Dr. Taylor Hudson House

The Hudson House was built in 1890 on a hill near courthouse square. Constructed entirely of brick, the house is an unusual combination of Queen Anne and Eastlake detailing with elements of the Romanesque style which at that time was gaining popularity in Texas. The white brick was sourced locally from Beamer Brick Works, giving the house the masonry structure of an Indian fort. The building has a steeply-pitched hipped roof while the southeast corner features a hooded tower. A wraparound gallery features Eastlake columns, ball-and-spindle fretwork, turned balusters, and a pressed metal roof. The house had an interesting drainage system in which water from the upstairs bathroom drained into cisterns below for watering the yard.

The house has been through various iterations including a private residence, a bed and breakfast inn, and retail office space. A full restoration was completed in 2022 when modern amenities were added to the classic Victorian finishes. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

Dr. Taylor Hudson, the original owner of the home, was born in Alabama and came to Belton with his parents and siblings in 1867. In 1871 he entered the University of Virginia and completed his medical education at Louisiana Medical College, graduating in 1877. After returning to Belton to practice medicine, Hudson married Nancy Elizabeth Long. Their marriage produced five children. The Hudsons were described as “a happy family who did lots of entertaining in the lavish Victorian style [home] with an eyecatching entrance hall and double parlors.”

Dr. Hudson was prominent in civic, political, and medical affairs, both locally and statewide. He was chairman of the county Democrat party executive committee for many years, and it was an open secret in Belton that he authored the notorious “Frank Andrews’ Resolution.” (Frank Andrews was Belton’s city attorney from 1888-1891.) The controversy arose around the 1890 election in which Judge R. Y. King and Huling P. Robertson announced as Democrat candidates for representative from Bell County. The resolution sought to deny participation in Democrat party proceedings if one had voted at the previous election for an opponent of the party nominee. The resolution served as “advance notice that those who failed to vote the straight ticket that year would be denied participation two years later in the party’s primaries.” Thus, all Democrats who supported Judge King in 1890 would be excluded from participation in the primaries of 1892. Many of the local precincts in Bell County voted to oppose the resolution on the grounds that it was impolitic, unjust, and undemocratic, and dictated a “test” that was binding on the Democrat party primary. Both Belton newspapers jumped into the feud with the Belton Reporter calling out the Belton Journal for its stance concerning the “democratic” nomination of H.P. Robertson. When the party’s executive committee met, the resolution passed by a vote of 14 to 6. Petitions against the resolution were read and substitute resolutions were offered but not accepted. When Dr. Hudson, as chairman of the executive committee, was asked to rescind the resolution, he replied that he did not make the law and therefore could not repeal it or ignore it. The political storms in Bell County made headlines all around the state, from Abilene to Galveston. The Galveston Daily News reported that the political situation in the county is “in such a condition that no person who has any regard for his reputation as a practical prophet would dare to predict the result. The split in the democratic ranks which has existed here for two years or more and the row and fuss that was caused by the Frank Andrews’ resolution are well known to the people of the state.” The Frank Andrews’ resolution was eventually repealed in 1892, but although the “fires of past discords still smoldered,” neither side was anxious for a fight.

Politics aside, Dr. Hudson was one of the charter members of the Texas Medical Association and was one of five trustees appointed the year the medical association was chartered. He also served as its president in 1902. In 1887, he organized the Bell County Medical Library Association. He was instrumental in establishing the school system in Belton and helped lead the city’s educational endeavors as a trustee. He and his wife were active participants in social events and members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He died in 1938 and is buried in North Belton Cemetery.

Bell County Historical Commission (Tex.), and E. A. Limmer. Story of Bell County, Texas. Austin, TX.: Eakin Press, 1988.

“Gothic Motif Strong Influence in Hudson Home.” Belton Journal, April 21, 1977.

Memorial and Biographical History of McLennan, Falls, Bell, and Coryell Counties, Texas, vol. 2—Illustrated. Chicago: Lewis Publishing, 1893; La Crosse, WI.: Northern Micrographics, c2001.

“George Robinson Recalls, in Letter to Journal, Dr. Hudson’s Activities in Political and Community Affairs. Belton Journal, April 28, 1938.

Tarver, L. K. “Bell County Politics.” The Galveston Daily News, July 31, 1892.

United States Department of the Interior/National Park Service. “National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Dr. Taylor Hudson House.” [Washington, D.C.: USDI/NPS, 1990?]