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The Museum Building -
Manson-La Moreaux-Hartman House
The museum is sometimes
called the Manson-La Moreaux -(pronounced La MOR o)-Hartman House to
designate people who lived there the longest. The house became available
to the Foundation through an anonymous donor. The building is believed
to be the oldest structure in Rockwall. The first two rooms and hallway
were built in 1850 by W. B. Bowles, one of the town's founders.
Other rooms were added as the house was sold to other people. These
people, according to Rockwall County Court records, although the area at
that time was Kaufman County, were Amos and Mary Ann Dye, before 1861;
A. D. Edwards, 1865; J. D. and Elizabeth Boystun (not town founder),
before 1880. The property was sold to Dr. Henry Walker Manson November
3, 1880.
Pictures and documents relating to three persons for whom the house is
named are on display in the museum. The two cases of mounted birds were
prepared by Myrta Castle Manson Bost, second wife of Dr. Manson and
Lawson Bost. When showing them to her step-grandchildren and grand
nieces and nephews, she always reminded them that she had not killed
them..."I preserved as best I could after nature had had its way." All
were preserved prior to 1919.
The book shelves in the entry hall and south room were filled with books
on a wide range of subjects. One particularly cherished volume was a
first edition of the Scofield Reference Bible, signed by Dr. Scofield.
Dr. Scofield had served with Dr. Manson during the Civil War in the
Confederate Army. They remained friends until Dr. Manson's death in
1905. The books from these shelves were lent by Dr. Manson and after his
death, Myrta Castle Manson, to other people in the county; thus this was
the first library in Rockwall County.
The two windows in the south room facing Washington St. were probably at
one time a fire place. The first families who lived in the house could
have used this room as a kitchen, using the fireplace to cook and keep
warm, a bedroom, and a sitting room.
The house, with the first two rooms of high ceilings and beading on
walls, was built as a "dog trot" house. This was to help keep the house
cooler in the Texas heat. This style house was popular in early Texas
before fans and air conditioners.
The other rooms in the museum contain memorabilia of people who lived in
Rockwall County. Some of these include a dresser, rug, piano, table,
child's desk, wood cook stove, and kitchen "appliances" such as sausage
grinder and press, and coffee grinder. The quilt with names was made by the women in Royse City. It contains the names of
men in the county who served in World War I, 1917. This quilt is
currently on loan to the Zaner Robison historical Museum in Royse City.
Two architects who looked at the Manson-La Moreaux-Hartman House could
not agree on the time the house was built. Each gave different year,
these approximately. Dr. Kenneth W. Schaar, Faculty Advisor for School
of Architecture & Environmental Design, University of Texas, Arlington,
and Mr. Raiford Stripling, restoration architect, looked at the house
and reported that it was well built in the early 1880's with the first
two large rooms and central hall with other rooms being later added. The
house finally had eight rooms plus the entry hall. The RCHF was able to
move only four and the hall.
The most definite date concerning when the house was built comes from a
story in an 1886 issue of The Rockwall Success by Solomon Fletcher:
"I emigrated from Mo. to Texas, in 1852 with five children, and
bought 600 acres of land, locating one mile east of where Rockwall now
stands. This was then Caufman county. My land then worth from $1 to $2
an acre I divided among my children . Some of this land is now worth $50
an acre. The family including all children, grand children and
great-grandchildren now numbers 46. "The town of Rockwall
was located in 1846 by Dr. Elgan (Elgin) and Mr. Gray. W. B. Bowles
built the first house on the hill 36 years ago. The foundation of this
house was four bois d'arc posts set three feet in the ground and the
house was weatherboarded with clapboards. This house is now a part of
Dr. Manson's dwelling and I presume the bois d'arc foundation and
framing is still in it."
PRINCIPAL OWNERS/RESIDENTS OF MANSON-LA MOREAUX-HARTMAN HOUSE
1880-1981
1880-1905 Henry (Hal)
Walker Manson, H.D., CSA soldier Co. H. 7th Tenn. (1861-1865),
physician, farmer/stockman, publisher of Rockwall Success (1883-1905),
representative in State Legislature for Rockwall and Dallas Counties
(1897). Born Tenn. Feb. 12, 1843, married 1st 1869, 2nd 1897, died
Rockwall 1905 (date on tombstone in Rockwall City Cemetery is wrong).
1880-1889 Catharine Bowen Scales Manson, teacher, 1st wife of Dr.
Manson. Born Tenn. 1845, married Tenn. Dec. 24, 1868, moved to Dallas
1869, taught in school conducted by brother Wm. Scales, moved to Nadine
farm 1870-71, to Rockwall house late in 1880, died Tenn. 1889 following
surgery. Note: See Rockwall County History, p. 83. Fannie Barnes lived
with Mansons at Nadine 1879-1880 as did a girl named Annie, age 6, born
in Texas. The relationship of this child is not known or whether she
moved with them to the Rockwall home. They had no children. Dr. Manson's
three nieces and one nephew lived with him at the house in Rockwall during his second marriage.
1897-1945 Myrta Belle Castle Manson, journalist, poet, taxidermist,
moved to Dallas from Mich. 1896, met Dr. Manson in Galveston while
attending National Editors Convention (representing The Dallas Horning
News), married in Dallas at home of friend, Isadore Miner, June 16,
1897, died Rockwall Jan. 28, 1945.
???-1953 Jessie Estelle Castle La Moreaux, D.D.S., 1896 graduate
University Michigan Dental College. First woman with formal training to
practice in Texas. It is not known when she first moved into house with
sister, Myrta. Born in Mich. July 30, 1866, moved to Texas May 1898,
practiced in Dallas until early 1901, in Rockwall 1901-1917 with time
out in part of 1914 and 1915 when she moved with Myrta, brother-in-law,
Lawson Bost, and parents to Bost farm at Nadine (Blackland). She married
Lynn La Moreaux (Isadore Miner's half brother) in house at Rockwall Dec.
25, 1898, divorced Nov. 1901, had been living in Rockwall six months at
time of divorce, died Dec. 6, 1954 in Terrell hospital.
1912-1919 Lawson Philip Bost, farmer/stockman, cotton gin owner in
Blackland, livery stable Rockwall. Born Dec. 6, 1859 in N. C., married
Nellie Manson (Hal Manson's sister) in Rockwall 1885 (Nellie died Dec.
1897 in Blackland), 2nd marriage Myrta Belle Castle Manson (his
sister-in-law) 1912. Died Rhome, Tx Jan. 1919, buried Blackland
Cemetery.
???-1917, 28 Elizabeth Lee Reefer Castle and Warren Burte Castle,
parents of Jessie and Myrta. Followed their daughters to Texas from
Battle Creek, Mich. sometime in 1898 (they attended Jessie's wedding
Dec. 1898). They lived in the house on the hill at various times after
they came to Texas. Elizabeth was born in New Jersey, died in Rockwall
June 3, 1928, Warren was born in New York died in Rockwall Jan. 26,
1927. Both are buried in Rockwall City Cemetery.
1914-15 The Lewis Lee (Pete) Darr family lived in the house for about a
year while Jessief Myrta and husband, Lawson Host, Warren and Libbie
Castle lived in Nadine. The Darr's daughter, Blanche/ was married to
Erwin Pope Parrish in the house Feb. 15, 1915.
1950-51 Mollie Bost Wilkerson, daughter of L. P. Bost and niece 1960-62
of Dr. Manson shared the home with Miss Jessie after the death of her
husband.
1947-1981 Nellie Bost Hartman, daughter of L. P. Bost, and husband,
Bedford Forest Hartman, were married Dec. 13, 1913. Nellie was born in
Blackland in 1894. Bedford Hal Hartman, their son, and his wife, Helen
Smith Hartman, and child Regina were residents about 1947-49. Regina and
Hal Jr. Hartman were frequent guests of their grandmother as was Phyllis
Hartman Phelps, daughter of Nell and Forest.
1982-83 The property at 106 W. Washington was sold, contents auctioned,
and the house given to Rockwall County Historical Foundation. It was
moved to Harry Myers City Park where RCHF has a 99-year lease with the
city of Rockwall. The two rooms extending to the rear are believed to
have been added by Dr. Manson after its purchase in 1880. Records
indicate the price at that time, including two city lots was $600. The
inventory of Dr. Manson's Estate made in 1906 lists the property
at $1,000. It is interesting to note that the will also stipulated that
his widow maintain "the house on Success Hill" as a home for Edward
Manson's minor children until they reached their majority. The inventory
valued the Success property on the square at $300 and the newspaper
plant at $500.
The information about the residents of the Manson-La Moreaux-Hartman
house was compiled by Harold R. Bost, grandson of Lawson Bost. He spent
many summers visiting his aunt Nell and slipping across the street to
visit his Aunt Myrta and Miss Jessie to hear their stories. Other
information came from the letters and personal papers which were
auctioned when the house was sold.
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