Robert Flack (Bob) Rowntree (1847-1893), an early Llano County leader, built a majestic two story house in the Prairie Mountain community from 1875 to 1888. Scottish architect John K. Finlay, a pioneer in the Texas granite industry, designed the home using local red-brown sandstone obtained nearby and white limestone from Burnet County. Built with 20-inch thick walls, the house contains eight rooms, each with a fireplace, and porches on both floors overlooking Prairie Mountain and Rough Mountain. Rowntree lived on his 8500 acre ranch with his family until his untimely death on July 19, 1893; some believe his involvement in the Hoodoo War was connected to his death. Later, the house became the home of Ernst and Lucy (Meusebach) Marschall.