McGregor-Grim House

This vernacular Greek Revival farmhouse was built in 1861 by Gregor Carmichael McGregor, a doctor and land speculator who came to Texas and married Annie Portia Fordtran, daughter of wealthy German immigrants. Featuring a simple floor plan with a central passageway and rooms on either side, this style was common across the nation between 1820 and 1840. The house was divided sharply into formal and informal spaces typical of upper-class houses in the mid-nineteenth century. The formal rooms, including the entrance hall, parlor, and dining room, were richly decorated and furnished to entertain guests and used for special occasions, while the informal rooms were modes for daily life.

It was difficult to obtain fine building materials in Central Texas, so the house was made entirely of native wood and featured faux painted details on the exterior and interior to replicate expensive materials. The pine front doors were accented with painted wood graining to resemble oak with rosewood paneling. The chimney bricks were made of stone then plastered and stenciled over with a red brick pattern. The entrance hall was decorated with columns painted on the walls, and the wood fireplace mantels were painted to look like marble. Additionally, some rooms feature painted ceiling and decorative borders by Rudolph Melchoir.

The family occupied the house until l1873 when dr. McGregor retired from his medical practice and they moved near Waco, Texas. The town of McGregor was named after him when he donated some of his land to create a railroad right-of-way. Dr. McGregor sold the house to Mary Schloeman. In 1912, the property was sold again to Charles Grimm, serving as a tenant house until Miss ima Hogg acquired it in 1968. Originally situated in the Wesley community, Miss Hogg moved the house to Winedale and furnished it with

Texas German furniture from her collection to illustrate the lifestyle of an affluent German-American family around the Civil War period.

Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin