Built in 1870, the Giddings Stone Mansion is one of the top ten examples of Greek Revival residential architecture in Texas. It was the second home of Honorable J.D. Giddings, Brenham's most prominent forefather, and his wife, Ann. The house had many unusual and innovative features, and the estate originally covered 320 acres as a working farm with gardens, livestock, stables, cultivated fields, and cabins for field workers. An 1896 remodel added Doric columns, ornate galleries, and a rear wing for the kitchen, laundry, and servants, and it became the first house in Washington County to have central heat and running water installed. Mary Louise, the only Giddings daughter, married Heber Stone, an attorney and son of a Galveston mayor, and they and their descendants lived there until the 1970s, giving rise to the name Giddings Stone Mansion. In 1976 the property was donated to the Heritage Society of Washington County, and renovations completed in 1993 at a cost of over $2 million returned the house to its original grandeur.

Photo: James Hulse

Photo: James Hulse