The Junior Historian, Volume 11, Number 6, May 1951 Page: 5
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THE JUNIOR HISTORIAN
EARLY HOMES IN DEWITT COUNTY
C MARY MARGii K.Sch ER
Cuero figh SchoolE ARIX history of I)e\Vitt County
is reflected in a study of the pio-
neer homes of the area and of the
men who built them.
The earliest home in the section that
came to be known as I)DeWitt County
was built by Arthur Burns and was
located a short (listance south of pres-
ent Irish Creek and about two miles
cast of the Guadalupe River. Burns ar-
rived with his family in August, 182_6.
and received a headright grant of land
extendling both north and south of the
creek. Since there were no neighbors
to lend a hand, Burns and his son.
Squire, immediately set to work to cut
logs with which to build the house. No
doubt Sarah and the girls-Pamela,
Cynthia, Emily, and Zilla-did all that
they could to hasten the building of the
house in order to have a place of shelter:
from the winter's cold and protection
in case of indian attacks. Their home
of native logs covered with a kind of
early-day adobe was completed in aboutOctober. 1826, and was the only one
between Gonzales and Victoria.
The house was two-story and con-
siste(l of one large room eighteen feet
by twenty-four feet with a shed-room
on the southeast. A porch extended
across the front with a smaller porch on
the southwest. The chimney was on the
cast end of the house. As was typical
of early-day houses, the kitchen with its
huge fireplace was some distance back
of the house. and beyond the kitchen
was the log barn. A well supplied
water for the household. For years this
house was considered the best con-
structed in the area and was designated
as a "fortified place in time of Indian
raidss'
In 1829. Columbus Burns, the first
white baby in the DeWitt County area,
was born to Arthur and Sarah Burns.
Two years later his sister, Ardelia, was
oIrn.
In time other families came to live
near the Burns home and to form the
., w 4~. ~II
"~'"-*-~-- a 'W.* . -1~ ~~~"I~P 4
1K'
.~x~~ K.The Joseph Stevens home, built in 1847, was a show place of the Concrete area until it burned
in 1936. This drawing was made by a Cuero High School student from a photograph.
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Texas State Historical Association. The Junior Historian, Volume 11, Number 6, May 1951, periodical, May 1951; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth391577/m1/7/?q=%22mex-tex%22: accessed June 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.