Waverly
Also known as: Tunstall-Langhorne House
Why it's listed
Waverly is a one-story frame house on the edge of Chappell Hill, Texas, built around 1850 by physician William Leigh Tunstall. Built of local stone, cedar and pine, it follows the symmetrical Greek Revival pattern, with a five-bay south front, a central pedimented doorway with fluted pilasters, and a six-column porch added between 1890 and 1900. About 1893 Dr. William H. Langhorne added a west wing to serve as his medical office, repeating the original detailing. The original detached kitchen and dining building still stands north of the house and is now a guesthouse. Waverly was the center of a cotton plantation that grew to several thousand acres under John Chadwick. Its owners included William Sledge, a founder of the company that built the Washington County Railroad. The house is valued for its excellent preservation, its modest Greek Revival design, and its link to the town's early medical and commercial leaders.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents Waverly as a fine, well-preserved example of a small-scale Greek Revival house of the 1850s that keeps its original detached kitchen building. It is also tied to prominent Chappell Hill figures, including physicians Tunstall and William H. Langhorne and railroad builder William W. Sledge. The house was the center of an active cotton plantation before and after the Civil War.
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 83003169, listed April 14, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | FR 2447, Chappell Hill |
|---|---|
| County | Washington County |
| Listed | April 14, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83003169 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1850/1893 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown (built by Dr. William Leigh Tunstall) |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Areas of significance | Health/Medicine, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as occupied, in excellent condition, and in use as a private residence. The detached kitchen now serves as a guesthouse. |
| Acreage | 7.7 |
| Coordinates | 30.14518, -96.25118 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
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 83003169.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110000065
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.