house that combines Colonial Revival and Queen Anne elements, with a two-story wrapped porch and cypress columns. It retains a high degree of integrity. It also served as the social center of the east Texas lumber town.
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 99000610, listed May 20, 1999. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 210 Main St., Kountze |
|---|---|
| County | Hardin County |
| Listed | May 20, 1999 |
| Reference number | 99000610 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1902-1948 |
| Architect / builder | Frank T. Smith, builder |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Colonial Revival; Late Victorian: Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned by a local arts and education council, which is raising funds to restore the house; some restoration is needed on the porch, columns and an upstairs floor. The widow's walk parts are in storage awaiting restoration. |
| Acreage | 2.3 |
| Coordinates | 30.37023, -94.31536 (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 99000610.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q55887807
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.